After months of work, the new path system at Heritage Church is ready to use, and between 700 to 800 runners were more than willing to do so during the recent Panther Invitational.
It was the first high school meet held on the course, according to Don Livingston, the course architect. Runners from 24 teams participated in the event on Saturday, Sept. 8.
One more high school meet and “three Junior Olympic meets, a Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving Day, and another spring race that will include elementary and middle school runners” are also scheduled at the community track on the church grounds, said Doug Fultz, Heritage’s senior pastor.
Head cross country coach Diane Ruane is happy that the course is ready to use.
“The team has been using it as its primary practice location,” Ruane said.
The community is also benefiting from the course. When high school athletes aren’t using it, the Peachtree City Running Club and other runners will be able to walk and run on the paths. A one-kilometer loop goes around a lake and a two- kilometer loop circles the entire course.
Part of the profits from the meet, which came from concession stands, car and golf cart parking, and T-shirt sales, will go to the Panther cross country team, Ruane said. She said she plans to use the money to purchase spirit items for her runners.
A section of the course includes a 40-foot wooden bridge, which goes over a section of the lake away from the road. Most of the labor and materials for it were donated by members of the community and church, but the church absorbed some of the costs. Because of that, part of the meet’s profits will go toward paying off the bridge.
“Brett Pavel worked tirelessly with the Fayette County codes office and engineers,” Fultz said, “making it possible for the bridge to be built on schedule and safely.
The next race on the course will be the Region 4-AAAAA Championships at 8 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 3.