Tamalpa women led their club to 4 team and 4 individual victories in age division competition today at the 5th Garin Park Cross Country Championships at Garin Regional Park in Hayward. Valerie Young of Tamalpa won the women's race, also taking top place in the masters division. The Impala women won 2 age division titles and 1 individual age division competition. The Aggies also won 2 age divisions team titles, and had 1 individual age division victor. Austin Ramos of Transport Adidas won the men's race.
View full results of the women's race.
View coverage of the women's race.
View full results of the men's race.
View coverage of the men's race.
A view of the hills on the course from the pond at Garin Park Cross Country Challenge (photo by L. Walker)
Indian summer heat, coupled with very hilly terrain, tested the runners mercilessly. Despite the conditions, the men's race featured fast times, with race winner Ramos just missing the course record by two seconds. West Valley Track Club has hosted this race for the past 5 years, and has never seen much more than 200 runners, but today almost 300 completed the pair of races. This increase in race attendance of nearly 50% has been consistent across each of the four PAUSATF Grand Prix Cross Country races this year, the suggestion being that with the down-turn in the economy and decreased employment more people have time to pursue recreational activities. The PAUSATF is certainly enjoying the increase in participation, especially as it petitions to host a National Club Cross Country event in the near future.
West Valley Track Club did a great job of hosting the event, even if they were a bit unprepared to provide numbers for so many runners. Garin Regional Park is a beautiful setting for a race, though rugged. Fortunately the course avoids many of the park's truly mind-numbing climbs that could have been used. The existing course begins on a grass meadow, so chewed up with gopher holes that it becomes difficult to run across, then proceeds around a quiet pond, before leading up into the wide trails over rounded, dried-grass covered hills. Equally lucky, the last portion of the race is largely downhill or flat, leading back to the meadow where the race began, only this time on a smooth trail that is easier to negotiate.
Runners were treated to muffins, bananas, granola and other snacks, along with water at the conclusion of their races. There were two races, both 5 kilometers in length. The women started things off at 9:00am with the men beginning at 10:00am. Even an hour after both races had ended, runners were still hanging out, jogging around the park, reviewing the results and socializing. Five years old, this race looks to become one of the long term favorites for runners to attend in the future.
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