- Preview by Marc Davis -

This should be another great battle with returning champion and OR State Champ Kenny Klotz (OR) going up against OR State Meet runner-up Isaac Stoutenburgh (OR). This will be the deciding factor of "best of three", as Stoutenburgh won over Klotz at the Jim Danner Invitational earlier this year. Throw in Washington 4A State Champ Jeff Helmer and we have ourselves a great battle up front. Look for Jerhoemee Murray (3rd place OR 4A State Meet) to take another crack at Klotz and Stoutenburgh, but in the end I just think that Klotz will be too tough for the rest of the field. The NTN bound Mead (WA) boys may have some revenge to take care after their loss to Ferris at the WA State Meet, so that should be an interesting twist within the team battle against Oregon. Therefore, the team challange will ultimately show a little preview of the upcoming NTN Championships involving Central Catholic, Mead, and Ferris. My prediction, however, is a Washington win.

In the girls race, Megan O'Reilly (WA) is the perenial favorite. She easily won the Jim Danner Invite earlier in the year against most of the competitors she will be facing here. She won her State meet by over 35 seconds, and hasn't really been challanged yet this year in the region. Also in the mix will be Oregon 4A State Champ Claire Michel, and 2nd place finisher in that race Jennifer Macias. Both of them are coming off a great dual just 2 weeks ago. OR 4A State Meet 3rd place finisher Alyssa O'Connor will also be close for most of the race. But in the end, O'Reilly should be the clear victor. In the team race, it should be much closer between the two states than in the boys race. With runners from both 2005 NTN entrants Gig Harbor (WA) and Jesuit (OR), this should as well be a good look at the upcoming team championships. If the rankings are true, then the Jesuit girls, along with Michel, Macias, O'Connor, and Sheryl Page, will be able to sneek past Washington's O'Reilly, Jessica Pixler, and Anna Layman for the victory.

Stay tuned for On-Site reports with John and Donna Dye. As well as extended coverage with DyestatCal's Rich Gonzales, and Video Vault host Marc Davis.

Fast Facts -

• The Race: A cross country meet between the best runners in Oregon and Washington to determine the top running state in the Northwest. Washington leads the series 4-2.

• When: The event takes place on Sunday, November 20th, after the Oregon and Washington State Cross Country meets.

• Participants:  160 athletes--top 40 boys and top 40 girls from Oregon and Washington (based on state meet performance)

• Race course: 4.2k course on grass and chip trails around the scenic Nike World Headquarters Campus.

• Spectators: A crowd of 3,000 - 4,000 people enthusiastically watch the races.

• Scoring: Two separate races, scored as a co-ed dual-meet between two of the top running states in the country.  The top 10 finishers on each team contribute to the score for each squad.  The boy’s team score and the girl’s team score (for each state) are then combined to determine the overall state champion.

• Start: “Braveheart” style start, with each team on separate starting lines, running directly at each other for the first 100 meters, then merging onto the course. COURSE MAP

Extras: 

• John Truax from Washington and Josh Rowe from Oregon gave birth to the BorderClash in 1999. Both Truax and Rowe work in the Nike running department and had long debated the question of which state had the better runners. The two decided to put the question to the test and created a post-season “all-star” cross country event to answer the previously unanswerable question.
  
• BorderClash.com is tremendously popular.  The site included pictures and bios of each of the participants, a detailed course map (including a visual tour of the course), a product page, and much more.
  
• Drum bands heighten the atmosphere.
  
• 50-foot letters (an ‘O’ for Oregon and ‘W’ for Washington) are painted on the field where the runners merged.
  
• A 24-inch Nike Winged Goddess is placed in the winning state’s NikeTown, with a plaque listing the team members names.
  
• The Governors of the respective states are honorary team captains.
  
• LATEST PHOTOS
  
  

Schedule -

At the Nike World Headquarters Campus in Beaverton, Oregon.

Saturday, November 19, 2005 -

12:00 - 3:00: Arrive and register in Prefontaine Hall (see campus map)
2:00 - 4:00: Running Gait Analysis at the Nike Sports Research Lab.

Mandatory course run-through with respective team captains:
3:00 - Oregon Girls
3:15 - Washington Girls
3:30 - Washington Boys
3:45 - Oregon Boys

5:00 - 6:30: Athlete Activity
6:30 - 7:30: Dinner at Tiger Woods Center
7:45 - 9:00: Presentation Nike elite athletes and special guest speaker
9:00 - 10:00: Coaches social

Dinner will be provided for athletes and coaches free of charge.
FAMILIES MAY ATTEND DINNER FOR A COST OF $15/PERSON (under 6 eat free).
Dinner passes are available for purchase during registration.
Everyone is invited to the post-dinner opening presentation.

