2026  Cross  Country

Rich  Eschman  Invite (Crystal Lake) 9.5.26

Our first Saturday invitation of the season launched today to great fanfare. We chose this year to test out a new meet instead of going to Lake County (on a week night) and/or Parkside. Parkside has been slowly shrinking over the past few years, and we secured an opportunity to head down to McHenry County to race the Rich Eschman Invite at Veteran Acres Park. Coach D reported that we once ran there many years ago for a Regional, but otherwise we haven’t put a Zee Bee spike on this course in quite some time. Knowing that it was hilly, I encouraged the men to focus instead on competing in the largest meet so far of the season. It was a humid 76 degrees when we got out there after an hour ride. As soon as we entered the parking lot, it became clear that this was going to be rugged XC racing. The steep hill from the parking lot dropped onto the sport fields of the start and finish, and the loops took the runners through grass fields, narrow lake paths, gravel hills through dense woods, and single-track pathways far distant from the central area. We saw turkeys, egrets, hawks, deer, and geese--wow!  

How do you coach a course we’ve never seen?  Today we had 3.1 and 2.15 mile opportunities. I firmly stated that our times didn’t matter today. Instead, we would measure our success on how we compete on the miles in between, and strive to truly get a feel for racing. I challenged the team to increase our “XCIQ” by using today as a learning opportunity. On top of that, we were to race our toughest course of the season and I wanted to keep our expectations reasonable and achievable.

There wasn’t a lot of time before we warmed up and kept dodging the piles of turkey poop that were liberally distributed throughout the grassy areas. The 3.1 JR/SR race was first, and we had a huge crew on the line.  We stacked up in box #10 and threw down a few run-outs before settling in for the gun. There was a palpable energy here, and I couldn’t wait to see the Bees get into the competition. With the gun, they were off!

I caught them by the mile and two-mile marks, which formed a narrow crossroads up in the woods near the middle of a steep incline.  T-Dun lead our pack out in 20th place at the mile mark, followed soon after by TJ in 25th and with a Woodstock runner at his elbow. Xander held a very close third for our team. Ethan was next, leading a large group up the hill, with Max our fifth. He was grimacing with every step, and I later learned he was racing on a rolled ankle but still keeping himself in the mix. Jairo surged up the hill with a nice burst in the slick gravel; Micah, Hugo, and Aydan were close behind him in fast succession. Our next up was Malik, with Jay and Santi within thirty meters, and Ovier punching hard up the hill. It was a solid start and they then hit the single-track stretch. I saw them again crossing the same trail headed into mile three, generally holding the same positions. Dunc had some breathing room and TJ got ahead of the Woodstock opponent; Xander held our third and Ethan had backed off a bit. Micah had moved up to our sixth man, after Max, with Aydan overtaking Jairo as well. I was pleased to see Malik and Santi closely packed here. Santi continued upward and packed with Jay in the field headed into the “turkey trail” (dubbed by Coach Hamilton).  

It was a neat view, seeing the runners careening down the steep hill and into the final 100m of the finish. T-Dunc surged in for a 24th place medal as our first man (18:32), with TJ kicking nicely for a medal finish at 33rd place (18:52). Xander locked in our third at 19:49, throwing down a dizzying kick across the mats. Ethan was our fourth at 20:08 with a decisive kick as well, and Max raced through on his injured ankle and a lost chip for 22:00. Micah had a great kick for our sixth place at 22:26, followed quickly by Aydan (22:46) and Jairo (22:52). Jay led the next Zee Bee pack through with a strong finish at 25:15, with Santi (25:18), Malik (25:23), and Hugo (25:24) right behind him. Ovier finished with an outstanding kick as well, racing 30:30 on the course today. 

While the men staggered through the throes of sweat-dampened recovery and caught their breath, we took stock of what we had just done. There were mixed reviews, but these conversations got progressively more positive as they recovered and reflected on the challenges of the course that they had just conquered. This turned into a point of pride for them, which is exactly how I wanted them to feel coming off this terrain today.

Before long, it was time for the 2.15 mile F/S race. Gustavo, Kye, Axel, Christopher, and Michael represented our pack today. We did our strides behind the finish line and braced for the gun. The energy was positive and the shorter course beckoned. With the gun, they sped out and into the trails!  I caught them as they headed to the mile mark, with Kye holding 15th place and racing well. Michael was holding his own nicely in the first race of his career, followed by Christopher and Axel packed at the elbow (and throwing gleeful thumbs-up signs to me as they passed!). Into the final loop, Kye still held a decisive upper position, and Michael had moved ahead of a pack of four that he had previously trailed. Axel and Christopher were in lockstep, and Gustavo was working with great heart in the first race of his career into the mile mark. He had family support and was racing well in the tough conditions.

Kye was our first finisher, earning a 16th place medal for 13:21!  Michael earned a medal in his first race for his 43rd place finish (14:50), followed by nice kicks from Chistopher (19:27) and Axel (19:31). Gustavo had a gutsy finish for 40:04 and a successful finish to his first race!  

We cheered on the women and broke camp, getting on the bus considerably damper than we arrived but with a common feeling of accomplishment. And these dudes were tired--they truly put it all into the race today. The hills presented a challenge we can rarely replicate in our community, and none of these guys shied away from taking a risk on the terrain. The individual conversations were enlightening and positive, and I could do little to suppress an overwhelming feeling of pride in how they raced today. The shout-outs on the bus were genuine and meaningful, and soon the team lapsed into well-deserved rest.

