Oct. 15, 2009

COLUMBIA, Mo. - The Mizzou men and women make their way down to Fayetteville, Ark. this Saturday to participate in the Chile Pepper Cross Country Festival. This race will be the final race for both teams before the Tigers host the Big 12 Conference Championships in Columbia on Oct. 31.

The women look to build upon an impressive showing at the Louisville Cross Country Classic two weeks ago, where the team took fourth out of 34 teams. The men have had three weeks since a 13th place finish at the Griak Invitational to gather themselves and get healthy; multiple runners have suffered from various strains of the flu throughout the season.

The men's collegiate 10k run features 33 teams, including Mizzou and Big 12 competitors Baylor, Oklahoma State, Texas Tech and Oklahoma. The starting time for the race is 9:45 a.m. Following the men's race is the women's collegiate 6k at 10:30 a.m. Thirty-eight teams will trek to Fayetteville to compete, including Mizzou and Big 12 competitors Baylor, Kansas State, Oklahoma State, Texas Tech and Oklahoma.

Created in 1992, the Chile Pepper Cross Country Festival features about 3,500 runners and more than 4,000 spectators, which makes it one of the largest cross country festivals in the country.

Stay tuned to MUtigers.com for cross country results, news and updates.