Doin' 2010 in the Fog

Doin' 2010 in the Fog - 5K and 10K at Lake Ming in Bakersfield. Race starts at 9am. More information and online registration at Active.com

2010 Photos HERE. HERE.
FaceBook HERE.

10K overall, 5K overall 10K age group, 5K age group

2009 Photos HERE.
2009 Coverage HERE.

Race Recap: Well the race lived up to it's name, it was very foggy and really cold! There was a large turnout once again and the race day registration was off the hook and once again caused a delay in the start of the event.

Once it started the usual suspects went to the front. They included Galvin Gonzales (former McFarland great) who took first in the 10k and David Bacus finished behind him. David recently ran a 2:45 at the Vegas marathon despite the cold and shoe mishaps.

At the split for the two races, Galvin and Ryan Lucker (CSUB) where running together and Ryan took the 5k win. Following Lucker was former Driller Zachary Holt who recently ran at the NAIA National Cross Country championships with his team from Holy Names University.

In the 10k, there were a number of high school athletes. SSL champ Juan Calderon of Arvin came in 3rd overall and was followed by state cross country qualifier Cameron Miller of Stockdale. The overall women's winner was the ageless Pam Boyles who took the win in front of Carolin Haney of Stockdale and Ashley Barton of Liberty.

Also in the 10k, Carl Hatley (50+ age grouper) said he was going to break 39 and he did!

Doin' 2010 in the Fog
(21st annual Fog Run)
January 9, 2010
10 Kilometer Race

Place Name Time Pace Div/Tot Sex/Tot Div
1 Gonzalez Galvin 33:11 5:21 1/25 1/108 M3039 - Was on a couple State cross country teams for McFarland.

2 Bacus David 34:09 5:30 1/18 2/108 M2029 - Ran 2:45 at the Las Vegas marathon. Went to West High & UCSB.

3 Juan Calderon 35:27 5:43 1/2 3/108 M1619 - Arvin senior who won the SSL individual title this year. Plans on attending Chico State next year.

4 Miller Cameron 36:43 5:55 1/5 4/108 M1315 - Stockdale sophomore who was the only D1 athlete to qualify for the the state cross country meet.

5 Hatley Carl 38:54 6:16 1/28 5/108 M5059 - Super time that he predicted he would run. Carl coaches a bunch of Lamont kids and takes them to many USATF meets.

6 Dalke Steve 39:25 6:21 1/22 6/108 M4049 - Triathlete and ultra-marathon runner that i have known for a long time.

7 Wykoff Jonathan 39:39 6:24 2/22 7/108 M4049 - Good to see him under 40 after his knee surgery. He is the laptop guru at many of our local races too!

8 Craig Gardner 40:45 6:34 2/28 8/108 M5059

9 Boehme Curtis 41:30 6:41 2/25 9/108 M3039

10 Montelongo Jose 41:44 6:44 3/25 10/108 M3039

16 Boyles Pam 43:32 7:01 1/32 1/115 F4049 - Over 40 and still winning races. She is married to CSUB track & cross country coach Robert.

18 Carolin Blake 43:54 7:05 1/7 2/115 F1619 - I know her as Carolin Haney (Stockdale) and she just won a SWYL cross country team title this past fall.

32 Beardsley Amanda 46:24 7:29 1/23 5/115 F2029

33 Silva Erica 46:24 7:29 2/23 6/115 F2029 - CSUBer who is known for her fast times and her body art. Likes to brave the cold too!

41 Barton Ashley 47:54 7:43 2/7 8/115 F1619 - Liberty runner whose dad is the race director for the Fog Run.

69 Tape Bree 51:04 8:14 4/32 18/115 F3039 - Stockdale's coach who was Kern County's girl's Coach of the Year!

89 Jorgensen Denise 53:27 8:37 7/32 29/115 F4049 - My fastest run camper of the day.

119 MOORE COURTNEY 56:22 9:05 4/7 40/115 F1619 - Former Stockdale runner.

130 Wonderly Peter 58:09 9:22 21/28 82/108 M5059 - The Voice of Bakersfield running. For some reason they did not hire "Even as Speak Pete" to MC this event this year.

