Saturday Light Fever
Prior to 2020, Beech High School would host one invitational type event at Sanders Ferry which was the Coleman Midgett Invitational. When the TSSAA named the venue the state course in 2020, the demand outgrew what one meet could handle and in 2021, Saturday Light Fever was added to the calendar. For the past two years, Coleman would occur in August while the night race would occur in October around Fall Break. This year, due to what I assume is either availability of the park or availability of the lighting that covers the course, those dates have flipped and I think it will be a welcome change for all involved.
Last year, Coleman was contested on August 27th and even though the Gold Division race started at 7:20AM, by the time the Silver Division races began it was already 86 degrees with high humidity and there was still a middle school division after that that started at Noon. Coleman is now on October 7th this year with Saturday Light Fever occurring on Saturday and while I don't know what the conditions will be like in a month and a half, most won't complain about the forecast for this weekend.
What To Expect
The conventional racing calendar would say this weekend is too early to race a 5k and the calendar reflects that. While there are 6 other events on the schedule, Saturday Light Fever is the only event covering 3.1 miles. Most teams target the first weekend in September before running one but when there are limited opportunities to race at the state course, adjustments can be made. Below are links to the entries for Saturday.
HS Varsity Boys | HS Varsity Girls |
HS JV Boys | HS JV Girls |
MS Varsity Boys | MS Varsity Girls |
MS JV Boys | MS JV Girls |
Here are some storylines I'll have my eye on based on these:
- How does Hardin Valley look one year after coaching change? Bryan Brown did not announce his departure from the team until late July (Practically August) meaning there was little to no time for new coach Dusty Miller to learn his athletes before the season started. Several runners had strong winter and spring campaigns, will be watching to see if that momentum carries into this fall.
- Girls Gold race will feature five of top eight teams. Brentwood (defending Division I AAA State Champion), Harpeth Hall (defending Division II AA State Champion), Beech (Division I AAA Runner Up) Green Hill (Ranked #7), Father Ryan (Ranked #8). Also, the on paper favorite in Division I Class AA/A Station Camp will be racing as well.
- Will a boy emerge as a contender in Division II Class A? Due to graduation and transferring, six of the top seven boys from last year's state championship are no longer in the Division however, a lot of prominent teams from this division will be racing including Battle Ground Academy, University School of Nashville, and Donelson Christian Academy. Will be watching to see who the top finisher from these programs are and if they can get into the mix with the likes of Joshua Cross and Chase Cavitch who are the top returners on paper.
We'll be on site on Saturday so check this site and/or our socials to stay updated on the event.