Two weekends ago, the Granite State Flash Cross Country Team braved high winds and freezing rain to compete at the 2019 USATF Region 1 Junior Olympic Cross Country Championships in Long Island. The conditions were the worst seen at this event in more than a decade, but eight students from Indian River School and one from Canaan Elementary School of  the Mascoma Valley Regional School District raced hard to earn their place at the USATF National Junior Olympic Cross Country Championships in  Madison, Wisconsin, on December 14.  

All nine of these children, ages 8 through 13, have been training and  racing for the past three months in preparation for these competitions, traveling twice a week to work with the team in Manchester and staying after school until dark on other days. They are incredibly proud of their  achievements and eager to prove themselves on the course in Madison.  

Between flights,…