It is spring break in Colorado, which for the obsessive track coach type can be a very trying time. Spring break does not quite fall in to the same category as prom, but it does mean that a lot of teams are working without full firepower.
Additionally, incoming weather meant moving the meet up a couple of days from Saturday to Thursday. This undoubtedly had an effect as well on entries; even so, the meet was as strong as anyone could have asked for.
The Lyons Invitational started as a new meet in 2016 after changing venues from Longmont High School to Lyons High School. For fans of the St. Vrain Invitational cross country meet, the opportunity to have a track meet on the campus of Lyons High School is a welcome one.
If one coaches track long enough, certain things start to become non-negotiables. Among those are a schedule that runs close to on time, a venue that is easy to access and move around, and a general sense of comfort that comes from a high level of meet organization.
Any meet managed by Mark Roberts and his army of volunteers at Lyons High School will absolutely meet all of your expectations and then some. Coach Roberts does everything from singing the national anthem to mid-race commentary, with accuracy, better than just about anyone.
Another thing that is true about meets hosted by Lyons is that you are guaranteed a great mix of small school and large school athletes competing with one another. For anyone who has ever turned to one of their assistants and said, "I wonder if..." in relation to athletes from different classifications competing against each other, meets like the Lyons Invite are a great opportunity to answer that question.
Click on Next to advance through the feature pages of the Lyons Invitational coverage.