Derryfield Park, site of this weekend’s 50th annual Manchester (NH) Invitational, is widely considered one of the toughest 5K cross country courses in New England. From the opening gun, athletes face a grueling uphill climb, followed by several more demanding ascents scattered throughout the layout. It’s a true test of strength and preparation — a course that will wear you down quickly if you’re not ready for what lies ahead.
It’s for this reason that Cumberland High coach Kerrie Carpenter makes it a point of including Saturday’s competition on her schedule whenever the timing is right. Last year her two-time defending state champion girls’ squad placed fourth overall at Manchester with Oyster River (NH) and Champlain Valley Union (VT) dominating the top two spots.
“I honestly choose my invitationals each year based on what the final goals are and what the team make-up is,” Carpenter said. “Some teams are stronger, some are faster. It kind of all depends on what I want to get out of them. That’s usually how I build my race calendar. Manchester has been on the plan the last couple of years. It fits perfectly again this year with Bowdoin coming right after.”
The Bowdoin Carpenter is referring to is next Saturday’s Bowdoin Invitational in Wappingers Falls, N.Y. The grueling point-to-point layout doubles as the course for the Nike Northeast Regionals (NXR), where Carpenter’s Clippers plan to return for the second straight year.
At last year’s NXR, Cumberland came agonizingly close to qualifying for Nike Cross Nationals, finishing third overall — just one spot away from earning one of the two automatic team berths to Oregon.
“We don’t just go for fun. I definitely want to preview the course a little bit,” Carpenter said, referring to Bowdoin. “We didn’t do that last year for other reasons. We knew we wanted to be at Wickham, so we stayed there. But this year I’m hoping to bring both the boys and girls. As long as we stay healthy, I feel like we can perform well at Nike. That was the whole purpose of going to Bowdoin.”
Back to Manchester: the Lady Clippers are listed as one of the top teams in the Large School race. It will be a true test for the Blue and White, who will face squads like Champlain Valley Union. The Vermont powerhouse was the runner-up at last year’s NXR and is currently ranked No. 2 in the Northeast Region, making them one of the favorites at the New England Championships in early November. The Granite State will be represented by Exeter and Pinkerton, ranked No. 2 and No. 4 in New Hampshire.
“It’s fun. It’s fun to mix it up with some of those other teams,” Carpenter said. “We were fourth last year and then saw most of them again at Nike and the New Englands. We have a good time competing with them. It’s good to be familiar with all those other teams. I like to scout them as well and see how they handle the course. It helps prepare me to prepare my team. It gives me an opportunity to get an inside view.”
The Clippers opened their dual-meet season on Tuesday with their girls’ and boys’ teams posting a sweep of Northern Division rivals Burrillville, Woonsocket and Blackstone Prep. In the girls’ race, Cumberland had seven of the top 10, including a 1-2-3-4-5 finish by its scorers, all of whom broke 21 minutes on the 5K course at Burrillville Middle School. The boys also had eight of the top 10.
Carpenter is looking forward to her team’s first big invitational in Manchester.
“I like the way things are coming along. I was very pleased with how our summer went,” she said. “This is really kind of the first day of, ‘Alright guys, go out there and grind this week, and we’ll see where we are.’”
The Clippers aren’t the only Rhode Island squad headed to Manchester. Barrington, along with Cumberland, are entered in the Large School boys’ race.
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Elsewhere this weekend in Rhode Island, The Prout School, Scituate, Westerly, Cranston West and host Exeter/West Greenwich are the teams listed for Saturday’s annual Coaches vs. Cancer 5K. The girls’ race is scheduled for 10 a.m., followed by the boys’ race at 10:30.
All proceeds for the event will be donated to charity. This year, funds will be distributed to two organizations: The Tomorrow Fund and the Ironman Foundation. The Tomorrow Fund is a non-profit that provides financial and emotional support to children with cancer and their families at Hasbro Children’s Hospital. The Ironman Foundation was chosen to honor the memory of longtime official Bob Lamothe, who passed away on July 5 while out on a bike ride. Lamothe was a dedicated teacher and athlete who competed in six full Ironman races as well as numerous other long-distance events.
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Looking ahead, several Rhode Island teams as well as some of the top teams in the region will head to Goddard State Park in Warwick next Friday and Saturday for the 17th annual Ocean State Invitational, sponsored by Marathon Sports and New Balance. The two-day meet begins with six middle school races on Day 1 and concludes with 14 high school races on Day 2. The registration deadline is Monday at noon. Click HERE to register. We’ll feature a preview next week on OSR of some of the top individuals and schools that will be competing in the featured Chmapionship races.
