EPGXC

“SHAZAM!”

 

Hello.  I am Michael Melick.  I made this webpage.  I am also the XC coach at EPG.  Questions, suggestions, and comments can be directed to me at: melickm@unit11.org.

Updated: 10.26.09

Fourth (and final?) Course Ready to Run at Furrow Farm

(9.1.9)- For the first three years of EPGXC, the EPG home cross country course has been altered to reflect changes in farming practices at the host Furrow Farm.  This year is no different as a new layout with more creek crossings, more uphills, and more fun has been designed, flattened, and prepared for a great season of racing.  A illustration of the course can be found below, and beneath that is a verbal turn-by-turn description of the runners path to glory.

Description of the New Course

MILE ONE.  The starting line is at the west end of the flood plain and will head straight East for 200 yards before a 90-degree right turn and a quick ascension up the pond dam before running alongside the West bank of the pond.  After passing the apple trees, the course traces the South end of the pond and heads straight for the pine-tree wind break.  After turning left between the pine trees and the tennis court, the runners descend the dam and head for the utility pole at the bottom of the hill.  After making a lazy right turn around the utility pole the course heads through the front yard and underneath the catalpa trees.  The runners then turn left towards 251 and upon reachinging 251, another left turn directs them to their first crossing of Panther Creek.  “The Doozy”, as the first crossing has been dubbed, has a steep bank on the North side of the creek before heading up the hill to the cemetery.  At the cemetery the course veers left and heads down the hill before it follows the North bank to the second crossing, “The Old Crossing”.  After making the left turn and “The Old Crossing”, runners cross the starting wedge and head up the steepest of the new hills followed by a trip through the vineyards.  After exiting row 7 of the vineyards, runners head East along the North side of the driveway until the end of the vineyard.  Then they cross the road and run South to get behind the South vineyard.  A right turn and twenty yards later they have reached the first mile mark.

MILE TWO-  Runners continue West behind the South vineyard until the last row, which they will run through and head left (West) towards I39.  When they reach the field they will curve right along the driveway until they reach the path in the middle of the waterway.  They will follow the waterway North until a right turn will take them up and down the “Old Oak Circle”.  After circling the oak, they will head up the hill and past the brick piles before a right turn takes them behind the grain bin.  After passing the grain bin, they cross the yard and run through the cattle chute.  Then they trace the North side of the driveway all the way down to row 17 of the vineyard.  At row 17, the course turn left and runs through the vineyard and down the hill to the starting wedge.  Runners will head for the South bank and trace it West as it curves towards the two-mile mark and the junior high finish line.  At the top of the hill, the Junior High Course ends and the High School course begins mile three.

MILE THREE-  Runners will pass the junior high finish line and head West back to the waterway which took them to the “Old Oak Circle”.  This time, instead of turning right and going around the Oak tree, runners will head straight and then turn left and follow the South bank of Panther Creek for a quarter-mile until they reach the “Gravel Crossing”.  Runners will turn right to make their third transit of Panther Creek at the “Gravel Crossing” before making a loop in the “Big Trees” portion of the course.  After that small clockwise loop the runners will hug the North bank of Panther Creek as they head back East towards The Old Crossing.  Before they get to the old crossing, runners will have to make one more right turn to get in “The Horseshoe”.  Once runners enter The Horshoe they only have 400 meters to go and some may choose to start their kick.  After they finish the Horseshoe they follow the Creek for another 50 yards before they head South across the Old Crossing and across the starting wedge in a bee-line for the finish.  After a quick charge up the hill runners hop the final straw bale and cross the line to finish what many will feel is the toughest course they’ll run all year.

 

If there are any  questions about the course, please send an email to course caretaker, Michael Melick, at melickm@unit11.org.

The Horseshoe

Old Oak Circle

The Doozy

The Old Crossing

Gravel Crossing

Full Plate of Races on October 17th

(10.17.9)  The day started at 8am as Coach Melick laced up the sneakers to put his money where his mouth is in his third consecutive Farmdale Trail Run.  He fared about as well as to be expected, slipping through the sloppy 8-mile run in just over an hour.  He ran straight through the chute and to his truck before he sped from East Peoria to Normal, IL to join the rest of the high school team in watching the IESA State Meet as EPG  runner Karly Miller was competing for the Titans.  Karly ran excellent to earn her second consecutive 2-mile race under 13:00 to place 35th.  There was not much time to celebrate, however, as the team boarded the bus at Normal West to head to their meet in Peoria.

