US School Runners To Race In XC Challenge
[Written by Stephen Wright]
High school runners from the United States will descend on the island for the inaugural Bermuda XC Challenge at the Botanical Gardens in Devonshire on Saturday.
The cross-country event is organised by MileSplit in collaboration with the Bermuda National Athletics Association, the Bermuda Tourism Authority and Speed4Sport.
Running alongside the Bermuda National Age-Group Championships, the event will feature 5-kilometre Varsity A and B races for males and females.
Teams from Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Washington D.C., Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Florida are set to compete.
All competitors will receive a swag bag, which includes a singlet, sweatshirt and backpack.
Jason-Lamont Jackson Sr, the meet manager, is a long-time friend of Hazel Clark, the BTA director of global sales and business development.
“I’ve been an extended member of the Clark track family since about 1996!” Jackson, who coaches at West Orange High School, New Jersey, told the MileSplitOH website.
“Hazel and I have worked together for the past few years, doing her summer Nike camps in New Jersey.
“I thought it would be a wonderful opportunity to bring some of the student-athletes we work with at the summer camps to Bermuda.
“There were a few Bermuda student-athletes who came to our camps, and I thought it would be an opportunity to combine our high school athletes with their high school athletes.
“We’re looking forward to a great event to give our athletes more exposure.”
Jackson said the motto for the event was “competition, camaraderie and culture” and is hoping the meet can grow and become an annual competition.
“Many of our athletes may be travelling for the first time, leaving the US to another country,” he added. “Hopefully, they can immerse themselves in the island, learn the culture and form relationships.
“Hopefully, we can attract more sponsorship to ease the costs and get more teams from the Midwest and West Coast out here.
“We’re in early talks to do a track and field version in June.”
