Cross country: Claudia Lane of Malibu wins Foot Locker national championship race

Sophomore Claudia Lane of Malibu has gone from a state champion in cross country to a national champion.

She won the Foot Locker national championship race for girls on Saturday morning in San Diego, winning in 17:04.8.

It caps a remarkable season in which she won Southern Section and state championships.

“It’s kind of crazy where I’ve come this year,” she said. “I’m really grateful. It still hasn’t resonated about winning today.”

Lane, 15, first tried running as a sixth-grader. Then she joined the cross country team last season as a freshman.

Her best days are still ahead. She will run track in the spring, focusing on the 800 and 1,600 but her favorite race is the 3,200, something she’ll probably run in league.

She comes from a town known for its surfing, but Lane said, “I’m a horrible surfer, but I like swimming in the ocean.”

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