2007 Senior EAST WEST CHAMPIONSHIP

The 2006-2007 XC and Track season offered a fast and furious show. Early fast times, lofty goals and great talent all aligned to make this one of the best seasons for Washington distance runners in many years.

Sub 9 min 3200’s, sub 1:50 800’s, nationally ranked times posted at national venues, all presented Washington runners as the best doing their best.

Lower Woodland XC course in Seattle WA is held by many runners from many generations as one of the toughest courses around. Doing well on this course has become the standard for by which all times and records are compared. This year Max O’donoghue-McDonald set the all time record on this course. The new time to beat is 15:22.4. O'Donoghue-McDonald won in 15 minutes, 22.4 seconds, breaking the mark of 15:24 by Bishop Blanchet's David Gurry in 1990.

This years crop of elite distance runners were very busy, with post season visits to most of the nations top venues, Washington runners put the state back on the nation’s map.

I saw in this last showdown of a good number of the years elite, as a warm reunion before they all went off to spread the news to the far corners of the nation. The race pace was not breakneck but respectable. Any one of the top ten times would have scored high on any meet held at this course.

Normally these athletes would be at top game, running the race with a typical ‘take no prisoner’ attitude. today, I saw strong, honest running but with a respect for each other and the consideration and awareness of one last race together.

This overview and perspective seems to be a recurring theme of all these top runners. Many times it appeared that the showdowns were not about who could tromp who, but how they all could help each other get to the best. This one last race of one of the best seasons in a long time seemed to dot the I’s and cross the T’s on the secret of real success of this season.

 

Photo Gallery from the EAST WEST 2007 MEET

 

 

 

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