AUGUSTA — Conditions were anything but ideal at Cony High School on Friday for the 24th Scot Laliberte Invitational cross country meet.

Nevertheless, the cool temperatures and precipitation, including downpours that delayed the start by 15 minutes, created a fun running atmosphere.

“I love to run in the pouring rain and the mud,” said Morse senior Levi Riggs. “It makes the race a lot more fun and the course a lot more interesting. Someone might slip and fall, but you pass them. It is what it is.”

Riggs (13:05.54) was the top male runner, while McKenzie Boyle of Dirigo (17:47.59) was the fastest female.

Mt. Ararat (622 points) won the team title, adding scores from both the boys and girls teams. Oxford Hills (630 points) was runner-up, and Mt. Blue (633) took third.

Here are three takeaways from the annual preseason meet:

Strategy to victory

Riggs’ victory didn’t come easy. It was a sprint to the finish, and the Morse senior edged William Morris of Dirigo by 0.06 seconds. Harper Borden of Edward Little (13:34.83) finished third. The course, which is shorter than the usual 5K distance, gives runners a fast track for a full-speed effort.

“It’s fantastic (to win); I’ve been coming to this event since I was a freshman,” Riggs said. “It’s always been a goal to win.”

Boyle, a junior, had the more dominant victory, winning the girls division by 20 seconds. Charlotte Crowe of Mt. Ararat (18:01.73) was the runner-up, while Leah Zeimetz of Waterville (18:19.00) came in third.

“I just wanted to run hard,” Boyle said. “Obviously, there were some hills here and there. Overall, (the course) was really smooth, even with the rain and stuff. I wanted to go out hard and push toward the finish.”

Slothful, but not

The fashion statement of the race, and perhaps the fall season, came from the Gardiner team. Every member of the team ran in purple shorts, adorned with sloths, an interesting animal to display in a sport based on speed.

“We’ve seen other teams wearing the chicken leg shorts for their uniforms sometimes,” said Gardiner coach Jen Boudreau. “I just decided that I want the kids to have some fast-looking shorts. I wanted them to be the opposite of sloths. I wanted them to channel their opposite sloth power and have some fun while they’re doing it.”

Boudreau said the entire team was excited to sport the shorts and will wear them throughout the season.

“Not a single person complained,” Boudreau said. “They bought them without crying or whining.”

Continuing the tradition

The Laliberte Invitational is an annual event in remembrance of former Cony runner Scot Laliberte, who died in a car accident in the spring of 2000. The race started that fall and represents the unofficial start to the central Maine cross country season, though it technically is a preseason event.

Tom Wells, Laliberte’s coach at Cony at the time, gives a quick speech to the teams before the race each year.

“Scot was a wonderful person,” Wells told the crowd. “He would want me to tell you, every (runner) with your toes to the line, that makes you a winner.”