Bright Lights, Hot Weather, Fast Races: Weekend 3 Coverage

Whether you take the times seriously or not, nothing matches the atmosphere of the Jungle Run.

 

Labor Day weekend means many things to many people - vacations, a day off work and school, the bittersweet symbolic end to another summer.  (Yeah, that's right, NCRunners just got all poetic on you.  What?!)  For fans of cross country in North Carolina, though, it means something very specific: it's Jungle Run time.  If you've never been to the meet, you might look on with a skeptical eye, questioning the length of the course and the validity of the times.  If you've attended the event, though, you GET IT - the atmosphere of the meet elevates the performances there, pushing the runners to faster times than the South View course normally produces.  Of course, the night-time racing helps not just with the feel of the meet, but also with cooler temperatures, and that will be critical with a high of 92 forecast for Fayetteville on Saturday.  It also doesn't hurt that many meet directors seem to avoid the Labor Day weekend, giving the Jungle Run nearly sole possession of the NCRunners front page for a few days.

 

Jungle Run (South View, Hope Mills) - On-Site Coverage by Rodger Shull