Out-of-State Competition
While the Chile Pepper Festival is Arkansas' crown jewel meet, many other teams from other states are scheduled to make the trek to the Natural State to see how they stack up against one another.
Last season, national sensation Connor Burns from Southern Boone County in Missouri competed at the 34th Annual Chile Pepper Festival and tore the house down, taking down Reed Brown's meet record that stood since 2016, running a 14:32.3 en route to the biggest win of his career to that point. Brown, who competed for Southlake Carroll in Texas, alike Burns, went on to run at the University of Oregon and earned All-American honors in the NCAA.
This season, Brown's alma mater Southlake Carroll will be one of several teams representing the Longhorn State in Fayetteville. Southlake Carroll is one of the best programs from one the best distance states in all of high school distance running and will be one of the favorites on both male and female sides this weekend.
Teams from Kansas (Mill Valley), Missouri (Lincoln Prep), Oklahoma (Bishop Kelley), and a host of other schools from these states, among other states as well, are also expected to be in attendance this weekend, which should make for an excellent meet and put on display just how great running in the Natural State can be.