St. Mary's Cross Country Festival runs into the Night

A new twist brings excitement to one of the state’s premier regular-season cross country meets.

Cabell Midland will host its annual St. Mary’s Medical Center XC Festival today, as more than 150 teams and 1,700 runners from across the Mountain State once again descend upon the state championship course. This year marks a change in schedule, with the first of eight races to begin in the evening at 6:30 p.m., rather than morning, and the final to start at 10:30 p.m.
“We’re excited, we’ll see what happens,” Midland coach Chris Parsons said. “It’s something we’ve thought about the past three years.”


Following consecutive years of intense race day heat and concerns for athlete safety, the Knights program opted to make the switch from a morning meet to evening, Parsons said.

Coaches who annually attend the race, like Doddridge County’s Craig Kellar, welcomed the change.
“After some of the heat we’ve been exposed to the last several years, we’ll try anything,” Kellar said. “I think it’s kind of exciting.”

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