2008 Woodie Awards
Cross country Hogs take on Chile Pepper
Matt Watson
Issue date: 10/12/07 Section: Sports
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Thousands of runners will descend upon Fayetteville's Agri Park Saturday morning for the 19th annual Chile Pepper Cross Country Festival.
The Chile Pepper run has quickly become of the premier events of the national cross country scene and a big attraction for Northwest Arkansas. The race draws an estimated 4,000 spectators annually and is open to anyone willing to pay the entrance fees, which are donated to high school cross country programs in the region, including Fayetteville, Springdale, Rogers and Bentonville.
Checks from the 2006 festival were presented to the local high schools yesterday, totaling about $20,000 a year ago.
For $25, visitors can run the same 10K at 8 a.m. that the Cardinal and White harriers will tackle less than two hours later. A fun run/mile starts at 8:05 a.m. for less competitive athletes looking to help the cause for $10.
But for the No. 9 Arkansas Razorback cross country team, the Chile Pepper Festival is much more than a benefit and a good time.
There is a lot of pressure for the Hog harriers to perform well on their home turf, with more than 40 Division I and II schools coming to the University of Arkansas for tomorrow's race.
The Razorbacks will be up against Southeastern Conference foes for the first time this season, as Auburn, LSU and Vanderbilt come to town.
South Central Region foes Texas and Texas A&M will take the field, as well as Division II powerhouse Abilene Christian, which finished ahead of Arkansas at its last meet, the Oklahoma State Cowboy Jamboree.
The Hogs will need more than just home-field advantage this weekend, as 6.2 miles of running on a combination of grass, cinder and uneven terrain is not exactly a walk in the park for anybody.
Arkansas looks to win the Chile Pepper Invitational for the first time since 2005, when they came into the race as the top-ranked squad in the country. Former Razorback All-American Josphat Boit led the team as a senior with a then-course record of 28:27, winning the individual title for a second consecutive year.
The Chile Pepper run has quickly become of the premier events of the national cross country scene and a big attraction for Northwest Arkansas. The race draws an estimated 4,000 spectators annually and is open to anyone willing to pay the entrance fees, which are donated to high school cross country programs in the region, including Fayetteville, Springdale, Rogers and Bentonville.
Checks from the 2006 festival were presented to the local high schools yesterday, totaling about $20,000 a year ago.
For $25, visitors can run the same 10K at 8 a.m. that the Cardinal and White harriers will tackle less than two hours later. A fun run/mile starts at 8:05 a.m. for less competitive athletes looking to help the cause for $10.
But for the No. 9 Arkansas Razorback cross country team, the Chile Pepper Festival is much more than a benefit and a good time.
There is a lot of pressure for the Hog harriers to perform well on their home turf, with more than 40 Division I and II schools coming to the University of Arkansas for tomorrow's race.
The Razorbacks will be up against Southeastern Conference foes for the first time this season, as Auburn, LSU and Vanderbilt come to town.
South Central Region foes Texas and Texas A&M will take the field, as well as Division II powerhouse Abilene Christian, which finished ahead of Arkansas at its last meet, the Oklahoma State Cowboy Jamboree.
The Hogs will need more than just home-field advantage this weekend, as 6.2 miles of running on a combination of grass, cinder and uneven terrain is not exactly a walk in the park for anybody.
Arkansas looks to win the Chile Pepper Invitational for the first time since 2005, when they came into the race as the top-ranked squad in the country. Former Razorback All-American Josphat Boit led the team as a senior with a then-course record of 28:27, winning the individual title for a second consecutive year.
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