If you're attending the 38th annual Manchester Invitational cross country meet at Derryfield Park today and and happen to see Doug Glance and Joe O’Neil at Derryfield Park, please be sure to thank them.

It is, after all, Glance and O’Neil who combined to establish one of the best high school cross country meets in the nation.

“I don’t ever want to sound like I’m bragging, but our meet is as good as any I’ve ever seen,” said Glance, who stepped down as co-director along with O’Neil two years ago but remains involved in the meet as its official starter. “Here we are in our 38th year, and we’ve had close to 60,000 runners compete on our course. This meet has not only placed us on the map, it has shined a light on the sport.”

In 1975, the inaugural Manchester Invitational included six teams, Glance recalled. But it soon grew to national prominence.

Today, more than 80 teams from around the Northeast will gather at Derryfield for a series of 10 races, beginning with the girls’ freshman race at 9 a.m. The marquee events, the girls’ and boys’ Elite Division races, take place at 12:30 and 1 p.m., respectively.

“By word of mouth and through many articles over the years — especially in The Harrier magazine, which circulated around the country — we started building a solid reputation,” said Glance. “I mean, we started getting calls from teams in California, North Carolina, Pennsylvania ... who all wanted to come here and compete.”

Glance credits former Manchester athletics director Bink Smith for getting him interested in cross country.

“Actually, when I first got my teaching job at Memorial (High School), Bink needed a cross country and track coach, and pushed me into taking (the positions),” said Glance. “I told him I didn’t know anything about running. Well, I did it, and after some time, I fell in love with cross country and never looked back.”

Glance did quite well, reaching the pinnacle in 1977 when the Memorial boys won the New England regional title. They became the first city team to capture a New England championship in boys’ cross country since the 1935 Manchester Central team.

But no city cross country programs enjoyed greater success than O’Neil’s Central girls’ squads. In the 14 seasons from 1988 through 2001, Central won 12 division titles and five New England championships, earning a national reputation of its own.

“I can’t recall the exact year, but we had a girls’ cross-country team from Yucaipa, California, come to our meet,” said Glance. “They were ranked No. 1 in the country at the time, and Joe’s Central team destroyed them. Yucaipa’s girls weren’t expecting a hilly course, started out way too fast and ended up cutting their wheels. That was certainly an upset and one of the highlights I remember most about this meet.”

Like Glance, O’Neil remains involved in the meet, serving as course spotter and advisor to Kelly Fox and Coby Jacobus, the Central coaches who now serve as co-directors of the invitational. Glance calls his long association with O’Neil a “perfect fit.”

“We built a strong bond and fed off each other,” Glance said. “We divided our responsibilities and carried them out. We were so focused that we always had every detail down pat. We had volunteers in place, excellent timers and physical trainers on hand, and we made sure the course was well marked from start to finish. We always had a plan in place in case the weather didn’t cooperate, and fortunately we’ve only had to reschedule one meet to Sunday because of a dangerous storm.”

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TO HELP keep his memory alive in the community he loved, family members have announced the first annual Dan Duval Memorial Golf Tournament will be held on Friday, Oct. 5, at Derryfield Country Club.

“In one small way, we wanted to keep Danny’s legacy alive, but it’s more than just that,” said his brother, Jeff Duval. “We’re starting a charitable trust in Danny’s name. The funds raised from the annual golf tournament and other events will go towards high school scholarships and provide financial relief to drug and alcohol patients who need it the most. That’s the mission, and it’s something Danny would have wanted us to do.”

Dan Duval died in May at age 54 in his Manchester home. A three-sport standout at Trinity High, he dedicated his life to counseling young people about substance abuse, which plagued him as a young man.

Registration for each foursome team in the golf tournament is $400. The fee includes a meal, silent auction and prizes. Sign sponsorship is available for $100.

“Our goal is to raise between $5,000 and $10,000 for the first year,” said Duval.

For more information on the tournament, call Jeff Duval at 494-0152 or email him at jeffduval@yahoo.com.

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WISHING YOU could see one more baseball game at Northeast Delta Dental Stadium this year? Wish granted.

Today at 1:30 p.m. firefighters from around the state will play their police counterparts at the home of the New Hampshire Fisher Cats in a benefit game with the lengthy title Going to Bat for Children: the CHaD Battle of the Badges Autumn Baseball Classic.

Admission is $10, with children 12 and younger admitted free and proceeds going to Children’s Hospital at Dartmouth.

“City Sports” appears Saturdays in the New Hampshire Union Leader. Email John Habib at jhabib@unionleader.com.