172 Daves Diana 1:05:16 10:31 10/17 74/115 F5059 - Run Camper

175 Nance Kim 1:07:22 10:51 11/17 76/115 F5059 - Run Camper

205 Carmody Lori 1:14:15 11:58 28/32 98/115 F4049 New Run Camper running her first 10k.

207 Gilbert Nicki 1:15:19 12:08 27/32 100/115 F3039 - Run Camper

209 Alexander Gabrielle 1:15:33 12:10 28/32 102/115 F30399 - Run Camper

If your time is not listed, we don't have it. If you have it and would like it listed, email us.

Doin' 2010 in the Fog
(21st annual Fog Run)
January 9, 2010
5 Kilometer Race

Place Name Time Pace Div/Tot Sex/Tot Div
1 Ryan Lucker 1/31 1/183 M2029 - Former Stockdale runner who runs for CSUB.

2 HOLT ZACH 1/12 2/183 M1619 - Former Driller who runs for Holy Names University.

3 MONNREAL JOSE 1/20 3/183 M1315 - Member of the McFarland cross country team that won valley and came in second at the state meet.

4 Dirkse Steve 1/32 4/183 M3039

5 Baker Robby 2/12 5/183 M1619 - Lead his Ridgeview squad to a SWYL title and a first ever trip to the state meet in cross country

6 Santos Neftali 2/20 6/183 M1315

7 PURCELL JOHN 3/12 7/183 M1619 - Former Driller

8 Hanley Blake 3/20 8/183 M1315 - Stockdale freshman

9 Mullen Troy 4/20 9/183 M1315

10 VALLES TOMMY 1/25 10/183 M0112 - Upcoming McFarland runner

12 Herve Pastre 1/10 12/183 M6069 - One of the fastest 60+ runners in the country.

13 Hernandez Christopher 4/12 13/183 M1619 - Ridgeview cross country runner

18 Ryan Ronald 19:45 6:22 1/30 18/183 M4049 - Coaches the Rosedale racers

23 WEINMANN GREGG 20:33 6:38 1/23 23/183 M5059 - The Shoe Guru!

25 Ayon Amador 20:51 6:44 2/30 25/183 M4049 - McFarland coach

46 Herrera Janet 22:48 7:22 1/13 1/263 F1315 - I do not know her so she may not be in high school yet.

52 Baker Sarah 22:55 7:24 1/7 3/263 F1619 - Driller junior ho has alreay on three SEYL cross country crowns.

53 Baker Salley 23:00 7:26 1/30 4/263 F5059 - Mother of Sarah and future running star Maggie.

61 Barton Bob 23:37 7:37 5/30 55/183 M4049 - Race director and dad of Liberty runner Ashley.

Race Preview:

FaceBook HERE.
2008 Coverage HERE.

No fog for the past couple years but this race is known for fast times, especially in the 5k. Last year, 2007 state cross country champ Chris Schwartz (Foothill High) won the 10k and used this race to prepare for the upcoming track season, where he won the 3200 at the state meet.

With all the rain we have been having lately, there is a good chance we will have fog this year.

The race benefits the Victims of crime in Kern County. Their are shirts for the first 650 registrants and medals up to third place in all age groups. Plus a huge raffle and free massages!

2009 VS Athletics Cal Poly XC Invite

Foothill and Bakersfield traveled to Cal Poly SLO Invite:

The fastest Bakersfield boy was Erick Bautista (Foothill Sr. in photo) who ran 17:42 on the 5k course. His team came in 15th out of the 21 teams competing. The girls were lead by Mayra Tenorio (23:49) and came in 11th out of 12.

On the girl's side, Driller Sarah Baker ran 21:54 and her team came in 9th out of 12. The boys were lead by Steven Garner (19:35) and came in 18th out of 21.

