9th Annual Wayland XC Festival, Sunday, October 12

Wayland-XC-Fest-2012The ninth annual Wayland XC Festival will be held on Sunday, October 12 at the Wayland High School. The Wayland XC Festival, presented by the Baldwin Insurance Agency, is a cross-country running festival with races for all ages.

The event was created by Eric Bucher nine years ago as a fundraiser for the high school cross-country team. Bucher said that he wanted to have an event that encourages fitness and exposes people to the joys of off-road running. Bucher said, “I have always enjoyed running on trails and cross-country racing. It is nice to get off the roads and run in fields and through the woods.”

This is a popular event, with close to 500 participants each year. Runners of all abilities, including many of the top runners in the area, are attracted to the running festival. Bucher said this is “because of the fun and challenging course and the exciting atmosphere.” He went on to say, “Unlike many road races, the Wayland XC Festival provides great viewing for spectators, as the runners can be seen for large sections of the races, including an exciting finish on the track.”

Although Bucher still helps out with the event planning, fellow runner T. J. Unger took over as race director last year. Unger has competed in the event a number of times, including 2011 when he won the open 5k race. Unger said, “I love this event. It is great to see so many people, adults and children, enjoying cross-country running.”

The Wayland XC Festival includes three races, an open 5 kilometer race for all ages and two youth 3 kilometer races, one for ages 10 and under and the other race for ages 11 to 14. A website at www.WaylandXC.com provides an entry form and information about the event.

Pre-registration for the event is $5 for the youth races and $15 for the open 5k race. Race-day registration is also available at $10 for the youth races and $22 for the open race. The youth races start at 9:30am and the open race starts at 10:30am.
Sponsors of the event include presenting sponsor, Baldwin Insurance Agency, and gold sponsors Wayland Kitchens, Middlesex Savings Bank and The North Face. Wayland Kitchens and Middlesex Savings Bank are founding sponsors of the event, providing support every year. The Village Bank, Fitness Together and Joint Ventures are also long-time sponsors of the event.
The Wayland High School cross-country teams provide much of the manpower to prepare the course and host the event. The HFC Striders running club also helps with the event.

Bucher pointed out that the Wayland XC Festival provides a good introduction to cross-country running for people new to this type of running. He commented, “I know of quite a few people for whom this was their first cross-country race. And now I see them coming back year after year.”

For complete details, visit http://www.waylandxc.com

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