Meet Information

The Mid-East Cross Country Championships presents the best high school senior runners from Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Ohio, and other area states. In past years Pennsylvania, Kentucky and West Virgina have participated. The event is sponsored by the members of the Greater Dayton Track and Cross Country Officials Association and the Ohio Association of Track and Cross Country Coaches. The race has been held annually since 1987.

Saturday, November 16, 2013
Course is open for preview at 8:30 AM.
Team pictures will take place at the Starting Line between
10:30 and 10:45 AM. Please arrive as a complete team for your team picture. See the course map.
Course closes for previewing at 10:45 AM.
Trainer and first aid services will be available starting at about 10:00 AM
Women's Race starts at 11:00 AM
Men's Race starts at 11:30 AM
Banquet starts immediately after the races at approximately 12:30 PM in the Kettering Recreation Complex.
Awards are made at the Banquet following the meal.

Sports Fans,

It is the time of the year when champions are made! It's late October and Major League Baseball is well into finishing up. College football is starting to see a shake out of who is where and High School, yes, fall High School sports are closing out their seasons too. Volleyball, Soccer and Cross Country have concluded their League championships and are into their respective State tournaments. Football playoffs will be decided after this weekend. A few states have already crowned State Cross Country Champions already. In Ohio, this coming weekend will be the Ohio Regional Cross Country meets followed next week by the State Championships on Saturday November 3rd!

I am proud to announce the Twenty Sixth running of the Mid East Cross Country Championships is scheduled for Saturday, November 17th at Indian Riffle Park in Kettering Ohio. The meet is located next to the Kettering Recreation Complex and Kettering Fairmont Junior High School. The Women will race at 11:00 am, followed by the Men at 11:30 am. At around 12:30 pm, Lunch and Awards follow the race. Tickets for lunch are limited. Decide early that day to purchase a lunch ticket as they typically sell out. Where has the time gone this fall. I would like to invite any and all past participants and coaches of this event to contact me directly. Hopefully you can make it back to watch this year's races and cheer on you favorite state.

Since that 1986, many former competitors became teammates with a common cause, to win a state title for their home state. Several ended up as collegiate teammates. Some have become life long friends and still stay in contact years later after meeting in this once in a life time race. A few have even gone onto become husband and wife! Some have competed in the race only to return years later as a coach with their own athletes competing in the same race they once competed in.

Over the years, various races have been introduced as a championship event, but the Mid East Cross Country Champions has stood the test of time. A dedicated Games committee, the support of the Ohio Association of Track and Cross Country Coaches, the city of Kettering and many more folks, have allowed this event to be a true meet of Champions. But unlike the other Championship events the Nike Challenge and Foot Locker, this meet is open to seniors. This event brings the best that each participating state has to offer. Some states have a selection committee and an invitation that goes out to the athletes to assemble a team. One state actually has to have a race to determine the team members.

The original five participating states included; Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan and Pennsylvania, hence the meet name "Mid East" rather than Mid West. West Virginia and Kentucky have participated over the years, but like Pennsylvania, have not been able to participate recently. You will have a chance to see forty eight top Quality "Senior only" Cross Country athletes, from four states, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan and Ohio,, go at it, head to head in each race! The top five score, as is the case in most traditional races, but to make it a true event where all runners matter, the next seven runners act as dis placers. Team depth can make or break a team score!

There have been a few modifications to this year's course lay out. It seems to race a few seconds faster than in the past. We'll have to see how this year's crop of seniors do on it! There is nothing like the Mid East in the country that I know of, for seniors only. For more specific meet information, go to the official meet web site: http://www.oatccc.com/crosscountry/Mideast/WebPages/mehome.html

You may also find information about this meet by going to the Ohio Association of Track and Cross Country Coaches link also: http://www.oatccc.com/. Feel free to come in on Friday, November 15, 2013 for the Ohio Cross Country Clinic! This Clinic is sponsored by the Ohio Association of Track and Cross Country Coaches. The clinic registration information can also be found on the same http://www.oatccc.com/ link. Clinic fee is $50 for early registration or $60 for late registration.

Look forward to seeing as many of you as possible at this year's event!

Yours in Running,

Mike Baumer
Meet Games Committee Member