DANVILLE – Approximately 5,000 high school athletes will make their way to Lawrence County this weekend to compete in the prestigious Jesse Owens Cross Country Classic Invitational.
The race, set for Saturday, is hosted by the Jesse Owens Runners’ Club and is on the championship course at the Oakville Indian Mounds Education Center. The meet gets underway at 8:15 a.m.
Now in its 25th year, the, the Jesse Owens Cross Country Classic brings junior high and high school students from Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina and Tennessee for a competitive race honoring one of Alabama’s greatest athletes.
Born in 1913 in Oakville, Owens captured four gold medals at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin overcoming racial and socioeconomic barriers. In 1955, he was named Ambassador of Sports by President Eisenhower and toured the world promoting the virtues of amateur programs.
The competition offers 12 divisions for boys and girls and is sanctioned through AHSAA for Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi and Tennessee. It is also sanctioned for Kentucky, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi and Tennessee through the NFHS.
Oakville Indian Mounds Education Center is about 8 miles south of Moulton at 1219 County Road 187 in Danville; about a half-mile from the Jesse Owens Memorial Park.
Admission is free. Parking is $5 per vehicle with proceeds benefiting the Oakville Indian Mounds Park and Educational Center. Pets or bicycles are not permitted at the Oakville Indian Mounds on race days.
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