Former Trojan Chris Schwartz (who is red shirting this season at Cal Poly SLO) came in ninth in the college 8k (5 miles) in a time of 27:49. Other Cal Poly SLO students from Bakersfield also ran:

MENS 8K Run
COURSE RECORD: BEN BRUCE ASICS 25:42.20 10/14/2006

1 954 Phiilip Reid CAL POLY ALUMNI 1 26:42.1 27:39.9
9 920 Chris Schwartz UNATTACHED 27:49.7 - FOOTHILL
41 923 Oscar Fuentes 19 OPEN UNATTACHED 30:56.3 - EAST
46 921 Andrew Ariey 18 OPEN UNATTACHED 32:11.2 - DRILLER


GIRLS Varsity 5K DIV1-5
COURSE RECORD: PHYLLIS BLANCHARD Rancho Cotate HS -D2 18:02.50 10/18/2003

TEAM: MIRA COSTA HS D2 SCORE: 22 PLACE: 1
PLACE NAME BIB TIME AVG/KM AVG/MILE
1-1 Savannah Pio 364 18:55.3 2:21.1 3:47.1
2-2 Aleyna La Croix 366 19:02.9 2:22.1 3:48.6
5-4 Aryn Foland 365 19:52.2 2:28.2 3:58.5
6-5 Kelli Sugimoto 367 19:52.9 2:28.3 3:58.6
11-10 Caralynn Fish 369 20:48.4 2:35.2 4:09.7
====== =============== ====== ====== ====== ======
12-11 Vivien Cherrette 371 20:55.2 2:36.0 4:11.1
19-15 Claire Barnett 363 21:32.4 2:40.7 4:18.5
====== =============== ====== ====== ====== ======
21 Kristi Fields 368 21:44.6 2:42.2 4:21.0
25 Sara Locke-Henderson 361 22:02.7 2:44.4 4:24.6
43 Lauren Inouye 362 23:06.2 2:52.3 4:37.3
45 Yvette Sandoval 370 23:16.8 2:53.6 4:39.4
Top 5 Total: 98:32 Top 5 Avg: 19:42.4
Top 5 Avg/km: 2:27.0 Top 5 Avg/Mile: 3:56.5
1 - 5 Split: 1:53.1 1 - 7 Split: 2:37.1

TEAM: BAKERSFIELD HS D1 SCORE: 230 PLACE: 9
PLACE NAME BIB TIME AVG/KM AVG/MILE
24-18 Sarah Baker 67 21:54.5 2:43.4 4:22.9
58-43 Gabby Lerma 65 24:37.9 3:03.7 4:55.6
64-48 Gracie Garcia 66 24:56.4 3:06.0 4:59.3
77-58 Cassie Chavez 81 27:46.5 3:27.1 5:33.3
84-63 Ema Gutcher 63 29:33.8 3:40.5 5:54.8
====== =============== ====== ====== ====== ======
Top 5 Total: 128:49 Top 5 Avg: 25:45.9
Top 5 Avg/km: 3:12.1 Top 5 Avg/Mile: 5:09.2
1 - 5 Split: 7:39.3 1 - 7 Split:

TEAM: FOOTHILL HS D2 SCORE: 255 PLACE: 11
PLACE NAME BIB TIME AVG/KM AVG/MILE
51-37 Mayra Tenorio 580 23:49.9 2:57.7 4:46.0
61-45 Kaitlyn Mrasak 578 24:51.5 3:05.4 4:58.3
71-52 Marisol Escudero 575 26:35.8 3:18.4 5:19.2
81-60 Judith Curiel 574 28:14.4 3:30.6 5:38.9
82-61 Melissa Lopez 577 28:38.5 3:33.6 5:43.7
====== =============== ====== ====== ====== ======
83-62 Laura Mrasak 579 29:12.3 3:37.8 5:50.5
90-67 Brenda Guerrero 576 33:16.7 4:08.2 6:39.4
====== =============== ====== ====== ====== ======
Top 5 Total: 132:10 Top 5 Avg: 26:26.1
Top 5 Avg/km: 3:17.1 Top 5 Avg/Mile: 5:17.2
1 - 5 Split: 4:48.6 1 - 7 Split: 9:26.8

BOYS Varsity 5K DIV1-5
COURSE RECORD: SPENCER ROTAN Reedley HS D2 15:42.40 10/14/2006

