Your regular season's hard work, mileage and well-deserved honors are being rewarded. Saturday November 17 is the 2nd annual BATTLE OF THE POTOMAC XC CHAMPIONSHIPS: MD vs VA, or as it's known on the running trails, the XC BORDER WAR 2.
As many have heard, we were forced to make some changes in race day events; namely, merging or eliminating the appearance of an elite race(s) or as it was told to us, the purely "all-star event". We will have more time in the coming months to state our case for 2009, but for now we have made changes that satisfy the Maryland State Scholastic Athletic Executive Director's office. We will score the invitational runners "within a race": OPEN runners will be racing hard for OPEN medals; invitational runners will fight for invitational medals. The battle for the "CUP" will still be determined by the invitational runners. At the awards ceremony, we will award medals based on your performance and there will be special awards too.
Most importantly, we are here to celebrate cross country, to inspire other kids to run and to have fun in a race that brings together many boys and girls who have never faced off in cross country competition.
RACE DAY RULES:
1. Have fun and be courteous to all officials and volunteers
2. Wear the Nike singlet that is given to you to keep
3. Virginia runners your singlet is ROYAL blue, Maryland your is Red again this year, so wear shorts to match (not required but the photographers will have a field day if you don't!)
4. Cheer on the other runners in VA or MD
5. Champion Chips will be worn on your shoes: take off one lace partially to attach the chip to your shoes. [we will have volunteers to assist taking off the Chips in the finish area]
Packet Pickup:
Opens at 11 am and will be available until 1:30 pm
SCHEDULE:
The course will open at 11:30 am. The first race has been pushed back to 1:45 (MIDDLE SCHOOL GIRLS & BOYS). The OPEN Boys will go at 2:30 pm and the OPEN Girls will go at 3:15 pm.
APPAREL SALE:
The Battle XC Staff will be selling hoodies, knit hats, event long-sleeved tees, and mock turtleneck shirts. Please support our cause.
Race Procedures: OPEN races
*In a tradition that borrows an element of the Footlocker Finals, we will have the VA squad and MD squad congregate in a designated area close the Merge point.
*Our announcer will call out each runner, alternating between Team VA and Team MD.
*A pair of runners will meet at the Merge, shake hands and proceed to the start lines.
*The race has two (2) start lines that form a "V" to a merge point. The Merge is approximately 100m downcourse. *Both teams race to the merge then head out onto the course.
*The SMOKEY GLEN FARM 5K course is a 2500m loop. OPEN races will run it twice before heading to the finish line near the Merge point.
POST-RACE DINNER & AWARDS:
The dinner starts at 4 pm. Your bib number serves as your meal ticket. Parents and adults who purchase or make a donation will be given a bib number that is their meal ticket.
Awards will begin at 4:45.
Event concludes no later than 5:30 pm
Thank you for your racing and "enjoy the run"
Race Format and Schedule Change
Invitational and OPEN races merged to adhere to MD eligibility rules
Bethesda, MD. (November 14, 2007). The 2nd Battle of the Potomac Cross Country (XC) Championships is modifying its race format to remain in compliance with the State of Maryland's Athletic Association rules governing undergraduate students' eligibility. "All high school athletes will compete in two OPEN races vice four races", announced Dave Watt, Executive Director of the Bethesda MD-based American Running Association. "We want all runners to be celebrated and compete in this Battle between the two states' high school cross country athletes", added Watt. The change to two OPEN races has been made to comply with the rules of eligibility governing participation in post-season events in Maryland. The elite invitational races have been merged into the OPEN races. Medals and awards will be given to OPEN race finishers. The Battle for the "CUP" will be determined by the number of runners who line up for the Battle of the Potomac.
The new schedule of events is as follows:
Middle School Boys & Girls Combined 2500m race
1:30 pm
OPEN BOYS 5000m race
2:15 pm
OPEN GIRLS 5000m race
3:00 pm
Dinner and Awards
3:45 pm
Event concludes
5:30 pm
A list of all registered runners for TEAM VIRGINIA and TEAM MARYLAND will be posted on Thursday afternoon at the Battle of the Potomac XC Championship website: www.battlexc.com
Online registration is OPEN until NOON on Friday November 16th at the Battle of the Potomac website: www.battlexc.com . Entry fee is $17. Each runner receives a Nike FitDry singlet, a goodie bag and the post-race chicken barbecue dinner at Smokey Glen Farm. CHANGE: Top 50 finishers in the OPEN races receive medals. Top 30 middle school finishers get medals as well.
Questions: call 301-913-9517 x 13 or email: battlexc@americanrunning.org
