The sun may have set on the 2022 outdoor track & field season (Editor's Note: there are still a handful of meets), but as we transition from track to cross country over night, there's a stellar option for competition and fun!
The Sundown XC at the Aurora Sports Park looks to be a stellar opportunity to test those mid-summer wheels as the 2022 cross country looms just a month away.
But this isn't just any race.
This race is run at night. With hay-bales. And music and light tunnels! (Light tunnels?!)
Here's a visual for better effect...
To the west an orange Colorado sunset. The sky shades over in cotton-candy hues of purples and blues. A cross country course over freshly cut grass.
Night falls.
But the course. Lights. UP!
The beat drops, echoing across vast green fields. The scent of a steaming grill from a foot-truck lingers in the air. Race time arrives.
The gun goes off.
You race into the night...
The event is modeled after Detweiller After Dark, which is a high-octane, neon-lit cross country race that nearly resembles a rave.
COLORADO'S ONLY NIGHT XC RACE
A perfect prelude to your fall racing season. The second edition of the Sundown XC will be held at Aurora Sports Park. Things will kick off with the Junior High and Community Races. Then the High School Girls and Boys will battle it out under the lights!
THE COURSE
This fun XC course will take you through grass, over hay bales, and along our light show tunnel - three times! Come test your speed on this exciting 5k course, under the lights and under the stars.
TEAM COMPETITION
All runners will sign up individually. While signing up, all participants will be asked if they would like to create or join a team. Joining a team is not required. When the 5th team member signs up, team members 1-4 will be given a $5 refund. Additional team members will be able to sign up at $5 off the current registration price.
2021 Middle SchoolMiddle School runners who were deferred from 2021 will not be eligible for the $5 refund issued when their team gets to 5 people.
Race Day RegistrationThose who sign up the day of the race are not eligible for the team pricing.
TEAM RULES AND SCORING
This year, we will have team competitions in the ALL races.
- All individual team members must be registered for the same race.
- Teams can have 1-15 individual members in total. Teams will be unique to each race.
- Traditional cross country rules will apply. We will score the top 5 runners from each team. The next 2 runners will be awarded points to displace those behind them, but not count towards the team totals. Any runners beyond the top 7 for a team will not be awarded points and not displace runners behind them.
- The tie-breaker will be the better net team time for the top 5 individuals.