Flrunners.com Invitational 14 2013

MuscleMilk will join us this year as a premium sponsor and the official recovery drink of our 14th annual meet. After the finish line, we invite you to join your fellow competitors in the MuscleMilk Recovery Zone.

We are pleased to announce that Asics professional middle distance runner Sara Hall will be our celebirty guest for the 14th Flrunners.com Invitational. Hall, the 2012 winner of the USA Cross County Championships, and wife of elite marathoner Ryan Hall, will be on hand Friday night for a special presentation at 8:30 at the Elks Lodge. Saturday morning  she will serve as the celebrity starter for both the boys and girls Race of Champions. Afterwards she will be hanging out in the Muscle Milk tent in addition to giving out awards, throwing out beads, and mingling with the runners and fans.

Each year the flrunners.com Invitational attracts the best teams from every corner of the state. With almost 200 schools now signed up, 2013 is no exception. The goal of many teams is to earn a coveted invitation to compete in the Race of Champions.

Last week we announced the first 15 teams invited into our famous Race of Champions. After this weekend's big meets, here are the next five accepted teams with five spots left open!

Based on my email inbox, there is certainly much hype about this year's Race of Champions and the meet has easily surpassed last year's entry numbers. We now award the next three spots into the coveted Race of Champions.

The question that has been burning up my inbox for the past two weeks now has an answer: "What race are we in?" Now that entries have closed, here are the seedings for the races this weekend.

In addition to the great teams entered in the Race of Champions, we allow individuals to take their place on the startling line. It's one of the most exciting things each year to see how these individuals step it up when beingjason.byrne@flocasts.com pushed and pulled by the rest of the state's elites!

The place to get all of your coverage and information for Saturdays' big races!

There are a lot of reasons to be excited about the big meet coming up this weekend in Titusville. Here are some of our favorites.

Who are the top teams and individuals looking to bring home the flrunners.com 14 Invitational Race of Champions trophies? Let's see what the numbers tell us for this season!

Haney wins duel in the sun over Hardy and De La Rosa, Obsa Ali gets the win at Griak. Move over girls! Frosh Lauren Gregory is on the move in a big way in CO!  Much more inside! (Photo by Maria De La Rosa)

The weekend many of us have been looking forward to is finally upon us. Flrunners.com Invitational 14 kicks off this afternoon with the start of the JV Blue, Large School, Smal School, and College races today. The evening wraps up with a presentation by our Celebrity guest Sara Hall. A jam packed day with tons of action! Preview the action with our virtual meet and stay tuned throughout the day for extensive coverage; thousands of photos, dozens of race video, and interviews. Get Excited!

At his core, a runner is a nomad. Perpetually in motion, he seems driven by the most basic need of human subsistence—spiritual fulfillment. His endless quest is to satisfy a thirst for something that promises to be just ahead—better and better times. 

Arriving just as the sun was, it couldn’t have been a more amazing sight to see. Where once there was an empty field, a tent city now spread into the distance. When did all this happen? Doesn’t a runner ever sleep? And they were already awake enough to be running all over the place. If you ask me, they couldn’t pay a person enough to do that…which is the point.

FLR14 celebrity guest Sara Hall gave a presentation Friday night for athletes and coaches. We know some of you were getting ready for race day on Saturday and were unable to attend. Our awesome videographer Blake Bickerstaff spliced the highlights together for your viewing pleasure.