TEAM: MARIA CARRILLO HS D3 SCORE: 82 PLACE: 1
PLACE NAME BIB TIME AVG/KM AVG/MILE
4-4 James Ramirez 324 16:57.6 2:06.5 3:23.6
5-5 Gus Greenstein 325 16:58.6 2:06.6 3:23.8
18-18 Daniel Hauptman 326 17:38.8 2:11.6 3:31.8
23-23 Jose Ramirez 318 17:58.3 2:14.0 3:35.7
32-32 Austin Bartlett 327 18:12.9 2:15.9 3:38.6
====== =============== ====== ====== ====== ======
34-34 Harrison Luft 319 18:16.0 2:16.2 3:39.2
41-41 Jesse Lucia 323 18:30.0 2:18.0 3:42.0
====== =============== ====== ====== ====== ======
50 Martyn Henderson 328 18:44.5 2:19.8 3:44.9
61 Colin Gibson 322 19:05.4 2:22.4 3:49.1
68 Emillio Horner 321 19:19.2 2:24.1 3:51.9
107 Austin Rivas 320 20:29.9 2:32.9 4:06.0
Top 5 Total: 87:46 Top 5 Avg: 17:33.3
Top 5 Avg/km: 2:10.9 Top 5 Avg/Mile: 3:30.7
1 - 5 Split: 1:15.3 1 - 7 Split: 1:32.4

TEAM: FOOTHILL HS D2 SCORE: 346 PLACE: 15
PLACE NAME BIB TIME AVG/KM AVG/MILE
19-19 Erick Bautista 567 17:42.8 2:12.1 3:32.6
65-62 Cesar Sanchez 572 19:16.7 2:23.8 3:51.4
81-73 Javier Garcia 568 19:39.0 2:26.6 3:55.8
104-95 Carlos Berrena 566 20:22.2 2:31.9 4:04.5
106-97 Edgar Verdugo 573 20:27.6 2:32.6 4:05.6
====== =============== ====== ====== ====== ======
116-105 Mike Medina 571 20:53.2 2:35.8 4:10.7
Top 5 Total: 97:28 Top 5 Avg: 19:29.7
Top 5 Avg/km: 2:25.4 Top 5 Avg/Mile: 3:54.0
1 - 5 Split: 2:44.8 1 - 7 Split:

TEAM: BAKERSFIELD HS D1 SCORE: 523 PLACE: 18
PLACE NAME BIB TIME AVG/KM AVG/MILE
78-71 Steven Garner 59 19:35.8 2:26.2 3:55.2
95-87 Tony Smith 56 19:55.0 2:28.6 3:59.0
124-113 Jacob Langston 55 22:11.0 2:45.5 4:26.2
138-125 Robert Amidon 58 23:40.6 2:56.6 4:44.2
140-127 Andrew Zavala 89 23:46.8 2:57.4 4:45.4
====== =============== ====== ====== ====== ======
Top 5 Total: 109:09 Top 5 Avg: 21:49.9
Top 5 Avg/km: 2:42.8 Top 5 Avg/Mile: 4:22.0
1 - 5 Split: 4:11.0 1 - 7 Split:

Top Central section Times at Woodward

Mikel Thomas who now runs for Nebraska has been compiling this list for awhile now. With the Clovis Invite being held this past weekend, there were a few new entries to it.

