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Marietta High School
1171 Whitlock Ave NW, Marietta, GA 30064
Meet entry deadline: Wednesday, September 10th, 9:00 pm (extended 25 hours)
A Hokum Karem is a "relay" style cross country race. There will be a 1 km loop and an exchange zone that the athletes will enter from the back and leave from the front. The exchange is a simple "high-5 / tag your teammate" and the next runner does their loop..
2-person teams - boy, girl and co-ed
each person alternates laps with their teammate
8 & under: each athlete runs two 1K loops; 4K total
9+: each athlete runs three 1K loops, 6K total
Entries (as of 9/11/2015 9:15 am)
Schedule
Genders and ages will run together but be scored separately for awards.
12:00 pm - packet pickup at timing tent or information tent
12:15 pm - self-guided course walk-through
1:00 pm - 8 & under Girls/Boys 4K
1:30 pm - 9-10 Girls/Boys 6K
2:15 pm - 11-12 Girls/Boys 6K
3:00 pm - 13-14, 15-18 Girls/Boys 6K
[9/8/2015] A few more details
Coaches will make up the 2-person teams the day of the race; athletes, *be flexible* as you may not get to run with who you want to run with on a team, especially if 15 athletes all want to run with the same person; remember, these are 2-person teams
We can mix and match genders and, probably, ages (maybe, even make teams with other clubs or unattached athletes as needed)
Don't be concerned if we have an odd number of runners; we'll find someone you can run with
They may run various age divisions and genders in one race, with results being collated separately
Each team member will have a bib number; only one team member will cross the finish line, the team member who runs the last leg
Team members can decide amongst themselves the order in which they run
Awards, by age division and gender
8 & under, 9-10, 11-12, 13-14
Top 10 boys teams and girls teams get award medals (a medal for each team member)
Top 3 co-ed teams get award medals
15-18
Top 3 boys teams and girls teams get award medals (a medal for each team member)
Top 3 co-ed teams get award medals
“Hokum karems” are a popular way to kick off the season in Indiana.
Cross Country Opener Pairs Boys With Girls
“Hokum karems” are a popular way to kick off the season in Indiana.
http://www.runnersworld.com/high-school-racing/cross-country-opener-pairs-boys-with-girls
Girls chased boys and boys chased girls at a high school cross country season opener in Fort Wayne, Indiana, on August 18.
At the meet called a “hokum karem,” 13 schools divided their teams into boy-girl pairs who lined up to run what resembled a relay more than a traditional cross country race through Shoaff Park.
“It’s an awesome meet for the boys and girls to work together and score together because they’re separate for the rest of the season,” said Derek Leininger, the director of the meet. “It’s a great team bonding opportunity.”
The course covered a total of five miles, which was divided into two one-mile loops—a front loop and a back loop. The boys ran legs one, three, and five, while the girls ran legs two and four. (For each two-person team, the boy then the girl ran the first loop, touching hands in between. They repeated the process for the back loop. For the fifth and final leg, the boy finished off the race by running the front loop in reverse.)
Wambash College started the tradition more than 50 years ago, and the meet in Fort Wayne—which is unique because of its co-ed format—has been held since the early 1980s.
“It’s a glorified workout of mile repeats,” Leininger said, “but you’re doing it in a competitive environment. The boy-girl thing makes for a cool dynamic, too.”
Both genders will run a 5K for the remainder of the season.
Carroll High School, headed by coach Phil Yoder, participated in the event for the first time this year. They swept the meet with pairs taking the first five spots. The duo of senior Cam Clements and sophomore Maggie Falater topped the field with a total time of 27:16.
“I went out hard for the first mile,” Clements said. “After that, we had a substantial lead. It felt like a workout, but it was easier than a 5K because we had that rest in between the three miles.”
Yoder said he participated in a similarly formatted meet while he was in high school and thought the meet would make for a good “ice breaker” to the season for his team.
“For newer runners and the freshmen, it’s a good way for them to ease into the season a bit,” said Yoder, who added that its a great confidence builder.
Yoder said he paired his athletes in a way that would foster the most competition. For instance, he intentionally avoided partnering the top boy with the fastest girl.
Falater, who said she tried to keep jogging and stretch between each mile, said she enjoyed competing alongside the boys.
“It was fun to run with the guys because we’ve never really done that before,” Falater said.
“The meet was definitely more laid back than a regular one because the mentality was different with the rest in between,” Clements added.
Yoder said he intends to bring his team back next year.
“It was a unique opportunity to work with each other during the race and win it as a team,” Yoder said. “It’s a fun atmosphere, and the parents enjoyed it as well.”
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