Xander summed it up nicely in his closing remarks, reminding the team that today’s race will know no comparison in the remainder of the season. In terms of terrain, we conquered the hardest we would race. I reminded the crew that if they can put the same effort into a flatter course, they will see amazing results. We are going to build on what we accomplished today and then leverage it into our next races. Tuesday at LF is going to be a great starting point for this, and a sterling opportunity for pack racing. I am going to particularly watch the packs that formed nicely today:  Micah, Aydan, Jairo; and Jay, Santi, Malik, and Hugo--these guys can do great things together! We’re going to work on running progressively and running together for Tuesday, and I cannot wait to see how we grow from this experience.  

I have to end by thanking this great team for keeping and open mind today, for embracing the conditions, and for taking seriously the racing opportunities. It was fun today to coach and see when growth isn’t measured by numbers, but instead in the heart. 

Deerfield  8.26.26

There are some days that the smiles never stop. The first race of the season is inevitably one of those evenings, and tonight brought incredible joy and progress!  We traveled to Deerfield for the annual Season Opener against Deerfield and Grayslake North, arriving on a toasty evening with omnipresent dust in the air, heat in the low 80s, and a team hungry for success. I have enjoyed seeing the progress over the summer and the first couple of weeks of the season, but the first race is the ultimate measure of where we start things. I asked the men on the bus to run from their hearts today and test their mettle, to compete and catch opponents each mile, and to push and pull each other on the course. After a short walk and putting bibs on the new racing singlets, it was time to begin!  We practiced a couple of run-outs and did our best to quell the nerves.
With the sharp report of the gun, we were off!

In the opening 800, the Deerfield Warrior pack surged forward and took near-complete control of the race with at least ten men at the front. Their control was not complete, however, as Ethan went out with great gusto and led the race for the first 800 before being enveloped in red jerseys. T-Dunc knew exactly what to do to capitalize on, and he edged right in the middle of the Deerfield pack. Xander, Ethan, and two GN runners rounded out the top pack, which stuck together through the mile before separating. Max took a major step forward in his first race, working on the shoulder of a GN runner and racing as our fourth man, followed by Hugo and Kye. At the 800 mark, Aydan was next, and about 100m back was Malik, Micah, and Jesse in a tight pack. Jason and Jay were racing 15m apart, and behind them a great pack of Bees were led by Santi--he had Ovier, Christopher, Axel, and Ziyier all working together in lockstep.  It was a very nice start.

I caught them again just after the mile mark. A photo I took captured a very important moment--the race leader looking with confusion to his right and seeing Dunc coolly in the middle of the top seven Deerfield men. They were clearly used to racing with zero competition, and Tristan gamely navigated their wide turns and matched their pace for an opening mile in the mid 5:40s. I loved it!  Xander was our second, with two GN runners between him and Ethan. Max confidently held the fourth Bee position, and Kye was racing very well as our 5, just ahead of Hugo. Aydan locked in the seventh slot, and Micah and Malik had put a few dozen meters on Jesse; Jay was leading Jason now and Santi put some sauce on the second mile to surge upward. Ziyier had moved up ahead of Christopher, Axel, and Ovier, who had a nice pack intact here.

Coming out of the second mile, Deerfield’s top seven had accelerated and dropped the second mile in the mid 5:20s; Dunc was right there to the right side of their pack and holding nicely; they had dropped two of their Deerfield pack with the quickening pace.  I rushed over to the finishing field to cheer on the kicks, and it was wonderful to see these Bees pushing with all their might when they were most tired. Dunc raced in for 16:23, just seconds off of his lifetime PR, taking sixty and cleaving the Deerfield top 8 nicely! Xander raced in at 17:29 and tenth overall, earning a 9-second lifetime PR! Ethan and Max surged in 16th and 17th overall, Ethan racing 18:19 and Max 18:36--this was a major 83-second drop from his best time last year!  Amazing!  Kye was next at 19:29, decisively breaking twenty in the first race of his life and finishing as our fifth man; Aydan was sixth at 20:39 with a major kick, too. Interestingly, the coaches and crowd were all cheering his name--and it turned out that he was racing a Deerfield runner of the same name! Our Aydan narrowly missed winning the excellent duel by just three-tenths of a second.  It was a great finish!

Micah and Malik were next, sticking together until there was just 150m left; Micah kicked for 21:27 and Malik for 21:38. Jesse finished his first XC race in good form as the next man at 22:52, with Hugo trailing at 23:08. Jay finished his first XC race at 24:00 in great form, followed closely by Santi at 24:22.  Our next five guys finished well and summoned nice kicks. Ziyier leveraged his racing experience to land at 25:29, with Jason finishing his first race at 23:36 just behind him. Ovier kicked in at 27:23, with Axel at 28:15 and Christopher at 28:16, both of these final athletes finishing their first races as well.  Nice job!
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It was warmer than anticipated, and yet the Zee Bees stood up and raced well today. The two lifetime PRs for returning athletes and the six who set their lifetime PR in their first 3-milers tonight deserve congratulations. The men worked hard and showed that they can embrace challenges and compete with others. Tonight was an invaluable experience for these guys, with many lessons learned over the course of these miles. I look forward to building on this solid foundation as we move forward together and train for the Crystal Lake next weekend. I’m proud of you all!
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