Why Oakhurst? Simple. Oakhurst Forest Preserve, located at 1680 E. 5th Ave. in Aurora, is a premier location for Cross Country practices. The natural terrain and landscape promotes an all-around training expereince. The softer earth prevents potential injury and gives runners more support during training. The course itself is regarded as one of the best in Northern Illinois and has become a Mecca for many great teams and individuals. The flat, fast course is great for racing and has produced many Personal bests from runners of all levels. Oakhurst has everything: a flat, fast course for racing, hills for training, a pavillion to hold team meetings, and a great atmosphere for ACC Cross Country.
Oakhurst features scenic woods and a 55 acre lake/marsh complex that provides excellent opportunities for fishing and wildlife observation. This preserve that also features a two mile trail around the lake, picnic shelters, boat and canoe launches, snowmobiling opportunities, and bike trail access.
The Race Course:
Filled with over 20 years of history, the Oakhurst race course is the home cross country course for the Chargers. Numerous All-Staters have run this loop including course record holders Dave Grange of Marmion Academy who covered the loop in 14:24.4 in 2005 and Sarah Kortze of Rockford Lutheran who ran a 17:20.1 in 2008. ACC's record holders for the course are Alex Villa who ran a 14:56 in 1994 and Valerie Cintronwho ran an 18:51.4 in 2007.
