Summit Stinger: Hardest course in the country?

This past week, the Holy Family cross country team went into the mountains to run one of the hardest courses in the country.
What makes this course so difficult? To start, the course is located at 9,000 feet of elevation, which makes the air very thin; even with a mile of elevation, people are already accustomed to it. The difference is 12%, which doesn’t seem like a lot, but when you are moving a lot of oxygen through your body during a race, it can feel difficult to breathe. The hills make this course a nightmare. It is a lapped course, so you must hit the hill three times. The average gain on the course is approximately 22%, but parts of the hill reach as steep as 37%. This makes the course extremely grueling, as your legs can easily go lactic if you power up the hill. The course is also entirely grass, causing your legs to work harder for the same pace and draining your energy faster. With a course like this,  a guy who can run 15:30 can barely break 18 minutes, putting it into contention for the hardest course in the country. This course tests your mental strength, as you will start to feel the effects right after the first hill.
The Holy Family team walked away with top-three finishes from the boys and girls, competing against some great competition.  The team was right behind schools with twice our enrollment size, making Coach Remington confident in the team’s future performances.
The next course is quite possibly the fastest one of the season, and many athletes are looking for a big PR this week. Any course compared to Summit should feel like a cakewalk, and athletes are eager to run this course.