This team. These boys. This season.
What a ride it's been, from Oakville Indian Mounds Park in Danville, AL, to the McCallie Invitational in Chattanooga, to the Coleman Midgett Invitational and State Championship meets at Sanders Ferry Park in Hendersonville, to the Metro Nashville Championships at Vaughn Creek in Percy Warner Park, to the Nike NXR Regionals in Cary, NC, to at long last and for the first time ever, the Nike NXN Nationals at Glendoveer Golf Course in Portland, OR.
That's a lot of racing for JP's MBA varsity cross country team. A long season and a lot of miles covered, literally and figuratively, from practice this summer at Vaughn Creek, beginning in July, to today's final race of the season in rainy Portland, OR. The boys put in the work, day in and day out, and it paid off with MBA's first trip to the NXR Regionals since 2010 and the first trip, ever, to the NXR Nationals.
It's hard to put into words how proud I am of JP and his teammates for their accomplishments this season. As I've written in this space several times, it's a unique and special group of boys. Close knit and of the top 5, two seniors (Samuel and Mitchell), one junior (Jack), and two freshman (JP and Gabe). Throw in two more juniors (Jack Farringer and Charlie) and you've got a solid cross country team, top to bottom, and a group of boys who have become close friends.
Thanks to stellar coaching and mentorship from Roderick Russ and the leadership of the senior co-captains, Samuel and Mitchell, the 2023 MBA varsity cross country team is the most accomplished team in school history. That's my take, anyway, and I think it's accurate as no MBA team has ever been to Nationals.
After a bit of debate about what time to leave this morning, Jude and I settled on 7:45 a.m., which we hoped would give us plenty of time to get to the parking area, hop on a shuttle bus, and get to Glendoveer golf course in plenty of time for the race. It rained most of last night and it was raining as we left the hotel before sunrise this morning. We caught a shuttle bus with no problem and just like that, we were on location at Glendoveer Golf Course a good hour and a half before the start of the race.
Optimistically and according to weather.com, I had predicted to Jude and Joe that the rain would lift before and during the race. Ultimately, that proved to be true but when we walked in the front gate, it was chilly and drizzling. Typical Portland weather in December or so I was told. Fortunately, it never started raining hard after we arrived and after a few more intermittent showers, we go the break in the rain that I had foretold.
While Jude and Joe got in line for hot chocolate from a coffee truck on site, followed by mediocre donuts from Voodoo Donuts, I walked part of the course. There was standing water everywhere and the fairways were muddy. Really muddy, which I knew would make for a slower and interesting race. I'm not sure about the upperclassmen but I knew JP had never run a race in similar conditions.
JP surprised us by texting and walking about of "the athletes village" to give us a hug and say hello. He was all smiles and appeared confident and relaxed. I think I was more uptight than he was, although I didn't show it. I choked up a bit when I saw him because, I guess, I'm so damn proud of him and I know how hard he worked this year to end up in Portland, OR, for the race of a lifetime.
It was an odd feeling in the sense that while the weekend was about JP and his MBA teammates, we never really saw any of them. They stayed at a different hotel with runners from all over the country and had their own, singular experience, which is how it should be. As parents, we kept up with the boys through the occasional text or photo we received from one of them, after which we shared what we had learned with the group. For that reason, seeing JP before the race was an emotional moment for me.
I split up from Jude and Joe, as is my custom, so I could watch the race from various vantage points. After scouting out the course some more, I returned to the starting line in time to watch the team introductions, which were quite the production. One by one, with parents and fans cheering and crowded around the starting line, the announcer introduced each team. When MBA's team lined up in their black Nike NXN sweatsuits, I cheered loudly. The announcer talked about their performance at the Southeast Regionals, called them underdogs (which they were), and pointed out it was MBA's first appearance at Nationals. With two freshman running, they also were the youngest team in the field.
After the team was announced, they jogged across the starting line and circled back toward "the athletes village," where they would take off their sweats, so some last minute stretching, then walk to the starting line. I took a video of the seven of them as they passed by me. Mitchell smiled as I yelled, "Roll Red!" JP looked over at me, grinned, and flexed as he jogged by, slightly behind the rest of the team. I'll remember that look on his face - that confident, youthful exuberance - for the rest of my life.
At that point, I walked back out onto the course, in search of someone who knew his or her way around so I could position myself, strategically, in the best spot to watch the race from multiple points. I happened upon Matt McMurray, whom I believe is the head cross country coach at Marist High School in Atlanta, GA. He had a boy from his Marist team (Tommy Latham), running unattached, who qualified for the Nationals by finishing in the top 5 at the Regionals in Cary, NC. He had run the course with Tommy on Friday, so he had a good feel for where we needed to be to catch the runners at multiple spots on the course. He was super nice and agreed to allow me to tag along, as a result of which I ran behind him, slogging through mud and water, during the race to three or four different locations.
JP likes to run on the inside of course which, as luck would have it, is where Matt and I were standing, so I saw him twice. He recognized me in the bright orange rain jacket I was wearing and heard me, both times, as I yelled for him. He looked at me, expressionless, though he nodded almost imperceptibly.
The finish line was too crowded for me to see JP cross it, so I settled for trying to find him in the mass of boys and parents immediately after the race was over. First, though, I looked at the scoreboard and saw that he had finished in 16:24:08. All of the times - including the winner at 15:16:05 - were about 30 second slow by my estimation. JP has been running just under 16:00:00, so he was right on schedule considering the mud and standing water on the course made for difficult running. I also noticed that for the first time this season, JP was the 2nd MBA runner to cross the finish line (behind Jack). The order of the top five was Jack, JP, Gabe, Samuel, and Mitchell.
In the mass of tired, muddy boys, milling around, I saw Samuel first and congratulated him. Next, I saw Gabe, then Mitchell. Finally, I spotted JP. Smiling, muddy, exhausted, he hugged me. I told him how proud I was of him. Gradually, the boys and families assembled and we took photos of the group. A lot of photos.
JP, flanked by Mitchell and Samuel, seniors and co-captains. Their leadership and friendship has meant the world to JP. He will never forget them nor will I.
JP and Coach Roderick Russ.
JP and Gabe, both freshman. I can't wait to see how they push each other over the next few years.
At one point, I asked the NXR winners - Miami Havana - to pose with our boys for a photo, which they graciously agreed to do. It turned out that both teams had hung out together a good bit at the hotel, so it was nice to get a photo of all of them together.
MBA and Belen Jesuit Preparatory School after the race.
After a while, Jude, Joe, and I hopped on a shuttle bus for the ride back to the parking lot. We drove home, uneventfully. While Joe did some homework and Jude read, I went for a run on the paved trail that snakes along beside the Willamette River in downtown Portland. Really, it was my first chance to get a run in and I didn't want the weekend to go by without lacing up my running shoes and getting outside.
More importantly, I was inspired by JP and his MBA teammates. I ran six miles - my longest run in a while - largely in the rain. It was one of those runs I will remember as a "top 10 run."
I ran to celebrate JP's accomplishments this season. I ran for the simple joy of running. I ran as a way to thank the Lord for the many blessings he has given me. Family, boys, a healthy body. I ran for life.
I ran because it is what I have done for so very long and what I continue to do.
I ran in the rain and I enjoyed every single step.
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