The LSU cross country teams will run their final regular-season race at the Chile Pepper Festival in Fayetteville, Ark., on Saturday.
The University of Arkansas hosts the race, which will feature mostly Southeastern Conference competition.
This is LSU’s last chance to run heading into the Southeastern Conference Championship meet at Vanderbilt on Oct. 26.
“It is the stiffest competition we will face this year,” said LSU coach Mark Elliott. “We will find out this weekend what kind of team we have on both sides.”
The Lady Tigers enter the race coming off victories at the McNeese Cowboy Stampede on Sept. 29 and the LSU Invitational on Sept. 22.
Senior Laura Carleton finished first individually in both races and finished fifth against mostly SEC competition in the season-opening Commodore Classic at Vanderbilt.
The last two races were against mostly smaller local opponents, but Elliott said the races were important as a “speed boost” heading into tougher competition.
“You can’t base that much off it because of the competition, but winning is a big ego boost going into these next races,” said LSU senior Dakota Goodman. “I think we are running strong and confidently as a team.”
The Tigers are coming into this weekend after second and third-place finishes in their last two races.
Elliott said he has preached improvement to his team all season and he hopes it will show against a tough SEC field on Saturday.
“I am a realistic coach,” Elliott said. “I believe that you have the talent level you have, and as long as the team is improving within that level, I am happy. That being said, this week will be a tougher hurdle against good teams in a longer distance.”
The Chile Pepper Festival will be the teams’ first 10 kilometer race of the season. Each previous race was either an 8K or a 5K. The NCAA regional meet will also be a 10K.
“We have been preparing for the 10K for the last two weeks,” said senior Roger Cooke. “I like to get my mileage up the week before and then taper off heading into the race.”
Both teams will look to improve their last season performances at the festival, when the Tigers finished No. 17 out of 32 teams while the Lady Tigers came in No. 20.
