CV All-Comers Meet draws from all over

LA CRESCENTA — A turnout of around 45 runners produced many different reasons for participation in the third race of the four-week long Crescenta Valley High All-Comers Cross-Country Meet, held at Crescenta Valley Park as usual on a Wednesday afternoon.

The competition featured two races, with an opening distance of 1 1/4 miles and a follow-up run of three miles.

The three-mile race drew nearly the entire crowd, as about 37 runners entered, with the top unofficial time coming in at 17:13.

“The numbers were OK today. We’re in the middle of summer vacation, so we didn’t get as many runners as last week,” Crescenta Valley High Coach Mark Evans said. “But this is a great way to stay in shape and it’s nice to see runners from out of the area.”

One such “out-of-the-area” runner was Evans’ son, Chris, who finished second in the three-mile race with an unofficial time of 17:40.

“Obviously, he has experience on this course,” Mark Evans said of Chris, who recently resigned as cross-country coach at Golden Valley High to take a walk-on coaching position at UC Riverside. “He should do well.”

It is the second summer in a row that Mark Evans, the Crescenta Valley boys’ and girls’ cross-country and track and field coach, has spearheaded the event, with Wednesday’s race, with registration beginning at 5 p.m., concluding the four-part series. With it costing just $5 to take part, it’s been a bargain as runners of all ages from all areas have taken to the CV course for myriad reasons.

The Evanses were part of a parent-sibling dynamic that also included Crescenta Valley incoming junior Nick Beatty and his mother, Denise.

While Mark Evans held Nick Beatty out since the Falcons runner had just come back from training in Mammoth, Denise didn’t hold back in finishing just under 40 minutes in the three-mile race.

“I also went up to Mammoth and I want to be able to run wherever [Nick] runs,” Denise Beatty said. “Hey, I’m 53 years old, I’m into fitness and I’m happy to have finished the race.”

Zach Williams, who graduated from La Cañada High this summer, took one of his final laps around CV Park before heading off to Southern Oregon University.

“I’ve run here many times and this has always been a challenging, but fun course,” said Williams, who finished third in an unofficial hand time of 18:25. “I’m going to continue running in college and this is a good place to practice.”

La Cañada High girls’ cross-country coach Jenn Strople also brought her squad to CV Park for training purposes.

“We’re actually not going to run here during the regular season, so this might be our last race here,” Strople said. “This park has always been a good place to prepare for the season, even though we won’t be coming here.”

Bishop Amat’s Christian Hernandez was the race-winner, taking the victory in about 17:13.

“I’ve been here two other times and I just wanted to improve on my time,” Hernandez said.

As for the 1 1/4-miler, Montrose’s Morgan Faunce turned in an impressive effort, as the youngster finished third in 10:11, well ahead of his previous best of 13:30.

“I’ve been working hard and training with a personal trainer,” Faunce said. “I run because I don’t want to grow a belly.”

Race-winner Natalie O’Brien of Sierra Madre finished with a mark of 8:14 and said she was attracted to the race because her junior high school, St. Rita, only offers two cross-country races the entire season.

Race runner-up Amanda Honn of Huntington Beach High finished in 8:17 and was content to be making progress.

“I ran my freshman year, but was injured for most of my sophomore year,” Honn said. “I’m just trying to get back into running shape and this helps.”