Brandon Clark ‘12 and Clare Flanagan ‘14 placed extremely well at the Griak Invitational Cross Country race at the University of Minnesota on September 24th. Griak is an extremely competitive race with elite runners hailing from throughout the Midwest.
Clark placed 6th with a swift 5k time of 16:06.24. He was the second Minnesotan runner and first Class A runner to finish. With this performance, he solidified his position as the  top Class A runner in the state, poising him for a state title. Brandon’s finish was the best performance by a Blake runner at Griak. However he only held this distinction for 45 minutes.
Clare Flanagan broke Clark’s Blake record with an outstanding 3rd place finish. Her  5k time was 18:31.6, even though the distance was 2k longer than standard female races. Flanagan was the first Minnesotan runner to finish. She is also in prime position to snag a state title.
In addition to hard training, Flanagan attributes her successful race to a good warm-up and running smartly. She has a lucky pair of socks and sports bra that she wears for every race.  Clark says his warm-up and pre-race routine of eating a Clif Bar helped his race. He also considers training during the off-season as key to his success.
Clark and Flanagan are very happy with these results, but are keeping their eyes on the road to state.