Breaking news, the cross country Stubbs invitational scheduled for Sept. 19 was canceled two weeks ago due to excess heat but to many, the race isn’t that important, and it’s not even actually breaking news. The meet is held annually at Platte Ridge Park, but the race is something that the runners don’t always get hyped for.
Being their home course the runners know the ins and outs of the meet but the course still poses a challenge for even the most veteran runners. This is due to the extreme amount of ups and downs throughout the course plus the infamous Tower Hill, a 300-meter straight incline of over 60 feet, that makes the course even harder.
“The home course is just really hilly,” senior Madison Palmer said. “It’s mentally challenging, but also since there are a lot of trees and nature around it just gets really hard to breathe, and plus it also got named the second hardest course in Missouri.”
The course truly is just that tough and is known for its difficulty. According to Missouri MileSplit.com, a frequently used cross country and track networking app, the course at Platte Ridge was nominated as one of the hardest meets by runners across Missouri, although the harder home course allows the runners to train for other intense meets.
“I think the course definitely helps us [train],” Palmer said. “When teams get to a hill it’s always Platte County who is passing them on the hill because we practice there pretty much every day.”
These practices are just like any other sport, a time when the team gets better, but training on a harder course gives the team an extra advantage. So, after missing out on the race the team was well rested for the following week when the top varsity runners got the chance to run at the cross-country state course at Gans Creek in Columbia, Mo., one of the best cross-country courses in Missouri.
“Gans Creek is definitely a better course compared to any other one that we run,” junior Donavin Ness said. “I wouldn’t say that it is the perfect cross country course but when you say cross country my mind immediately goes to rolling hills and nice corners and that’s exactly Gans Creek.”
Not only is the course good, but it was also designed for cross-country running and has grass that is meant to be helpful for runners which is very unlike our home course.
“Our home course kind of sucks and there are roots everywhere,” Ness said. “Platte Ridge is just not as nice and pristine as Gans.”
However during a real cross-country meet it doesn’t frankly matter how hard the course is, it just matters how well you run your race and how you help the team. Even if during one race you are running on one of the hardest courses in Missouri and the next week you are running on one of the best, it only matters how well you do.
“Gans was really nice but I think we all gave it our all and almost everyone that ran there was able to get a personal record,” freshman Tate Stone said. “It was just exciting getting to run at Gans and the team was just really supportive.”
So although the meet at Platte Ridge was canceled the cross team was still able to have a successful meet the following week at Gans Creek and without the home course, Platte County would not be able to train to prepare for their meets in the same way.
