EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. – Men's and women's cross country prepare for the 37^th annual Chile Pepper Festival hosted by Arkansas.
 
SIUE men's team will be running in the McDonnell Memorial 8k starting at 10:25 a.m. Saturday. The women's team will follow in the Harter's Habanero 5k, taking off at 11 a.m.
 
This meet originally started in 1988, with the Chile Pepper Running Club progressing to the Chile Pepper Run. The first few races were held in May consisting of a 10k open run only.
 
In 1992 the Chile Pepper Cross country Festival was born, to bring together three northwest Arkansas cross-country races under a single event. Today this event hosts around 6,500 runners and over 7,000 fans each year and is one of the largest cross-country festivals in the nation.
 
Both teams competed last at the Owen Moore Invitational (Sept. 19). Ian O'Laughlin had a first-place finish in the men's 8k with a time of 25:11.02. The Cougars also saw strong performances from Tanner Emerson (14^th/25:46.80), Kinze Shea (17^th/24:07.81) and Emilee Franklin (19^th/24:12.48).