An overcast sky greeted the first to arrive, but even before the first race began, the skies cleared and a steady sun shone throughout the rest of the meet. The meet consists of three races, all 3.55 miles in length, which take the participants in two similar, but not identical, loops over the hills leading up to Inspiration Point. New Balance Excelsior put on the race with the help of the Dolpin South End Runners (DSE). Chikara Omine was the race director and this eleventh edition of the annual event saw a significant increase in the number of participants, a trend that has occurred at each of the PAUSATF cross country races this season.
A peculiar arrangement of athletes that chose to stay away, with those that decided to compete, created a circumstance in which Tamalpa will potentially win 8 of the 9 team contests, the Asics Aggies victory in the open men being the lone exception. UPDATE: Tamalpa won 7 of the 9 team contests. The Asics Aggies won the open men while Empire won the masters men team competitions.
Tamalpa runners did not record many individual victories.
View photo highlights from the 11th Annual Presidio Challenge Cross Country on October 3rd
Ty Strange leading the masters mens race. Strange won in a time of 21:21. (photo by Carolynne Juarez)
This meet began with the men's master race, and featured Tamalpa winning all four age-divisions, while only taking one indidual age-division victory. Ty Strange, competing for Empire, won the overall race and led the master's division for the second week in a row. Tim O'Rourke took the senior division, Bill Dunn the super-senior, and Carl Peterson the veteran division. CORRECTION: Empire won the masters men team scoring, while Tamalpa won the senior, super-senior and veteran team competitions.
Leaders at the early stages of the open men's race. Eventual winner Austin Ramos leads. (photo by Carolynne Juarez)
The second race featured the open men. Austin Ramos repeated his victory on the hills of Garin Park last week, with another victory on the hills of the Presidio this week. Jonathan Charlesworth could not keep pace with Ramos, but held off Alex Varner to finish second for his fourth time this season. The Asics Aggies won the only team competition of the day not won by Tamalpa.
Linda Somers Smith winning the women's race. (photo by Lynn Walker)
In the women's race, Linda Somers Smith continued to impress everyone with a dominating performance, separating herself from the field from the very beginning and challenging the hills on her own. Smith's margin of victory was more than a minute. Tamalpa women matched the club's master's men by taking all four team competitions.
The race organizers did an admirable job hosting the meet, which included feeding the runners with cookies and cupcakes, and of course, jars of artichoke pesto were given away.
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