Who’s Racing This Weekend

Who’s Racing This Weekend Early September in Northern Alabama brings a barrage of short distance road races to the area as the late summer heat continues to swelter. There are three local 5km races within a short drive from Huntsville this weekend, as well as one of the last triathlons of the season. As many team members begin to ramp up their mileage for a fall distance race, the team will be out this weekend at all local events. In Huntsville, the 50th Anniversary celebration of Randolph school means a commemorative 5km race that starts at the new campus and runs around Jones Valley. Joe Francica, Conrad Meyer, Shane O’Neil and Chris Platt will be competing in this event, which has the makings of a very fast race. In Athens, everyone’s favorite Duck & Run 5k is back and better than ever. Whitney Hollingsworth is committed to run in Decatur and should be amongst the fast competition at the top of the field. Sharon Johnston Park will serve as the site for the UAH open cross country meet. This race is directed UAH Cross Country Coach David Cain, husband of team mate Ashley Cain. Though a small field for this race, the competition is always fierce at the XC meet. Greg Reynolds continues his assault on the triathlon scene in Scottsboro, AL at the Frantic Frog. This sprint distance tri consists of a 400m swim, a 24km bike and a 5km run. There are 600 registrants in this year’s event. More information can be found at the event website of http://members.tripod.com/jmp_stsc/ Jokingly referred to as ‘Team B’ by Fleet Feet Sports owner Suzanne Taylor, Team Cupcake will travel to Grayson, VA on Thursday to compete as a 12 member team in the Blue Ridge Relay. This 208 mile (actually 211 miles as measured by personal experience in 2008) rolls through the Blue Ridge Mountains and features killer climbs and even harder down hills before culminating in Asheville, NC. Team member Jennifer Carter will be amongst the Cupcakes, along with Suzanne, Laura Charette, Sara Bowden and a few others. Good luck to the entire race team wherever your running takes you this weekend. By the way, just in case you wanted to know, Dogman is not competing this weekend. LOL!