Nearly 1,000 Spokane Area runners competed yesterday at Comstock Park:

(October 22, 2012)—Nearly 1,000 young runners will test their legs and determination today at the Bloomsday All City Elementary Cross Country Meet at Comstock Park. The meet, which begins about 4:00 p.m., is the culmination of the Elementary Cross Country Program organized in Spokane elementary schools this fall by Active4Youth, a nonprofit that works to provide after-school sports programs for Spokane-area children to combat childhood obesity.

“Bloomsday is proud to once again support this event,” said Lilac Bloomsday Association President Carol Hunter. “We want to continue to create an opportunity for kids to enjoy this lifelong sport.”
This is the fourth year the Lilac Bloomsday Association has sponsored the All City Cross Country Meet. The meet was part of the Spokane School District’s after school sports program until 2003, when it was discontinued due to budget constraints. Active4Youth was able to re-launch the program in 2009 after receiving funds from the Inland Northwest Community Foundation and the Charlotte Martin Foundation. Bloomsday’s sponsorship has also been crucial in restarting the program.
Young runners from Spokane schools have qualified for the Bloomsday All City Meet by either their place or time in the gender and grade division in which they competed at one of two zonal meets. Catholic schools have had their own systems for qualifying runners for the All City Meet. About 50 schools will have runners participating in one of six sections—K/1, 2nd grade, 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th.
_About Active4Youth (A4Y)_
Active4Youth is a local 501(C)(3) nonprofit that works to provide after-school sports programs for Spokane-area children to combat childhood obesity. For more information or to see how you can get involved or make a contribution, please visit Active4Youth’s website, www.active4youth.org.
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The USA Cross Country Championships are in Spokane Valley this year — on February 13th at Plantes Ferry.Top runners from across the nation, competing for the opportunity to represent Team USA at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships.  Over 600 elite, masters and junior competitors are expected, including past USA Olympic team members.

Before the race, the Spokane Regional Sports Commission is hosting the Erik Anderson 4k Community Run.  The race is open to runners of all ages and proceeds will benefit the Erik Anderson Memorial Fund.

For information on the USATF Cross Country Championships, visit usatf.org.

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This fall, over 3,000 students in the Spokane School District will once again run cross country. Active4Youth, a local non-profit fighting childhood obesity, is partnering with the district to offer programs schools can’t afford on their own.

The six-week season has two regional zone meets (Sept. 30 and Oct. 7) and culminates in the 2009 Bloomsday All-City Meet on October 12 at Comstock Park.

Call 868-6201 or visit active4youth.org for information.

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As if you didn’t know. Here’s more evidence comes from this press release from the Lilac Bloomsday Association:

HIGH SCHOOL RUNNERS TO COMPETE IN NATIONAL MEETS IN CALIFORNIA AND OREGON

December 4, 2008—This coming Saturday will be a big day for high school runners from the Spokane area, as the region’s top harriers head south for post-season meets in California and Oregon. Nearly 50 individuals will be competing in the Foot Locker West Regional Cross Country Championships at Mt. San Antonio College (Mt. SAC) in southern California, racing against their counterparts from eleven other Western States. On the same day a boys team from North Central High School—which has been ranked as the number-one team in the nation throughout the fall—will try to solidify that ranking at the Nike Cross Nationals, held at Portland Meadows Racetrack, in a race that features 22 of the nation’s best high school cross country teams.

The Spokane contingent at the West Regional meet—one of four Foot Locker competitions held across the country—is led by Baylee Mires of Mead and Adam Thorne of Ferris. The North Central team at Nike Cross Nationals is led by Andrew Kimpel, runnerup at the Washington State Meet this fall, and Jeff Howard, who won the Northwest Region qualifying race for Nike Cross Nationals.

For the sixeenth straight year, over 30 Spokane-area runners had their airline tickets to the Footlocker meet donated by the Lilac Bloomsday Association. The Bloomsday Association provides airline tickets and ground transportation to runners based on times at regional cross-country meets held in the fall.

