Sacramento Running News

Masters men lead pack at Willow Hills XC (Photo by Craig Newport)

While you are no doubt aware there are thousands of dedicated road racers in the area, you may not realize there is also a smaller group of dedicated cross country runners churning up the turf at local and regional cross-country races.

For adults in Northern California, the major cross country grand prix is organized by the Pacific Association of the USA Track and Field. These are extremely competitive races–particularly in the open divisions.

In the 2011 Pacific Association’s Cross Country Grand Prix, the River City Rebels men remained a force in the region with many in the top ten.

In the open division, Gus Gibbs finished the season in 3^rd position. In the masters division, the Rebels were dominant with five of the top-ten finishes. These included Marcelo Lerda (2^nd), Mason Myers (3^rd), Michael Woodward (7^th), Iain Mickle (8^th), and Ed Brooks (10^th).

The Rebels’ masters men’s team won the championship, but sadly finished a close 2^nd behind the Aggies in total Grand Prix points.

On the women’s side, Lindsay Nelson, running for the Aggies, was the top local in the Grand Prix, coming in 6^th amongst the open women.

Other locals with notable age-group finishes were Mo Bartley (Impalas), who finished 8^th in the women’s senior division, Arnold Utterback (Buffalo Chips), who finished 8^th in the men’s super senior division, and Robert Seldner (River City Rebels), who finished 10^th in the veterans men’s division.

I’m sure I’ve missed someone in this year-end write up, so be sure to mention them in the comments.

Complete results for the PA Cross Country Grand Prix are here.