Florida runners often get a lot of flack. There is constant questioning of courses and whether runners will really live up to their flat Florida times when the big races come around. So it\'s always nice when one of our own shows up ready to run in a big national race!
That\'s exactly what Jenny Barringer did this weekend. She finished in second place in the Seeded division--the fastest race of the day--at the Great American Cross Country Festival. This North Carolina based meet is in its fifth year, and has grown into the largest prep cross country race in the country.
Ironically, Jenny finished second to Caitlin Kaltenbach, teammate of former Floridian Ryan Deak (who immigrated to Colorado over the summer). And Jenny came OH SO CLOSE to upsetting Kaltenbach, among the favorites for the Footlocker Nationals crown this year.
Jenny held the lead into the last 400 meters, whereupon the high-altitude-trained Kaltenbach assembled a fierce kick as was able to overtake Barringer in a dash to the finish. The final margin between first and second as just four-tenths of a second.
Jenny will race this weekend at the flrunners.com Invitational IV. Hopefully she will get the opportunity to run against Florida friend-and-rival in one, Laura Bowerman of King. Laura is questionable this weekend at flrunners due to a nagging injury. Bowerman did not run at Great American this past weekend for that reason.