Harigel and Hundley excelled in some spring cross-country at the Trailblazer Trot

The course for the 2019 World Cross-Country Championships will actually send the runners across the roof of a building, the Moesgaard Museum near Aarhus, Denmark. After a test race on this bizarre course, representatives of the International Association of Athletics Federations seemed delighted. Lots of noise was made about this being a "real cross-country course," and taking the sport back to its roots.


If you want to experience the roots of "real cross-country," you should probably leave the rooftops to Batman and head to the forest--a woodland such as, say, Ponce de Leon Springs State Park near Bonifay, Florida. There, on Saturday morning, 10 March 2018, three days after the test race in Denmark, 61 athletes competed in the Trailblazer Trot 5K Cross-Country Race. Nathan Harigel was fastest in that field, winning the race in 17:42. Amber Hundley was the top woman in the race, placing fifteenth overall in 25:26.

Bonifay runners Joshua Wilberscheid and Joseph Clark took second and third, running 18:08 and 18:59. Jason Dence edged Anthony Jansen for top master runner honors, 19:18 to 19:23. Dence and Jansen were fourth and fifth overall.


Sydney Jansen was the women's runner-up, placing sixteenth overall in 25:40. Tamara Lewis was the first woman master and third female finisher, 22nd overall in 27:55.


Top Ten Men, 2018 Trailblazer Trot 5K Cross-Country Race

1. 17:42, Nathan Harigel (M, 18) Bonifay, FL
2. 18:08, Joshua Wilberscheid (M, 17) Bonifay, FL
3. 18:59, Joseph Clark (M, 17) Bonifay, FL
4. 19:18, Jason Dence (M, 41)
5. 19:23, Anthony Jansen (M, 41)
6. 19:53, Joseph Bartolotta (M, 16) Bonifay, FL
7. 20:59, Bryan McSwiggan (M, 32)
8. 21:17, Brandon Newsome (M, 32)
9. 21:39, Donald Marsh (M, 38)
10. 22:18, Clay Hatcher (M, 40)

Top Ten Women, 2018 Trailblazer Trot 5K Cross-Country Race

1. 25:26, Amber Hundley (F, 30)
2. 25:40, Sydney Jansen (F, 17)
3. 27:55, Tamara Lewis (F, 58)
4. 29:36, Leah Steverson (F, 36)
5. 31:37, Holly Hima (F, 48)
6. 33:57, Taylor Powell (F, 13) Bonifay, FL
7. 33:57, John Jadyn (F, 12)
8. 34:13, Emily Segers (F, 34)
9. 37:25, Amanda Jansen (F, 38)
10. 38:13, Kiana Serigne (F, 23)

Links

• Complete results of the 2018 Trailblazer Trot 5K Cross-Country Race
  https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vRLo3vCQS06EruX-B7nokzl9A3f70Cs4pMET0MHfU3G3jO2D6tmf9trGI-3kIf3OF6S2CIN3Hv95IDK/pubhtml
  
  
• Ponce de Leon Springs State Park
  https://www.floridastateparks.org/park/Ponce-de-Leon-Springs
  
  
• “IAAF Approves 'Back to Roots' Course For IAAF World Cross Country Championships Aarhus 2019”
  https://www.iaaf.org/competitions/iaaf-world-cross-country-championships/news/world-cross-country-aarhus-2019-course
  
  
• Find a future race in a Florida state park on the Trouble Afoot! calendar
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/search/label/calendar?max-results=1
  
  

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