The weekend past was the BAA Mayors cup. It is one of the most competitive XC races in New England, people in New England say it is one of the best in the Nation. I don't know enough about it to say whether they are right or wrong.
All I know is these guys like to race watching cross country makes me want to race. The terrain is unpredictable and subject to the weather conditions but the race must go on.
The mens division was an 8k race and the winning time was 23:54. Last year the winning time was mid 23 min, but the course was much dryer. The course record is 22:53, from 1997. This year rain soaked the course the entire day before the race which some would say helped level the playing field for those with less raw speed.
One unique aspect of the Mayors cup is a time cut off. If you can't run 8k under 30 min you can't race. I think this is a great idea and it keeps the event short sweet and all about racing. Their is an earlier 5k for those just wanting to experience cross country racing, which is great because it exposes the sport of cross country racing to everyone, those who ran in school or even those who just like to kick around in the dust and rocks but it creates a separation between the levels of competition.
I am hoping to run in the Mayors cup next year. I am not sure I could have made the time cut off this year, that combined with only being 1 week out from the marathon. Just wasn't happening.
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A link to more Mayors Cup photos.
http://krissyk.smugmug.com/Other/Mayors-Cup-Franklin-Park-2009/10088625_ibmdT#P-1-28
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Complete race results
www.bostonmarathon.org/MayorsCup/RaceSummary2008.asp
Very interesting...
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