Intimidating. That's how Circle Christian junior Bryce Seymour described the start line at the 2012 USA Cross Country Championships. Seymour and Danielle Kissel of Plant made the trek to St. Louis, Missouri to compete against some top college competition, Foot Locker Finalists, and peers. Seymour and Kissel were entered in the Junior Women along with 37 others and finished 22nd and 29th, respectively.
Seymour arrived on Thursday, but she says it was a pre-race dinner and a panel discussion with Olympians Ryan Hall and Desi Davila that was the highlight of her trip.
"To get to meet them in person and listen to their viewpoints on racing strategies, pre-race meals and training was truly inspiring. Anyone who thinks I’m too particular on my pre-race meal selections needs to hear what Ryan Hall does. As for Desi, I just have to say that I think I have a new favorite running idol after listening to her and hearing her story."
On Friday, Seymour and Kissel had a chance to preview the course. Seymour describes the terrain as uneven with hills and several flat parts as well. Kissel added that the course had some challenging climbs on the back side. On race day it wasn't so much the course layout that threw the girls for a loop, but the weather. The temperature at Forest Park was 18 degrees with a 15-20 mile per hour wind, not exactly ideal conditions especially for a pair of Floridians. Kissel says she has never been so cold in her life.
"The weather channel said it felt like it was 1 degrees outside. When the gun went off I was in a bit of a state of shock from the cold for the first few hundred yards of the race. That combined with the cold weather and various climbs along the race it is safe to say this was one of the most challenging courses that I've ever run."
Seymour wasn't a fan of the weather either. She says after that race you won't ever hear her complain about the heat in Florida.
As much as I tried to stay loose and warm before the start with the wind blowing the arctic air it just made me tense up and start shivering. I was shaking so bad trying to change out my shoes that I couldn’t even tie them myself. I felt good but I wasn’t as loose as I normally am at the start of the race and it took me a few minutes to get settled in. By the end of the race I could barely talk as my face felt like it was frozen.
Seymour crossed the line in 22nd place with a time of 22:49.2 in her first attempt at a 6k. She says she fell short of her goal of a top 20 performance, but learned a lot about herself and what it will be like to race in college. Kissel finished in 29th with a time of 23:50 about a minute off her goal time. For her it was an experience to run against top notch competition from around the country.
"Running with such talented runners on such a challenging course with unfavorable weather conditions is something I will always remember."
Though their paths crossed many times during the cross country season and again in St. Louis when the duo return to Florida they will have different agendas in 2012. Seymour will focus on the outdoor track and field season while Kissel work on building a solid base going into her first cross country season at the University of Tampa this fall.
Parrish Finishes 10th In Open Men's Division
University of Florida sophomore Mark Parrish competed in the Open Men's Division 12K and finished in tenth place out of 72 runners. Parrish, a Chamberlain High School alumni ran a time of 36:59.3 which equates to a 4:58 pace. At Chamberlain he finished third in the 3A Cross Country Championships as a junior and second at the 4A meet his senior year.
More Coverage
- Bryce's Athlete Profile
- Danielle's Athlete Profile
- Mark's Athlete Profile
- USA XC CHampionship Meet Results