‘Most Dedicated Athlete in the School’ : El Camino’s Biggest Winner is a Mere 5-2 and 105 Pounds

Chris Hamilton’s petite physique caused her to stand out among the bigger, muscular sprinters during an afternoon practice at the El Camino College track last week.

It was immediately evident that the 5-foot-2, 105-pound sophomore was a distance runner, unlike most athletes on the track.

It was an off day for the El Camino cross-country team and none of her teammates were around because a conference tri-meet was less than 24 hours away.

But the 19-year-old was there doing whatever it is that the “most dedicated athlete in the school” does, according to Warrior cross-country and track Coach Dave Shannon.

Hamilton sticks out even among her cross-country counterparts, teammates and opponents.

This season she’s placed first in every race except one, the Irvine Invitational, where she finished second after pulling a hamstring near the end of the 3.1-mile course.

Hamilton has won invitational meets at Moorpark and Mira Costa and has placed first in dual meets against Mt. San Antonio, Cerritos, Pasadena and Long Beach. She’s led the Warriors to a 3-1 record in the South Coast Conference and is expected to lead them in the conference championship meet at Mt. Sac on Nov. 5.

“She’s up there with the best of the best,” said Shannon, who in 11 years as the Warrior coach holds a 58-3 record and has won 8 of the 10 conference titles contested.

Shannon’s teams have placed third at the state meet twice, fourth twice and fifth once. Last year the women’s cross-country team was undefeated in dual meets.

“Chris is just very tough and consistent,” he said. “She trains with the men because her workouts are accelerated. She’s capable of running 10% faster.”

That’s providing she stays healthy, which wasn’t the case last year.

Hamilton missed most of last year’s season because of a strained arch in her right foot. Herfirst race after a month off was the South Coast Conference meet where she placed fifth and El Camino finished second.

At the Southern California meet, Hamilton was one of the top freshmen, finishing 17th out of 100 runners. At the state championship meet in Fresno, she finished 14th and El Camino placed third behind Orange Coast and Mira Costa.

“Starting off with the conference meet,” Shannon said, “after a month of no training is like being thrown to the wolves. She’s done things not even a male distance runner has done at this school.”

Jill Hoffman, who holds El Camino records in the 3,000 and 5,000 meters and was Hamilton’s teammate last year, says Hamilton’s success didn’t come easily.

“Christine always seemed to have a soreness,” said Hoffman, who competes at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. “But she always bounces back. It takes a lot of time and effort and energy, but she does it.”

By track season last year Hamilton was in full force. She qualified for the state meet at Bakersfield in the 1,500, 3,000 and 5,000 meters.

But a hip injury prevented her from competing in the 3,000 meters at the state meet and caused a mediocre performance in the 1,500. Hamilton placed fifth in the 5,000 meters and El Camino finished second as a team.

“It was like a chain reaction,” Hamilton said. “I was compensating when I had foot problems, so my hip started to hurt. It was just throbbing and I had to ice it every day. It was a very disappointing time for me because I had peaked for the end of the season.”

By now you’d think Hamilton expects to get hurt. She’s been hampered by injuries since her sophomore year at South Torrance High, where she qualified for the Masters meet as a senior and broke school records in the mile and 3,200 meters.

“She’s the best girl runner we’ve ever had at South Torrance,” said the school’s cross-country coach, Richard Ruffell. “She was uncoachable because I’d tell her to do something and she always did more. She’s an extremely hard worker.”

This year Hamilton is keeping all fingers crossed to remain healthy through the cross-country and track seasons. She’s committed to San Luis Obispo where she will compete with Hoffman next fall.

A couple of sore muscles and throbbing joints never stopped her before, so why should a mere pulled hamstring prevent her from running?