TALLAHASSEE, Florida — They came, they saw, they got rained on, but they still had a great time.

Eleven members of the Pathfinders youth running club competed in the United States Track and Field National Junior Olympic Cross Country Championships Dec. 9 in Tallahassee, Florida.

The runners, ages 8 to 14, braved a rather sloppy course alongside hundreds of other competitors from across the country, but finished with smiles on their faces.

The club, coached by Dan and Chasity Smith, is a Brown County offshoot of a Columbus-based club, the Pathfinders. The program just started in Brown County this fall after Brown County schools’ cross-country seasons ended.

At least seven of the 11 Brown County kids set personal records on the Florida course, Chasity Smith said.

“It was really neat to run on a big collegiate course, and the kids could watch themselves on the jumbotron,” Smith said.

“It was a little chilly for Florida, but our kids were used to it and well prepared.”

Smith said the Pathfinders will probably start up again next October or in late September. New participants are always welcome. “We’ll make lots of fliers and really push it out,” she said.

Dec. 9

USATF National Junior Olympic Championships

Girls 2000m (8 and under): 118. Kodi Smith 9:40, 150. Marleigh Mollo 10:04.8 (198 total runners)

Boys 2000m (8 and under): 144. Preston McNeely 9:05 (239 total runners)

Girls 3000m (9-10): 276. Sadie Hiatt 15:11.6, 287. Jordyn Nicols 15:56.9, 298. Alyssa Minor 17:31.3 (302 total runners)

Boys 3000m (9-10): 156. Case Smith 12:11.3 (348 total runners)

Girls 3000m (11-12): 223. Leslie Austin 13:05.3, 274. Kayleigh Austin 13:29.4 (369 total runners)

Boys 3000m (11-12): 297. Cord Smith 12:01.5 (398 total runners)

Boys 4000m (13-14): 153. Chase Austin 14.13.3 (402 total runners)