Quick hits for a Wednesday morning:
— Coconino High opens its cross country season on Tuesday at the Rick Baker Invite at Hopi High. Timing problems have delayed the release of team scoring, but the Panthers’ top five scorers from the meet were as follows: Girls: Mary McGinlay (2nd), 21:09; Savanna Savanna McKerracher (5th), 23:06; Shaylynn Billy (25th) 26:33; Alexis Ortiz (33rd) 27:10; and Emma Date (49th) 28:44; Boys: Laine Davis (2nd) 17:45; Robert Moore (12th) 19:10; Aaron Perkins (17th) 19:20; James Broadbent (31st) 20:25; Michel Phelps (32nd) 20:28.
Note: The course at Hopi High does not lend itself to fast times, as runners head through sandy washes and rolling hills.
Coconino next runs Saturday at the Peaks Invitational at Buffalo Park, along with Flagstaff High, Northland Prep Academy and Basis Flagstaff.
— Hoka NAZ Elite runner Ahmed Muhumed and his wife are organizing a road race on Dec. 21 in his hometown of Jijiga, in the Somali region of Ethiopia. The race will showcase elite talent from the area as well as rising young runners “to inspire the next generation to engage in sports,” Muhumed wrote on social media.
He has set up a Go Fund Me effort with a goal of raising $8,400 for the race. Click here to donate.
Here’s an excerpt from Muhumed’s Go Fund Me pitch: “Our goal for this event is to bring together elite Somali athletes from five Somali-inhabited regions: Somalia, Somaliland, the Somali State of Ethiopia, Kenya’s Northern Frontier District, and Djibouti. To respect the region’s political and social practices, we decided to compete with major cities instead of countries–Mogadishu, Hargaisa, Djibouti, Jigjiga, and Garissa. Through merit, we have selected 5 elite athletes from each region for 25 male athletes, competing in a 5k race. Additionally, 10 Elite Female athletes have been registered across regions and will compete in a 3k race.”
— When Runner’s World on Sunday night broke the story that NAU coach Mike Smith was leaving after the 2025 season to start a Nike team in Flagstaff, the magazine also reported that Nike athlete (and former NAU star) Abdihamid Nur had surgery to repair damage to his posterior tibial tendon sustain during his fall at the Olympic 5,000-meter qualifying race.
Nur could not be reached for comment, and Smith (who coaches Nur) has not returned text messages.
Meanwhile, another of Smith’s pros, Luis Grijalva, who surprisingly did not advance to the 5,000 final, posted on Instagram recently that he was dealing with an injury at the Olympics. He did not specify the nature of the injury. Grijalva wrote: “In unfortunate circumstances a week prior to the prelim an injury occurred making the starting line seem impossible to reach. Did the best that I could with limited time but it just wasn’t enough to finish.”
— The Flagstaff Mountain Film Festival will take place Sept. 7 at 7 p.m. at NAU’s Prochnow Auditorium, featuring short documentaries and films, including one about Flagstaff ultrarunner Rob Krar. Click here for more information and to purchase tickets.
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