Detweiler Park was in excellent condition as the Titans were ready to earn some PRs.  Up first was the girls race and Julie James again led the Titans.  She followed Kristen Garwood of Springfield Lutheran for two miles, before taking the lead and owning the third mile to win  her fourth consecutive meet in a row in 18:10.  Jordan Hartness was next through the chute for the Titans in  21:06, followed by Braden Hickey in 22:51.  Hannah Larson and Sarah Ortinau came through in 24:04 and 26:28, respectively, and then the ladies had a nice tour of the trails around Detweiler as well as the glorious river view.

The men’s race featured Joe Stuckel of EPG setting a new team record for Detweiler in 16:39.  Andy Barnard was in next in 17:52, five seconds ahead of teammate Chadwick Oertwig.  The Titans looked a little tired after the hard work of workouts, but most are looking forward to a week of taper before the Eureka Regional.  The Titans celebrated the end of the regular season with supper at Joe’s Crab Shack.

Full Splits on 2009 TimeSheet.

Women’s Regional Recap, 2009

(10.24.9)- The Titans looked clean and sharp on a messy sloppy course this morning at the Eureka Class A Regional.  The Titans were able to take fourth place as a team and qualify for Sectionals thanks to 3-mile PR performances from Jordan Hartness, Braden Hickey, and Hannah Larson.  Julie James led the majority of the race, but had to come from behind in the final 200m to outkick Kalla Gold of Eureka to win the Regional.  Jordan Hartness ran amazing negative splits on her way to a PR of 20:45, the third fastest time for a Titan at Eureka, ever.  Braden Hickey ran an awesome second and third mile to earn her PR of 22:16.  Hannah Larson and Sarah Ortinau were in a van on their way to a band competition a little earlier than expected thanks to their fast times of 23:38 and 26:06.  The Titans accumulated 114 points, to place fourth behind Eureka (26), Elmwood-Brimfield (55), and Tremont (73).  The ladies will compete this Saturday in the Elmwood Sectional at 10:30am; bus leaves the link at 7:30am.

Splits on the TimeSheet.

Historical Course Rankings on Record Page.

Men’s Regional Recap, 2009

(10.24.9)- After the Julie’s impressive finish, and what we suspected was a Sectional-qualifying performance from the ladies, the men were ready to pounce and devour the competition as well.  Without a full team, the three Titan men were forced to compete for the five coveted individual spots.  Delavan’s Will Cross and IVC’s David Webber were hoping to lead their team to sectionals, but with Eureka, Elmwood, Tremont, and Fieldcrest taking the top four team spots, only one more team could make it.  IVC beat Delavan by one point for the last spot, meaning Will Cross and his impressive 15:47 would take the first of five individual spots.  The second of five spots went to Justin Mikesell of Peoria Christian in 15:59.  At the mile mark, Joe Stuckel of EPGXC was squatting on the third spot, but Austin Nau of Illini Bluffs and Noah Scaff of DeeMack were on his heels and taking the last two spots away from EPGXC’s Andy Barnard and Chadwick Oertwig.  Halfway through the second mile it looked like Chad and Andy had a chance to make a move for the final two spots and the race to qualify was on.  After a first mile of 5:59, Chad tore through his second mile in 5:46, making up time on Nau and Scaff.  But it was his third mile of 5:20 that allowed him to finally surpass both Scaff and Nau before getting edged by Nau at the finish while claiming the fifth and final individual ticket to Sectionals.  Barnard also managed to catch Scaff and was the sixth individual, missing sectionals by a single place.  All three Titans destroyed their times from 2008.  Timesheet and Record Page.

Julie James Earns first EPGXC All-State Performance in History!

(11.7.9)- It was going to be a historic day regardless of the outcome as EPGXC would have its first competitor in the State meet in school history, the questions was, “how high would she finish?”  Would she crack the fastest 50 girls in Illinois?  Would she be in the Top 25 and earn All-State honors?  We would have to watch the race and find out.  The freshman arrived at the course at 7:30am and began preparing herself for round one of IHSA State.  She looked sharp in the warmup and when the race started at 9am, Julie was out with the leaders.  After the first half-mile a lead pack of five or six girls was up front and Julie was in the middle of the pack behind the front five.  She came through the mile mark around 5:47 and in great position to make a move to the lead group.  The opportunity to move did not present itself in the second mile and Julie remained around 15th place as she crossed the two-mile mark just over 12 minutes.  She began to pick up the pace, but the competition was stiff.  Despite running against the best girls in Illinois, Julie managed to pass several in the last mile and moved up to 11th overall, earning All State honors and beating all other freshmen in all of Class A.  She posted an excellent time of 18:23, Splits here.

RESULTS!