Youth Runner Magazine

At the same price point, many runners may be torn between which one to buy. Here is how these XC shoes compare for racing on grass, dirt, and hills. Now that athletes have found their footing this fall cross country season, it may be time to upgrade footwear. While no shoe can replace training, cross country-specific shoes can help improve traction while remaining lightweight for speed and comfortable throughout that 5-kilometer course.

Clovis Invitational, Manhattan, and Hole in the Wall Lead This Weekend’s High School XC Meets As we move deeper into this cross country season, this weekend has three major invitationals, providing high school runners with an opportunity to test their speed and endurance the weekend of October 9. Following last weekend’s standout performances at Shore Coaches, Great American, and Chile Pepper, this weekend’s most anticipated event is the ASICS Clovis Invitational in Fresno, California.

Running shorts have to feel good in motion. A flattering fit is a great start, but once a workout begins, athletes need to focus on pace without stopping to adjust clothes or getting distracted by discomfort. The Forme Boost Shorts deliver on both. Known for its celebrity fans, including Taylor Swift and WNBA players Kaitlyn Chen and Veronica Burton, Forme makes activewear with a focus on posture and support. Youth Runner tested the Boost Short to see just how well it performed for daily runs.

Leah Starkey, Colby Flynn lead Shore Coaches Invitational 5-kilometer individual wins in New Jersey. Starkey clocked the third-fastest girls’ time in Holmdel Park history, while Flynn led six boys under 16 minutes. Holmdel, NJ—Leah Starkey is on a hot streak, and just produced one of the fastest races Holmdel Park has ever seen. The Ocean Township junior clocked 17:08.09 to win the girls’ Varsity D race at the 51st Shore Coaches Invitational on Saturday, October 3, in Holmdel, New Jersey.

The Oregon senior held off Hadassah Beshears by 2.7 seconds, with both runners finishing well under the previous high school girls’ record. Ellery Lincoln brought the heat to the Chile Pepper Cross Country Festival on Saturday, October 3. The Lincoln High senior from Portland, Oregon, clocked 16:13.0 to win—and set a new high school girls’ course record—in the El Caliente 5-kilometer race at Agri Park in Fayetteville, Arkansas.

The Belen Jesuit senior clocked a 14:35.9, leading a field that saw 11 runners break 15 minutes. It was a three-peat for Marcelo Mantecon at the Great American XC Festival. The Belen Jesuit senior took home another boys’ COROS Race of Champions title on Saturday, October 3, racing the 5-kilometer course at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, North Carolina, in 14:35.9. His performance this weekend improved on his 14:39.0 winning time from last year by 3.1 seconds. Mantecon ran a 14:40.2 in 2024.

Share This | Comment It is expected to be another great weekend of racing, with big cross country meets slated across the U.S. This weekend’s meets allow athletes and their teams another chance to improve their times and rankings as we continue to move through this fall season. Runners can also look forward to the 47th ASICS Clovis XC Invitational at Woodward Park in Fresno, California, next weekend. Here are the most buzzed-about cross country meets this weekend.

ThunderRidge’s girls and Crescenta Valley’s boys took home team victories at Blue Lake Regional Park. Alyssa Gutierrez left plenty of room between herself and the competition at Nike Portland XC. The St. Francis sophomore won the girls’ Jim Danner Championship 5K in 17:06.9 on Saturday, September 26, at Blue Lake Regional Park in Fairview, Oregon. Gutierrez finished 22.4 seconds ahead of ThunderRidge’s Jetta Betts, who clocked a 17:29.3. The race for second was much closer.

NIKE’s highly anticipated recovery slides with built-in heat and vibration have hit shelves. The Nike Air Zoom Hyperslides were released on Tuesday, allowing athletes to step up their recovery game thanks to their high-tech features.

Niwot wins the girls’ and boys’ Sweepstakes team titles again, with Noah Garcia from El Paso Eastwood and Ella McGowan from Heritage taking home individual wins. High school runners raced under the stars at Toka Sticks Golf Course in Mesa, Arizona, on Friday night for the 20th Desert Twilight Festival, with the evening ending with the anticipated Sweepstakes 5-kilometer races.