All those tough speed workouts and 12-mile runs that cross country teams have endured will pay off in the next three weeks as the championship season gets under way today with the Penobscot Valley Conference meet.

The meet will be held on the grounds of Bangor Mental Health Institute, starting at 1 p.m. with the boys junior varsity race, followed by girls JV, boys varsity, and then winding up with the girls varsity.

On the boys side, everything is wide open for individual honors. Ellsworth sophomore Corey DeWitt, who was fourth in the Maine Cross Country Festival of Champions two weeks ago, seems like the favorite in this race. Caribou’s Sam Sheehan, who won the Sectional Invitational race earlier this year, should also be in contention.

Team-wise, it’s also up in the air. Caribou has Ricky Michaud and Dimitri Luthi back, runners who were training in Wyoming as part of a Maine Winter Sports Center project. Hampden Academy has come on strong late in the season, as have Brewer, Old Town, Ellsworth, and John Bapst of Bangor, all of whom should contend.

In the girls meet, Old Town junior Cassie Hintz has been virtually untouchable, but the Crusaders’ Maddy Glover has been running well the past few meets, including breaking the Festival of Champions’ meet record. Teammate Courtney Martin was just seven seconds behind in that race and won the Pendale Invitational last week in Hampden.

The team competition should be close between John Bapst, Ellsworth, Hampden, Old Town, and Mount Desert Island.

The Eastern Maine championship meets will be held Oct. 23 followed by the state meets a week later. Both meets are scheduled for the Troy Howard Middle School course in Belfast.