Switch from Saturday morning to Friday afternoon has the annual Northern New Mexico Cross Country Challenge still running the 5-killometers at the Municipal Recreation Complex

By Arnie Leshin 

A change in days and times now becomes a guessing game for schools that will be running in Friday afternoon’s annual Northern New Mexico Cross Country Challenge.

The site remains the same for the 5-killometers run at the Municipal Recreation Center. So has the schedule that has the girl’s varsity going first at 3:15, to be followed by the boy’s varsity approximately at 3:55.

After that, it will be the junior varsity and middle school races. The JV girls are slated for a 4:30 start, the boys at 5:10. The middle school boys will run around 5:45, with the girls to follow.

The meet had originally been planned for the usual Saturday morning, with a 9 o’clock start. But the change finds some of the schools running instead elsewhere on Saturday due to transportation problems on Friday.

Currently, the list of schools includes co-hosts Santa Fe High and Academy of Technology and The Classics, St. Michael’s, Santa Fe Indian School, Desert Academy, NACA, Penasco, Cimarrron, West Las Vegas, Eldorado Middle School, and perhaps some more.

Not knowing who will be there makes it difficult to pick favorites.

The Santa Fe Indian School boys come off a first place at last Friday’s annual John Grimley Memorial Invitational, with Pojoaque Valley expected to be among the leaders.

As for the girls, ATC, Robertson and St. Michael’s figure to contend for the team title.