Sunday, November 20, 2005 -

9:00: Course opens
10:30: Girls' race
11:15: Boys' race
12:00: Awards presentation -
(the top 10 individuals in each race and top combined State team will receive special awards)
__________________________________________________________________________________

Prior Years

2004 - Brie Felnagle (WA) produced the expected, yet no one knew it would be so painful. Kenny Klotz (OR) produced the unexpected, yet no one knew he would make it look so easy. And Oregon produced the impossible, just when it seemed everything looked so bleak. Holli Dieu, perhaps not as household a name as others assembled here due to her competing for a small-enrollment school (Coquille HS) was able to hold the lead through to the halfway point, before a sickness-weakened Felnagle made her move to claim the front position entering the final mile. Felnagle, who reportedly was suffering from the effects of the flu, closed strongly along the final mile, however, to win by a dominating 20-second margin over Dieu.

The boys' race saw Oregonian Jeff McDonald bolt hard soon after the boom of the start cannon sounded, overtaking Washington star Laef Barnes just over a minute into the race. It was learned from one source in mid-race that McDonald, clearly not among the favorites, had vowed to take out the opening mile in 4:30. But as they curled around the final turn and dashed for the finish chute, an amazingly smooth Klotz (who was a major upset winner at the Oregon state meet two weeks ago) held off a straining Barnes to win by less than a stride as both were credited in times of 14:02 and change.

(Brie Felnagle coming home for the victory)

Kenny Klotz (OR)just outkicks Laef Barnes (WA) at the 2004 event - photo by John Dye

2003 - The girls' race, which started first, appeared to be a wide-open event with Washington 4A state champion Brie Felnagle given the nod as a slight favorite. Returning to the soccer field Katie Leary (OR) continued to push and increased the lead, which she had slowly built and then somewhat stunningly pulled away. By race's end the Oregon runner had almost a ½ minute cushion over Felnagle in 2nd . Meghan Armstrong (WA), who at one time trailed far behind, threaded her way through the pack to finish 3rd ahead of Megan O'Reilly (WA).
(At the boys' start of this of this unique event)


The race between the guys was quite anticipated, because there was little question of its national implications. Although Oregon Central Catholic's Galen Rupp, now 2-time state champion, had defeated Washington's state champ Evan Garber as well as Laef Barnes (3td) earlier in the season at Nike's Jim Danner Invitational there was no doubt that the Washington duo were two of the finest runners in the nation. Racing at a brisk speed Rupp, Stuart Eagon (OR) and David Kinsella (WA) continued to challenge each other. Reaching the soccer field with 200 meters to go, only two remained, as Eagon fell behind. Kinsella attempted to respond to Rupp but he could not match the Oregonian's rapid striding cadence. The race for first and second had been decided.

2002 - It was a sequel to the Oregon state meet, but not a re-run. Galen Rupp and Lauren Jespersen had run 1-2 in a record setting Oregon state meet, with Rupp setting a fast pace and Jespersen closing to within a split second at the end.

The girls’ race unfortunately never seemed to be in question. Washington seized the first three places from the outset with a pack of four Oregon runners trailing. The followers seemed to be segments of links with one or two Oregon runners sandwiched by packs of three or four runners. Washington’s Amanda Miller, who had been 3rd at State, defeated Jamie Geissler, who had been 4th, with state champion Amber Nickelson right behind.
(2002 start of the boys race)

2001 - Auburn WA sr Chris Lukezic bided his time while Cameron Schwer set the pace. Lauren Jesperson OR moved on top in the middle, and Lukezic took over in the last 1000 meters. Chris said he felt much stronger today than last week, when he was second in the Washington state 4A championship to Jesse Fayant (7th place). Lukezic dipped under 13 minutes for the 4.2k course. Olympia WA sr Jessie McLaughlin, Washington state 4A champion, led the entire way and finished 10 seconds faster than 2000 winner Jodee Adams-Moore.

2000 - Spokane WA sr Michael Kiter led late in the race, was passed by Eugene OR sr Eric Heinonen late, and then found something left for a final surge to win in the last 150 meters. Kiter finished in 13:06, Heinonen 13:10. Bellevue WA sr Jodee Adams-Moore broke open a close race with a big move at the 1.5 mile mark and won easily in 15:25, a 22-second margin over Salem OR jr Dawn Morgan.

1999 - Ian Dobson of Klamath Falls OR, one of the top favorites for the national Foot Locker title, was a wire to wire winner in 12:13 (2.5 mi). He was the first of six Oregon runners to finish before the first Washington runner, giving Oregon a 69-103 victory. Paris Edwards of Ashland Oregon, the Oregon 4A champion, crosses the finish line in 14:35, leading her state to a 95-117 victory. Edwards was on top the entire race and finished
16 seconds ahead of Washington's best, Megan Johnson, of Seattle.

Ian Dobson coming in for the victory	Scenic View Through the Japanese Garden on the Nike Campus in Portland

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