Bull Run Invitational 2009 Race Page

Tri State

Bull Run Invitational
Hereford,MD
Results Courtesy of Western Maryland Timing
Elite Boys   Elite Girls   Large Boys   Large Girls
Medium Boys   Medium Girls   Small Boys   Small Girls

Overall Totals Complete Combined Results
Girls Results Girls Teams Boys Results Boys teams

Photos
Boys Small   Girls Small   Boys Medium   Girls Medium
Boys Large   Girls Large   Boys Elite   Girls Elite
Reunion Run
Photos by Ullrich Photos

Reunion Run 2009 Results

Boys Elite
David Wilson 16:29

Boys Large
William Neal 16:55

Boys Medium
Ryan O'Connor 17:08

Boys Small
Ian MacFawn 16:52

Girls Elite
Maura Linde 19:20

Girls Large
Stephanie Jason 20:22

Girls Medium
Abbey Daley 20:21

Girls Small
Cody Mezebish 20:30

Bull Run Invitational 2009

MacFawn dominates … and watches, waits
Who made the right call – the coach for Smithsburg or Allegany?

by Kevin Spradlin
TriStateRunnur.com
PARKTON, Md. – Allegany junior Ian MacFawn dominated the boys small school division of the Bull Run Invitational Saturday afternoon at Hereford High School.

His slow start – he was merely inside the top five runners 68 seconds into the 3-mile run – was no cause for concern; instead, it was a calculated risk. Put simply, MacFawn knew he had plenty of time to catch up.

And by the time he arrived – first – to the finish line with victory being a forgone conclusion, he strolled in a comfortable fashion, calmly tore off his bib tag and handed it over to race officials. MacFawn finished in 16 minutes and 52 seconds, a race well-run and a win well-deserved.

It also was an opportunity lost.

“I could have gone faster,” MacFawn acknowledged just after leaving the finishers’ chute. “I kind of knew it’d be (a slow time).”

And he might have – had he been placed in the boys’ elite division, where he belonged, and faced better competition in the form of Smithsburg senior David Wilson, considered to be a , if not the, favorite for the Maryland Class 1A state title in November.

Neither MacFawn’s Campers nor Wilson’s Leopards have realistic hopes of winning a team state title this fall; it’s very possible that one team, and maybe both, might not even qualify for the state meet. Veteran cross country coach Ray Shriver, of Smithsburg, had a decision to make – let his No. 1 runner compete with the best or allow his team to feel better about themselves in the small school division standings.

First-year coach Anita Robinette, of Allegany, had a similar decision to make. Shriver and Robinette made different choices and it’s clear that, for at least each team’s No. 1 runner, Shriver’s call was the right one. As a team, Smithsburg placed 15th among 17 schools in the elite standings. Allegany, meanwhile, placed sixth out of 22 teams.

MacFawn is among a handful of runners eager to challenge Wilson, for Wilson’s state title is anything but a foregone conclusion. MacFawn’s time would have placed him just fourth in the elite race and second to Wilson among 1A runners. But with competition – the closest competitor in his race finished a distant 13 seconds after the blue-and-white clad harrier crossed the finish line – he would have had a reasonable shot at third in the elite race (16:50), maybe second (16:40) and had winner David Wilson (16:29) in sight.

MacFawn’s only sighting of Wilson Saturday, however, was before the gun went off in MacFawn’s race – and long after Wilson had earned his own victory.

“I watched him at his awards ceremony,” said the reserved MacFawn, who beat Wilson in the 1,600-meter run in May at the Class 1A state track by 0.45 seconds. In the 3200, Wilson edged MacFawn by four seconds. MacFawn finished third in both events.

Despite the springtime win over Wilson, MacFawn said he believes the Smithsburg senior has the edge over him right now because, MacFawn said, Wilson was dedicated to a strong summer of training.

“He worked hard,” said the mild-mannered student-athlete of the red-headed Wilson.

So, too, did MacFawn. He had a well-rounded, competitive summer of mountain bike riding, triathlons and road racing. The matchup could have been fun to watch on Saturday. Instead, hundreds of fellow runners and spectators alike were denied the chance to watch what could have been.

And make no mistake, there’s a good chance Wilson, too, would have benefited from being in the same race as MacFawn. Wilson wants to run against the best. Despite solid performances from Elkton’s Luke Arbucke (second, 16:40) and Calvert Hall’s Nick Rowe (third, 16:50), the strength of the front pack would have been greater with MacFawn’s presence.

As it was, Wilson posted the fastest time of any runner on the “toughest three miles in cross country.” When’s the last time a Class 1A runner accomplished the feat? It’s very possible that MacFawn could have vied to make Wilson and himself the first 1-2 punch to post the two fastest times of the day – both from 1A. Has that ever happened?

Doesn’t really matter now. It didn’t happen on Saturday, either, in part because the opportunity for a great race wasn’t taken advantage of. Coaches, much like teachers, are charged with doing what’s best for those they guide on the athletic fields. One has to wonder … who made the right call? Shriver or Robinette?

Email your thoughts, for publication, to Kevin Spradlin run@mountainMDmarathon.org.

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