1. 15:07 JR David Naranjo Sanger 1984 Kinney West
2. 15:08 SR Mikel Thomas Clovis 2006 State Meet
3. 15:09 SR Chris Schwartz Foothill 2008 Clovis Invite
4. 15:10 SR Billy Nelson Taft 2001 Clovis Invite
5. 15:10 SR Jonathan Sanchez Buchanan 2008 Clovis Invite
6. 15:14 SR Gary Nagel Mt.Whitney 1983 Fleet Feet Inv.
7. 15:16 SR Mike Kasahun Fresno 1996 State Meet
8. 15:18 SR Darin Jaurequi Clovis 1983 AAU
9. 15:18 SR Danny Vartanian Buchanan 2008 State Meet
10. 15:19 JR J.J. Duke Clovis 1999 Trac Lg.
11. 15:19 SR Heath Reedy Buchanan 2009 Clovis Invite
12. 15:20 SR Ricardo Brewer North 1992 State Meet
13. 15:22 SR Kyle Alcorn Buchanan 2002 State Meet
14. 15:22 SR Jonathon Peterson Clovis 2006 Clovis Invite
15. 15:24 JR Scott Cole Yosemite 1986 Kinney West
16. 15:24 JR Justin Vilhauer Redwood 2009 Clovis Invite
17. 15:28 SR Andres Gomez McFarland 2000 State Meet
18. 15:29 SR Noel Nelson Redwood 1996 State Meet
19. 15:30 JR Galvan Gonzalez McFarland 1993 State Meet
20. 15:30 SR Kevin Davis Clovis West 2001 Clovis Invite
21. 15:30 SR Eric Garcia Parlier 2006 Grand Master
22. 15:30 SR Andrew Campbell Clovis West 2007 Clovis Invite
23. 15:31 SR Bobby Rodriguez McLane 1987 State Meet
24. 15:31 SR Eric Kropf Madera 1993 State Meet
25. 15:31 SR Pamenos Ballantyne Sanger 1993 State Meet
26. 15:31 SR Isai Orea Madera 2007 Clovis Invite

Senior


15:08 Mikel Thomas Clovis 2007 State Meet
15:09 Chris Schwartz Foothill 2008 Clovis Invite
15:10 Billy Nelson Taft 2001 Clovis Invite
15:10 Jonathan Sanchez Buchanan 2008 Clovis Invite
15:13 Gary Nagel Mt. Whitney 1983 Fleet Feet Inv.
15:16 Mike Kasahun Fresno 1996 State Meet
15:18 Darin Jaurequi Clovis 1983 AAU
15:18 Danny Vartanian Buchanan 2008 State Meet
15:19 Heath Reedy Buchanan 2009 Clovis Invite
15:20 Ricardo Brewer North 1992 State Meet
15:22 Kyle Alcorn Buchanan 2002 State Meet
15:22 Jonathon Peterson Clovis 2006 Clovis Invite


Junior


15:07 David Naranjo Sanger 1984 Kinney West
15:13 Chris Schwartz Foothill 2007 State Meet
15:19 JJ Duke Clovis 1999 Trac Lg.
15:22 Mikel Thomas Clovis 2005 Clovis Invite
15:24 Scott Cole Yosemite 1986 Kinney West
15:24 Justin Vilhauer Redwood 2009 Clovis Invite
15:28 Heath Reedy Buchanan 2008 Valley
15:30 Galvan Gonzalez McFarland 1993 State Meet
15:33 Jonathan Sanchez Buchanan 2007 State Meet
15:34 Chris Britton Madera 2000 State Meet
15:35 George Rivera Delano 1992 State Meet
15:35 Kevin Davis Clovis West 2000 State Meet


Soph


15:24 Mikel Thomas Clovis 2004 Valley
15:31 Justin Vilhauer Redwood 2008 State Meet
15:35 Jason Lienau Clovis 1984 League Finals
15:36 Chris Schwartz Foothill 2006 Grand Masters
15:40 JJ Duke Clovis 1998 State Meet
15:40 CJ Albertson Buchanan 2009 Clovis Invite
15:43 Heath Reedy Buchanan 2007 Valley Meet
15:46 Jonathan Sanchez Buchanan 2006 State Meet
15:50 Eric Kropf Madera 1991 State Meet
15:52 Andrew Campbell Clovis West 2005 Valley Meet


McFarland's Freshman runner was 2 seconds away from breaking onto the Freshman list.

Complied by Mikel Thomas Clovis

Bakersfield South Rotary Presents...

The 9th Annual Ron Fontaine Memorial Dollars for Scholars Run will be held on Halloween day at CALM. The event is sponsored by Bakersfield South Rotary. Proceeds benefit Deserving seniors from Ridgeview, Stockdale and South High Schools. This scenic run along the Kern River and Lake Ming has become a local favorite over the years. Medals awarded to the top three finishers in each the 5 & 10K categories. T-shirt included with registration. Follow @ronsrun on Twitter.

