Shrine Bowl to feature All-Star cross country race
By The Emporia Gazette (Contact)
Friday, April 4, 2008
For years, the Kansas Shrine Bowl’s mission of supporting the children of the Shriners Hospitals for Children has been centered around the phrase “Strong legs run so that weak legs may walk.”
That creed will take on a new meaning this year.
Now in its 35th year, the Shrine Bowl football game will take place in Emporia on July 26 at Welch Stadium, but earlier in the day, there will be the first-ever running of the Kansas Shrine Bowl All-Star Cross Country race made up of the top talent in the state.
Four teams of 15 high school senior runners will compete in the 5-kilometer race, with boys and girls teams representing the East and West, just like the football game.
“This will provide an opportunity for the very best cross country athletes in our state to perform in a premier event,” said Dave Mize, executive director for the Shrine Bowl, in a release. “Like the football teams that consist of 68 of the best football players in Kansas, the cross country event will bring together the best athletes in this sport for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to compete with and against the best in Kansas.”
The 5K run was first introduced at last year’s Shrine Bowl in Hays as a fun race, but it was Emporia High cross country coach Mark Stanbrough who helped foster the idea of making the run into an All-Star event.
Stanbrough, the Shrine Bowl race director, said it was only logical to turn the newly formed 5K run into an All-Star event to coincide with the football game.
“As the cross country coach at Emporia High School and a former coach at Emporia State University, I have been an advocate of promoting running in Kansas for many years,” Stanbrough said, “and I am very excited about the possibilities for this race and event.”
Final rosters for the race have not been announced yet, but it is expected that Emporia High’s Michaela Reynolds, this year’s Class 5A State champion, will compete in the girls race while Asher Delmott and Jacob Davies, who helped lead the Emporia High boys to the Class 5A State title, will compete in the boys race.
Not only will the 5K run be an All-Star race, but anyone else interested in running in the event will be allowed to do so. Entry fees are $20 per person before July 15, $30 after July 15 and $40 on the day of the race. A $10 discount will be given for any member of a middle school, high school or college cross country team.
All entries will receive a Shrine Bowl 5K/All-Star Cross Country Race T-Shirt and age group awards will be given.
Visit www.ksshrine.com for more information.
The 5K will be run at 7:30 a.m. The football game will take place at 7 p.m.
Proceeds from all Shrine Bowl events and activities support the Shriners Hospitals for Children, a network of 22 hospitals that provide no-cost orthopedic and burn care to children under 18.