On the eve of the 2005 Jungle Run, the fall sports at DH Conley High School were in full swing - The cross country team was prepared for an exciting night race on the following evening, and the football team was hosting a home game. Cross country team captain Bo Thompson being an active part of his school's athletic community, it was no surprise that he volunteered to film the football game that night. Close by at the game were his parents, Tommy and Beth Thompson, who were working in the concession stand; all seemed well in the world of the DH Conley junior.
During the drive home from the game, the night took a dramatic turn; Bo was involved in a car accident. On that night, Tommy and Beth Thompson lost their only son; DH Conley lost a cross country captain; the Vikings lost a member of the baseball team; a community lost a great kid.
Though the team mourned the loss of a beloved leader, they did not hang their heads; Bo's teammates and Coach Coleman Bailey set out to host a 5k meet at their newly formed cross country course. Within six weeks of Greenville's tragic loss, the partnership of DH Conley's cross country team, Greenville Recreation and Parks, and Oak Mount Baptist Church - where the Thompson's called home - had put together a high school invitational meet in Bo's memory. In 2006, the now well-known course at Boyd Lee Park was dedicated and named after Bo Thompson.
The 2015 edition of the Bo Run marks eleven strong years of continual remembrance and appreciation for the boy who was friends to many and a helping hand to all. This year's meet turnout is expected to be larger than ever, making for even more people who carry the Bo Thompson story with them daily.
Girls Preview
Among the numerous teams attending this year's meet, South View, the host of the Jungle Run which Conley had been eagerly waiting to attend, will be in attendance and are virtually scored to place second in the girls' competition behind Pinecrest's ladies. The virtual meet has South View and Pinecrest scoring within just a few points of one another, so the race between these teams should be very close and very exciting. The race for first and second place is nearly guaranteed to go to these two schools, but the race for the third and fourth team places will also be a fight between Laney and New Hanover.
On the individual side, the race for first appears as though it will come down to four ladies: Kate Sanborn of Pinecrest, and Janay Hall, Ashley Damron, and Taylor Delaney of Southview. Based upon this season's XC times, the quartet is predicted to finish a mere two seconds apart, with Sanborn taking the win. Predicting who will come out atop the ladies' scoring is a tough one, considering Sanborn has a PR of 18:47, but Janay Hall is also known to progress very well throughout her seasons. Delaney also has some fast times on the track, so don't count her out of the mix, either.
Boys Preview
The Team scoring on the boys' side is predicted to be almost identical to that of the girls race. Pinecrest is leading the virtual meet by a total of 4 points, finishing one spot ahead of the South View tigers. Hoggard appears to have their third place finish solidified, as they have a margin of roughly 30 points on either side of their team score. New Hanover and Topsail will be looking to fight it out for the fourth spot, and if all of their runners run times equivalent to what they've run already this season, their teams will be just a few small points apart.
Much less clustered together than the up-front ladies are the guys who are ranked in the top 3 individual spots. Paul Arredondo is leading the way for Cape Fear by holding the top spot in the individual rankings. Ten seconds behind him is Javier Alejandro of South View, who is followed by Jacob Gonzalez of South Johnston ten seconds later. Alejandro may have a strength advantage over Arredondo with a 9:38 3200m time, but Arredondo has the apparent speed advantage. Depending upon how these boys race tomorrow, the advantage could go either way.