• 2009 Photos HERE. HERE.
• 2009 Results HERE.
  

When: Saturday, October 31st
Where: California Living Museum
Registration: 7:00-8:15 a.m.
Race Times: 8:30 a.m. (5 & 10K)
8:35 a.m. (1 mile)

• Race Entry Form HERE.
• 2007 Noise Coverage HERE.
• FaceBook HERE.
• Twitter HERE.
  

Proceeds go to scholarships for Ridgeview, South and Stockdale High Schools!

Registration Fee (includes tee-shirt):
Adult (19+) Before October 26- $20.00
Student (18 and under) Before October 26- $10.00
Adult (19+) After October 26- $25.00
Student (18 and under) After October 26- $15.00
For questions or additional information please contact
John Lindsay (636-4625) or Pete Elieff (805-8500). Or
email us at ronsrun@gmail.

Race Preview:
This event is for a good cause and it is not your cut n paste race on the bike path. I had to cover a meet out of town last year but ran the event in 2007. It was the first time I had seen Chris Schwartz (photo) at a local road race and he ran the 10k for the first time too. This was the year he won his first state cross country title. That day he easily won the 10k btw.

The race starts at the CALM parking lot and goes down a closed road towards Lake Ming. In 2007 the 5k was out back from Lake Ming and the 10k was the same except one did a couple loops behind the lake. The loop ran on the bike path and then down on the trial that ran parallel to the bike path. The long uphill near the finish line made for an interesting finish.

Hopefully, after the awards, you will be able to drive over to Hart Park and watch the varsity races of the Kern County Invite as well.

An Inside Look At Reaching the Summit

The following was written by Schwartz's coach, Paul Contreras. Coach Contreras is an alumni of Foothill High school and is now the head cross country coach there.

I started coaching Chris during his sophomore year in track (2006) and I knew Chris was a good runner but I never expected him to run the times he ran. His sophomore year, he finished the year running 9:08.3.

I thought he would run 9:20ish especially since he did not have a grasp on what pacing was. It was frustrating to see Chris go out and take the lead and then drop off pace. If I had to pick one race where things changed and Chris made the jump from being a good runner to being one of the best in the nation it has to be the Arcadia Invitational 2007.

Some athletes drive coaches crazy and Chris was not the exception. In fact, I think he excelled at driving me crazy.. I had checked on Chris a few times to see if he had everything he needed while we were waiting for the seeded 2 mile race to be called. Chris said he was fine but I could tell he was nervous but that was expected, especially since this was the biggest race he had ever run in.

Just after the second call for the seeded 2 mile race, Chris came to me and told me that he had mistakenly packed his sisters racing jersey and forgot his, he even had it on to prove to me that it did not fit. Chris is just an inch or two over 6ft and his sister is about 5ft tall. The only thing we could do was to wait for Dayshan Ragans (2008 state dicus and shot champion) to finish competing in the shot put and use his jersey. Dayshan won the event and I quickly ran the jersey to Chris and just as he put it on the seeded 2 mile was called to the track and it was too late.

I remember explaining to the clerk of the course (if I remember correctly it was Rich Gonzalez of DysStatCal) and he asked if I wanted to add Chris to the invitational 2 mile. I wanted to teach Chris a lesson, so I agreed to have him run in the invitational 2 mile. I explained to Chris that there were some VERY good runners in the race and I told Chris to run in the middle of the pack and not to take the lead but let the pack pull him to running a good time.

After the third lap Chris took the lead but did not keep it and he finished second to last. After the race I was furious that Chris did not listen to me but I was also pleased that it did not phase him to take the lead and try to run with those guys.

I told Chris if he did that in another race again I would not enter him in any more races. After that I knew Chris had the talent and the guts to run with some of the best but he need to learn to pace himself. I thought about what might work for Chris and I could only think of one workout that might work.

The following Monday at practice I explained the workout to Chris and he looked at me like I was crazy because he had never had a workout like the one he was about to run. The workout was 16 400s at a 70 second pace with a 200 jog rest. But I think what really made him think I was crazy was that I told him I would add an extra 400 for every one he did not hit pace and he knew I was serious. He hit every one of them on pace.

