Alabama Cross Country Course Makes Debut Saturday
11/9/2004 12:00:00 AM
When the NCAA South Region Cross Country Championship rolls into town this Saturday, the athletes will be treated to a different venue than in years past.
The meet will still be held at Harry Pritchett Golf Course, site of Alabama’s home meets for many years, but with the closing of the actual golf course last year, the Crimson Tide coaching staff has been able to create a true cross country course.
“The first time we went out to cut the course, I remember thinking ‘Wow, we can go right over that tee box’,” women’s cross country coach Steve Keith said. “The overall layout of the course won’t be a lot different from years past, but it will definitely be a lot more runner friendly.”
The meet gets underway Saturday (Nov. 20) at 10 a.m. with the women’s 6-kilometer race that will be followed by the men’s 10k race at 11 a.m. The course will feature running corridors that are 20-feet wide and the main loop will be about two and a half miles long.
“Another nice thing about this being a converted golf course is that in addition to having it feel more like a natural course, its golf heritage will provide good footing throughout,” Keith said.
The newly formatted course was set to have its debut in September for the Crimson Classic, but the fallout from Hurricane Ivan forced the Tide to cancel the event.
Due to the changed setup of the course, it will be very spectator friendly. Fans will be able to see far more of the race from one location than in years past.
“I think the athletes will get a real kick out of competing on a dedicated cross country course,” Keith said. “There aren’t a lot of them around the country and we’re hopeful that we can hang on to this one for a while.”
