Charlottesville High School Sweeps Ragged Mountain Cup

For the first time since the creation of the race in 1986, Charlottesville High School (CHS) won both of the boys’ and girls’ races in the Ragged Mountain Cup. CHS’s victory marked the first time the Charlottesville girls have won the Ragged Mountain Cup and the second year in a row the Charlottesville boys have won. Additionally, CHS had both the fastest individual times for both the boys and girls, with Sam Palmer and Elaina Pierce winning individually.

In 2023, the CHS boys won the Ragged Mountain Cup for the first time in the race’s 38-year history. Coming into the race, the CHS boys team were determined to repeat their success. When asked if he was nervous about their odds, Charlottesville’s Graham Goodale said, “I don’t think there was any panic when I got the baton in fourth. I mean those two previous legs put us in a position to be in position.” 

The Ragged Mountain Cup is a yearly cross country tournament hosted by Ragged Mountain Running Shop at Panorama Farms in Earlysville, Virginia. Featuring exclusively local high schools, the race is unlike traditional cross-country races. Instead of being a traditional 5 kilometers, the Ragged Mountain Cup is a four person relay consisting of 2-mile legs. Traditionally the race has been held at the beginning of the cross-country season in early September; however, for the second year running, the Ragged Mountain Cup took place in October.

When asked what he believed is the most underrated aspect of the Ragged Mountain Cup, Ragged Mountain employee Alec Lorenzoni said, “I just love that it’s all the local schools and kids, a lot of whom are friends with each other and know each other. There are a lot of middle school kids, and I think that it is such a great positive introduction to the sport. Kids are nervous… but I saw a lot of runners saying good luck, I’ll see you at the finish line. A lot of good sportsmanship.”