By Leonard COUTIN

Ending the state competitions, the 38th annual Foot Locker Cross-Country Championships regional races provided CVHS distance runner Colin FitzGerald an opportunity to finish his season on a high note on Saturday.

Competition was held at Mount San Antonio College (Mt. SAC), which has been well documented as one of the finest cross-country courses in the nation. With the end of the state competition, the Foot Locker Invitational offered runners from each region of the country – West, Northeast, South and Midwest – a chance to gain national exposure and experience. Each of the regions qualified their top 10 individual runners for the Foot Locker Nationals Championship finals meet, which is being held at Balboa Park in San Diego on Saturday, Dec. 10.

Running against a field of seasoned runners from the western states, FitzGerald knew he would face a tough challenge from other Californians as well as from athletes outside the state. This meet tests the best runners – both boys and girls – from across the western states in a 3.1-mile showdown in each of the seeded divisional races of the day.

FitzGerald came onto the course with the experience of having run this meet last year in a time of 16:19.6 to place 27th behind teammate senior Philip Thomas. Thomas ran 16:12.1 to place 19th. FitzGerald knew that he had to perform better this year to qualify for the West Regional team. Perhaps bolstering his confidence, as the runners assembled on the start line, FitzGerald received the honor of being among the top 25 runners introduced to the spectators.

This year’s field included more than 223 competitors, which presented a challenge to the runners to get out quickly and safely. At the first mile mark, FitzGerald worked on bettering his position, but was forced to hang back in the large crowd. He was approximately 50 to 60 runners back when they hit the switchback up hill portion of the course. Hoping to gain ground, FitzGerald drove hard on the downhill run as they switched over to the back portion of the course. Working his way around the reservoir section and towards the airstrip with the finish line in sight, FitzGerald was on the attack continuing to pick off runners until the end, finishing in a time of 15:55.1 to capture 12th place.

The top winner of the competition was Tibebu Proctor of Seattle, Washington with a time of 15:28.3.

At the awards ceremony, FitzGerald received his qualifying number (2) for his return next year to the meet. The top 23 runners then took the podium to be honored in a final photograph.

“Running today made me feel good about ending this season,” said FitzGerald. “Running against these great individuals always makes you work harder. I was especially pleased to shake the hands of Olympians Brenda Martinez and Boris Berian.”

Brenda Martinez and Boris Berian attended the awards ceremony on Saturday. The pair traveled to Rio in August to compete in the Summer Games. Martinez won a bronze medal in the 800 meters at the IAAF World Championships in Moscow 2013 and ran the 800 in the semi finals at the 2016 Rios Olympics while Berian was the 2016 national champion in the 800m and represented the United States at the 2016 IAAF World Indoor Championships in the 800 meters where he won the gold medal.

  Leonard Coutin