2,500 young runners race as Myrtle Beach hosts Junior Olympic Cross Country Championship

The facial expression and body language of each of the young runners crossing the finish line at Whispering Pines on Saturday told a different story.

Some pumped their fists in the air, confident of a job well done. Others looked overcome with pain and exhaustion. And for some, there were tears and disappointment.

But there was one feeling they all shared – knowing they’d given their all.

Myrtle Beach’s Whispering Pines Golf Course hosted USA Track & Field’s National Junior Olympic Cross Country Championships. Almost 2,500 young runners ages 7 to 18, from 46 states, along with their families, converged on the Grand Strand this weekend to take part in the event, said Katie Landry, USATF spokeswoman.

The participants advanced to Saturday’s event through association and regional championships.

It could be said that racing is in 16-year-old Ninaa Edwards’ DNA. Her father, Chawn Wilson, ran track and field and played football for Texas A&M from 1994 to 1998.

Today, Wilson is coach of the Warriors Athlete Club, of which Edwards is a part.

“She’s one of those athletes that makes the coach look good,” said Wilson, a resident of the Chicago suburb Country Club Hills.

Edwards’ goal on Saturday was to finish in the top 20 in her age bracket in a 5K run. Her personal best time was 21 minutes and 21 seconds, a mark she hit her freshman year.

“I just enjoy running,” Edwards said. “I like going fast.”

Unfortunately, Edwards wasn’t quite fast enough to reach her goal this time, finishing 124th, with a time of 22 minutes and 24 seconds.

As each new race began, parents and other family members were sprinting just as quickly as their competing children to make it from the starting line to the finish line.

Bloomington, Ind., resident Donna Briggs was there to cheer on her 15-year-old son, Ethan, who ran the intermediate 5K.

“I’m really proud of him,” she said.

Ethan has been running for four years with the Indiana Track Club. His goal on Saturday was to finish in 17 minutes and 20 seconds.

“I really like competition,” he said. “I like pushing myself.”

Ethan pushed himself just enough on Saturday, finishing his race at 17 minutes, 20 seconds and 4 hundredths of a second.

This is the second time this year that Myrtle Beach has hosted a USATF National Championship. In July, the city held the USA Youth Outdoor Track & Field Championships and World Youth Track & Field Trials.

Landry said there were just under 2,000 participants in the summer competition.

There were around 2,500 runners at Whispering Pines on Saturday, but Myrtle Beach spokesman Mark Kruea said there were between 9,000 and 10,000 visitors to the city this weekend when family members were factored in.

Kruea estimated the economic impact for Myrtle Beach would be $1.6 million.

The event “is a great boost for the tourism economy for a couple of days,” he said.

Kruea said that 39 percent of race participants came from west of the Mississippi River. The largest delegation of runners were from California, at a total of 400.

Race-day weather was kind of on the dreary side, with clouds blocking out the sun.

However, the day’s cooler temperatures were definitely a runner’s best friend.

“The weather, fortunately, has been pretty nice around here,” Kruea said.