Cross country is a sport that most people do not know very much
about.
It is a very simple, natural and pure competition consisting of
running
on any terrain. Most community college women's races are 5k (3
miles).
The training is challenging because it requires running long
distance,
intervals, short-fast repeats and hills etc. All of this in any
weather
conditions (cross country races do not get cancelled because of
rain/snow or anything) with any number of competitors (from ten
up to
thousand's) across all types of land surfaces (ie: cross
country). It is
basically what people have been doing as long as people have
been on
Earth...survival of the fittest.
Here at Grossmont College, we have a tradition of having some of
the
greatest runners, coaches and teams in the nation since the
1960's.
Starting with Ron Vavra and Bob Larsen, our teams have won 12
State
Championships and some of the athletes have competed at the
highest
level, the Olympics. Bob Larsen's Grossmont teams won 8 State
Championships in a row and he has since become one of the
premier
distance coaches for world class athletes (including Meb
Keflezigi -2004
Olympic marathon silver medalist).
Our program has become known for taking athletes with no
experience, or
less developed high school runners and turning out top level
competitors
and top high school runners become the best in college. We begin
training in the Spring with easy base training (anyone
interested in
trying cross country should start with the spring class) and
pick up the
distance in the summer. In the fall the most dedicated, serious
runners
who stay committed to the intense training make the team and
earn the
opportunity to race.
Our team started out with a very large group this year and now
just a
few of the toughest athletes have survived. This years' team
looks like
one of the best we have had in a long time! The XC team has been
training very hard. Their effort and dedication are being proven
through
their achievements, times are dropping fast! The competition is
very
good this year in the P.C.C. and throughout So. Cal. This is
great for
our team, it brings out the best in them and pushes them to new
records
and higher levels of ability.
History and Tradition
Grossmont College cross country runners have been some of the
best in the state and country throughout our programs history.
In fact, few Community Colleges or Universities in the nation
can compare to the accomplishments of our athletes. Grossmont
College Cross Country teams have won the California State
Championship twelve times, and have placed in the top five in
the state for 23 years out of 34 years of competition.
Individual Grossmont runners have won the State Championship ten
times, and 26 individuals have placed in the top 5. The
following athletes are Cross Country State Champions who ran for
Grossmont College: Ed Mendoza (2 x State Champion and Olympian),
Sue Gelley, Terry Cotton, Rich Brownsberger, Rick Rose, Steve
McCormack, Rodney Rivera, Bob Lamorandier, and Mark Dani.
Obviously there have been many awesome athletes at Grossmont
College, however, the following coaches are responsible for
developing these athletes and building the Championship Teams:
Bob Larsen (8 x Cross Country State Champion teams/coach of many
elite and Olympic athletes), Ron Vavra (1 x Cross Country State
Champion team and his Grossmont College teams won over 100 Track
and Field meets), Jim Peabody (2 x Cross Country State Champion
teams), Mike Muirhead (1 x Cross Country State Champion team),
Tom Lux, Bill Cleeves, Pat King and Megan Haber. Many of these
coaches are still coaching today at local high schools; Bob
Larsen coached Meb Keflezighi to a silver medal in the marathon
at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games.
Why Grossmont College is such a great place to run…
The Grossmont College campus is located next to Mission Trails
Regional Park. This includes Cowles Mountain, Fortuna Mountain,
Mission Gorge, Lake Murray, a golf course and many miles of
incredible running trails over desert terrain, along rivers,
lakes and up hills and mountains. Some of our training locations
also include Balboa Park, Mission Bay and several local beaches
and mountains. It doesn’t get better than this in Southern
California…or anywhere!
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