Track Looks Better to Her Than Beauty School

After spending 700 hours last year cutting, curling and styling her way toward a career as a beautician, Maricela Benavides decided to pack away her scissors, throw out her nail files and head back to the track--the place where she now knows she belonged all along.

Benavides, The Times’ female runner of the year in 1987, didn’t know what to do after graduating from Santa Ana Valley High School the following June.

Then, after seeing a television commercial for a Santa Ana beauty school, Benavides decided she would dedicate 1,600 hours of her life to becoming a licensed cosmetologist.

The decision surprised--and disappointed--those who had hoped Benavides would continue her running in college, but Benavides said it was something she had to do.

“After high school, I was confused, I didn’t know what to do,” Benavides said. “I thought going to beauty school would be good. I thought it would exciting, like getting away.”

As it turned out, the school was only three miles from her parents’ home in Santa Ana. And soon after she mastered the basics, Benavides said beauty had become a bore.

“At first, I liked the classes, but after awhile I hated them,” Benavides said. “I mean, you just sit there all day, (practicing) on a doll’s head.”

Although Benavides had basically given up running during this time, her interest in the sport was as great as ever. During the fall, she would track down cross-country meets just so she could watch the competition.

“I’d go to races-- any races,” she said. “I missed it badly.”

So much so, that in December, after six months of perfecting her cosmetology skills, Benavides quit the beauty business. She enrolled at Orange Coast College and started running again.

Although she stepped on a rock and broke her foot in the first week--keeping her out of track last season--Benavides is ready to race once again. She’s committed to OCC for the fall.

“She’s probably in better shape now than when I had her at Valley,” said Santa Ana Valley Coach George Payan, Benavides’ trainer. “She’s so eager to run right now. That’s the main thing.”

Benavides agreed.

“In high school, you’re always told what to do, how to run, when to run,” she said. “But now, it’s all up to you. You decide if you want to do it. Now that I’m back running, I know it’s because I want to be. Now it’s easy to get up to run at 6 a.m.”

Former Santa Ana Valley standout Jimmy Rodriguez has been invited to run in the Four-Minute Mile Challenge at the Jack in the Box Invitational Sunday at UCLA.

Rodriguez, who led the county this season in the 3,200 meters, was scheduled to compete in the open boys’ mile, but meet promoter Al Franken made the switch Wednesday after Michigan native Brian Grosso dropped out.

Rodriguez will compete against many of the nation’s best prep milers, including state 1,600-meter champion Francis O’Neill of Escondido, Southern Section champion Todd Lewis of Burbank, Todd Orvis of Albany, N.Y., Bryan Dameworth, the state 3,200-meter runner-up from Agoura, and Christopher Schurz of Mesa, Ariz.

Rodriguez, Schurz and O’Neill will attend Central Arizona College this fall.

Is Scott still it? In the men’s mile Sunday at UCLA, former UC Irvine star Steve Scott will headline a top American field.

Scott, the American record-holder in the event at 3:47.69 and a three-time Olympian, will face three other Olympians--Jeff Atkinson, Doug Padilla and Jim Spivey--along with fast-improving Terrance Herrington of Clemson, the 1989 TAC champion.

Although Scott is 33 and placed third at last month’s national championships, many still consider the five-time TAC champion to be America’s top miler.

“Steve? Steve’s the man, “ Atkinson said. “It’s gonna take a tremendous effort to bump him off. I would not count him out in 1992.”

Added Padilla: “Steve Scott? Oh yeah. No doubt about it, he’s it .”

UC Irvine Coach Vince O’Boyle returned home from the Olympic Festival in Oklahoma City this week with his first coaching victory in a national meet. O’Boyle was the women’s coach of the West team, which won the three-day track and field competition Sunday.

“It was neat because it came down to the mile relay (the final event),” O’Boyle said. “We had to get third place to hold on to the lead. The girls were really pumped up about it. It showed that the team concept is still important in track.”

UC Irvine’s Beth McGrann finished fifth in the 10,000 meters at the Festival. Although her time of 34 minutes 58.75 seconds is almost two minutes slower than her best, the performance was still impressive considering the fact that she broke her foot during the race. And the temperatures were in the high 80s despite 10 p.m. start.

Other performances by area athletes included a sixth place by Los Alamitos’ Mark Junkermann in the 1,500 and a fifth place in the 400 by former Westminster standout Arlise Emerson-Fielder.

Running Notes

Santa Ana’s Alfredo Vigueras, representing the Active Five Running Club, won the Midsummer’s Night Dream 12K Saturday in 38:04, four seconds ahead of Albino Miranda of Anaheim and five seconds ahead of Marco Ochoa of Anaheim. Steve Kovisto of Highland won the 5K in 16:54, and Mike Dixon of Newport Beach was second (17:02). . . . In the women’s division, Brea’s Joan Fowler won the 12K (47:54), and 1984 Olympian Joan Hansen of Los Alamitos won the 5K (20:12). . . . A total of 2,941 runners competed. . . . Mission Viejo masters runner Harolene Walters, 46, was featured in the August issue of Runner’s World.

Race Schedule:

Thursday: College of the Canyons 5K cross-country series. College of the Canyons, Valencia. 7 p.m. Very challenging cross-country course. Call (805) 944-2511.

Paramount Ranch Cross-Country 2- and 3-mile Gran Prix, 6:30 p.m., Paramount Ranch, Agoura. Call (818) 992-6219.

Friday-Saturday: Orange 12 & 24-Hour Runs. Fred Kelly Stadium, Orange. Starts 6 p.m. Friday, finishes 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. Saturday. Call 538-8338.

Saturday: Highest 5 & 10K Run in California, Mammoth Lakes. 8 a.m. Race starts and finishes at Mammoth Lakes McDonald’s on Old Mammoth Road. Hilly course with elevations ranging from 7,600 to 8,000 feet. Call (619) 935-4512.

Lake Gregory Regional Park 5 & 10K, Crestline. 8 a.m. Park setting with elevation at 4,720 feet. Call 387-2594.

Legg Lake 099’ers 8K. Legg Lake, South El Monte, 8 a.m. Call (213) 949-0394.

Sunday: Dick Durand 8K Trail Run, 9 a.m. Westlake Village. Tough, hilly course on trails. Starts at Westlake Elementary School. No pre-entry. Call (805) 496-0088.

Samurai Nisei Week 5K, Little Tokyo. 8 a.m. Starts at Japanese Village Plaza, First and Central, Los Angeles. Call (213) 450-1212.