“This should be an interesting weekend for Spokane’s top high school runners,” said Lilac Bloomsday Association President Jerry O’Neal. “We’re excited to see how the runners we sponsor to the Footlocker Meet do, and the North Central boys have the opportunity to do something no Spokane school has ever done, be crowned as the top cross country team in the nation.”

For runners competing in the Footlocker West Regional Meet, the top ten boys and girls will advance to the Foot Locker Cross Country Nationals in San Diego on December 13, joining top qualifiers from the Northeast, South and Midwest.

More information on the Foot Locker Regionals and Nationals may be obtained by logging on to www.footlockerwest.com. Information on Nike Team Nationals is available at http://www.runnerspace.com/nxn.

_Runners sponsored to Footlocker Meet by the Lilac Bloomsday Association_:

Girls

1. Baylee Mires Mead
2. Andreea Nelson Shadle Park
3. Stevie Gidehaus University
4. Courtney Zalud Mt. Spokane
5. Alicia Doohan Gonzaga Prep
6. Eden Lake Central Valley
7. Molly Cole Mt. Spokane
8. Sarah Craig Mt. Spokane
9. Alison Keenan Lewis & Clark
10. Lauren Bergam East Valley
11. Madi Barnes Central Valley
12. Katie Morris Shadle Park
13. Jamie Lambie Central Valley
14. Hannah Allen Lewis & Clark
15. Afton McKinlay Mt. Spokane
16. Amanda Wilson Riverside

Boys

1. Adam Thorne Ferris
2. Allan Schroeder Mt. Spokane
3. Jordan Baker Mead
4. Jordan Curnutt Mead
5. Tate Kelly Gonzaga Prep
6. Nathan Weitz Shadle Park
7. Kenji Bierig Lewis & Clark
8. Chris Ennis Lewis & Clark
9. Steven Kutsch Mead
10. Sam Magnuson Gonzaga Prep
11. Eric Foss Mead
12. Perry Domini Ferris
13. Alex Kimsey Ferris
14. Justin Zimmerman Ferris
15. Josh Alexander Lakeside
16. Jeff Pope Valley Christian

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*For Immediate Release—December 4, 2008
Contact: Don Kardong—838-1579, donkardong@bloomsdayrun.org*

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I recently got a questionnaire from a national advertiser wanting to know if our market was good for running. Of course I went off. This is an amazing town for running. If Eugene, OR is “Track City USA” could Spokane be “Cross Country City USA?” Maybe. Check out this event release from the Spokane Regional Sports Commission:

2008 USATF Northwest Regional Cross Country Championships

(Spokane Valley, WA) – The Northwest Regional Cross Country Championships will take place this Sunday, November 23, 2008 at Plantes Ferry Sports Complex in Spokane Valley, hosted by the Spokane Regional Sports Commission. The regions top athletes will be competing and many preparing for the December 13, USATF National Club Cross country Championships. There will be approximately 250 athletes from Washington, Idaho, Montana, and Oregon. Cross country fans and media are welcome. There is no charge for admittance.
“Spokane is a running community, and the Spokane Regional Sports Commission is excited to host the regions top cross country runners who will be competing at the Northwest Regional Cross Country Championships,” says Chris Frye, Director of Sports Marketing and Research for the Spokane Regional Sports Commission.
Events: Sunday, November 23, 2008 race times:
10:00 am Masters Men’s 10km and Women/Teams 6km
11:00 am Open Women/Teams 6km
11:40 am Open Men/Teams 10km
Categories:
– Masters teams are 10 year age groups (40-49, 50-59, and 60+)
– Masters individuals have 5 year age groups
– 5 runners are required to score for the Men’s 40 and 50 teams and 2 runners are required to score for all women’s and male teams over 60.
Location: Plantes Ferry Sports Complex, 12308 Upriver Drive, Spokane Valley, WA 99260

For more information, please contact the Marla Emde at marlae@spokanesports.org or (509) 456-5812.
Spokane Regional Sports Commission
The Spokane Regional Sports Commission provides leadership in economic and community development through sports. Our vision is to establish the Spokane region as the premier destination for youth and amateur sports in the Western United States generating a significant economic impact, improving the quality of life, while bringing prominence and recognition to the Inland Northwest. For more information, please visit our website www.spokanesports.org.

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