JUSTIN COOK The Roanoke Times

Christiansburg High School cross country runner Andy Eddleton (center) warms up with his teammmates at Smithfield Plantation. Eddleton clocked a personal best of 16:22.12 at the Blue Demon Invitational last weekend at Christiansburg Elementary School.

Ray Cox covers recreational, high school and college sports in the New River Valley. If you have information you’d like featured, e-mail ray.cox
@roanoke.com or call 381-1672

Ray Cox

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| Ray Cox

ray.cox@roanoke.com, 381-1672

CHRISTIANSBURG -- Concerns were voiced to the authorities at Christiansburg High School recently regarding the minimalist attire worn by members of the school's cross country teams on occasion of sun-baked summertime training runs through local neighborhoods.

Never mind that the dedicated Blue Demons runners wear running clothes no different or less proper than their peers both here and across the country, neighborhood monitors have made clear their thoughts.

Now, the matter has been discussed fully among high school administrators and coaches. It was decided in offices on high that runners have a basic right not to roast alive while training for the next meet.

Which brings us to the bare facts:

No matter what his fashion choices, Andy Eddleton is going to make things interesting while hoofing it for Christiansburg's boys.

Eddleton appreciates the privilege of running for his high school as well as having the choice of what he wears for training purposes.

"We won't abuse the privilege," he said. "We won't take our shirts off when it's chilly."

Before dealings with the fashion police began, Eddleton was right on the cusp of a career breakthrough last year as a junior.

This fall, he is off to a fast start in his race to have a major impact on contests in the rugged River Ridge District and beyond.

Eddleton put forth another dominant performance on his home course at Christiansburg Elementary School last weekend to capture the Blue Demon Invitational in personal record time.

True, some top runners weren't there, including leading members of the powerhouse Blacksburg squad, but it wasn't as if Eddleton hadn't been strong on that course before.

The past two times he ran there in 2008, he was runner-up at both the district and Group AA Region IV meets. This time around, he clocked a personal best 16:22.12 -- better than his next-fastest time on the course, last year at district.

"I was pleased with my time," he said of last weekend's triumph. "I felt really good about the race. I was glad to go out there and do it on my home course; it was a really good feeling."

No matter who shows up at the starting line, Eddleton's going to run them tough on the up-and-down home circuit.

"He knows that course backwards, forwards, up and down, every which way," Christiansburg coach Shane Guynn said. "He executed his race plan perfectly and ran the fourth-fastest time ever on that course."

Eddleton is the sort of runner who is long on stamina and stubbornness, perfect for a hilly course such as at home or at Sugar Hollow in Abingdon, site of this year's regional. He's not quite as stout on a speed course like the mostly flat Green Hill Park, where the district will be contested.

"He's a strong runner but the speed isn't necessarily there all the time," Guynn said.

Thus, Eddleton will be at more of a disadvantage this Saturday at the sixth-annual Knights Crossing Invitational at Green Hill.

Expected to be on hand will be some of the Blacksburg runners who didn't run at Christiansburg last week, including George Carter, Frank Locascio, Matt Howard and Caman Skelton, as well standouts from host Cave Spring and Hidden Valley, as well as runners from some Group AAA schools.

"It's obviously not been one of my favorite courses," Eddleton said. "It's still a good meet. Lots of good runners will be there. There's still a chance I could go up there and do really well."

Appropriately for an event involving interscholastic competition, it will be a learning experience.

"We'll see where he is right now," Guynn said. "We might have to work on some things during the season to get him ready for the district."

Eddleton may be running better than he ever has. He followed up a 19th-place finish at last year's state cross-country meet by making all-state (top 15) in both the indoor 1,600 and 3,200 meters. During the spring outdoor season, he was regional runner-up in both the 1,600 and 3,200.

Those kinds of results have prompted him to think more seriously about the future beyond high school. College running has turned into an aspiration.

"It's been a quiet goal of his," Guynn said. "He doesn't talk about it much, but I think he definitely wants to run in college. I think that's been an inspiration for him, especially training last summer."

Eddleton said he's researched some schools in the state to determine the needs of those programs and where he might fit in. Guynn, for one, thinks Eddleton has what it takes for the right school.

Admittedly, there's a long way to go during the college decision process and he'll be under some scrutiny, especially with regard to how he does in the big races.

Count on this, though: No intercollegiate programs are going to be particularly interested in his wardrobe choices.