In conditions not fit for long-distance running, the Nansemond River Warriors and King’s Fork Bulldogs cross country teams finished one behind the other in the Chesapeake Invitational on Saturday afternoon.

“Very unstable conditions with the heat and humidity,” Bulldogs coach Skip Williams said of the weather.

Perennial powerhouse Western Branch finished first and also had the top runner, junior Blake Theroux.

Nansemond River finished seven minutes ahead of King’s Fork, although the Bulldogs had the top finisher out of the two in Michael Babineau.

“It was good,” Babineau said of the race, “I beat everyone from Suffolk so I’m happy.” Babineau finished with a time of 20:22.

“Mike’s performance basically is a result of his work ethic,” Williams said about Babineau’s performance, “his work ethic and performance shows in the races, he’s my team leader.” The Bulldogs finished with a total time of 1:57:26.

Shaquille Howard came in closely behind Babineau with a time of 20:43. “We ran good, everybody ran their best and left it all out there,” Howard said of his team’s performance in the race. The Warriors finished with a total time of 1:50:34.

Nansemond River runs next Wednesday at Bells Mill Park at 5:30 p.m. King’s Fork is next in action next Thursday at Bells Mill Park at 5:30 p.m.