The WNC Carnival is THE season-opening tradition in the mountains of North Carolina, the first 5K of the fall for many teams in the Asheville area. The meet's draw extends way beyond the surrounding counties, as teams from the "flatlands" of North Carolina routinely make the trip up, as do several squads from Tennessee and South Carolina. The event has also become an early showcase for many NCISAA teams, and it was the one that traveled the farthest that stole the show in both Championship races.
The story to start the day, though, was the course conditions. Teams come to Hendersonville hoping for cooler temperatures and usually get them, but not this time around: it was in the 80's by mid-morning, and it was extremely humid. As usual, the relatively long grass at Jackson Park was wet for the first few races, reducing footing and forcing runners to work harder to maintain speed. And of course, the hills on the course are always a significant challenge, especially at this point in...