The Friday of that week, I took Chris to the Mt. SAC Invitational and he won the 3200 with a time of 9:13.7. More importantly, his 400 splits were almost perfect. Two weeks later he won the 3200 at the Meet of Champions in Sacramento. Chris won the 3200 at league, area and then took second at valley but finished second to last at state. His poor performance at state was because he was nervous but he was also fighting of a viral infection that weakened him.

The next year during cross country, I was the assistant coach and Chris ran with more confidence. He finished the year winning state DI and qualifying for nationals. I was not sure what my role was going to be on the track team during Chris' junior year. We did not have a sprinters coach and both Arron Rietz, the head coach, and myself were both distance coaches. Arron decided since Chris and I had some success the previous year that I should coach the distance team.

My goal for Chris during his junior year was to build on the pacing strategies that we worked on the year before. But I also wanted to work on his speed. We worked on his base by putting in some miles and then we worked on his strength by doing some endurance interval workouts towards the end of the year I had Chris concentrate on running faster times for his 400, 800, and 1600.

This was the year that German Fernandez destroyed everybody and I knew that the pace at state was going to be fast. We worked on Chris running the first part of his workout fast and then recovering back to a sub 9 minute pace and fortunately it worked because Chris was the only other runner to run under 9 in that race. I guess second place to German Fernandez in a national record setting race is not bad.

The following year (2008), I once again was the assistant coach during cross country and Chris was having a great year. He had not lost a race until he ran against Trevor Dunbar at Mt. SAC, a loss he later avenged at Western Regional. However Chris did not win state, he placed 7th, I believe that we entered him in too many races and he was tired and he was not smart about getting enough rest and a good breakfast before the state meet.

After the loss at state Arron and I talked about what kind of approach we should take for the remainder of the season. We agreed that we should not make the practices easy. I put together a few workouts which included the workout Chris has always responded to very well, 400s on pace with 200 jog rest. The following week Chris won Western Regional and finished 8th at Footlocker Nationals.

For the 2009 track season, I found out early that I was going to coach the distance team and when Chris and I felt he had took enough time off to rest he began to run on his own. By the time the season started Chris was running 40-50 miles per week. I also put Chris on a circuit training workout to help with upper body strength. When the season started Chris continued to do up to 50 miles a week this was almost double what he was doing during cross country.

Interval workouts concentrated on his speed. Chris and I talked about dropping his 400, 1600 and 800 times early in the year so that he could run the first 1600 in a 3200 comfortably . I did not want to make the same mistake that we made in cross country and enter Chris in too many races and burn him out at the end of the season.

I also did not want Chris getting in the same rut and running the 3200 without competition. So I did not enter him in the 3200 in local invitationals, instead I had him run the 800 and the 1600 to concentrate on working on his speed. In our area there are decent runners but none that can challenge Chris, but I do expect this to change in the coming years because some of the local runners look promising.

One thing we do have around here are few runners that could challenge Chris in a 800 and they could even push him in the 1600. Everything was going well. Chris ran decent early season times and I was expecting things to continue. Arcadia came around and I thought that Chris was the favorite to win, and so did Chris. He went out in a blazing first lap at 64 and by the third lap he began to fade and finished last.

He bounced back the next week and won the 3200 at Mt. SAC, the only runner to win the 3200 three years in a row. We continued to work on his speed but I could sense that Chris needed to put more miles in so I increased his mileage for a couple of weeks.

After April we went back to working on his speed. I had him doing intervals twice a week and a long run and a couple of 4-5 mile runs mixed in. At league, Chris won the 800, 1600, and the 3200. We were both especially pleased with his 800 performance. We never really worked on tactics for the 800 but Chris put together a great race and beat, Jake Van Zandt of Highland, a very good runner.

Chris did not do so well in the 800 at area, in fact he took last but he won the 1600 and the 3200. At valley, I was worried because Justin Vihauerand Johnathon Sanchez were running well. In the back of my mind I thought that they had peaked to early and I was hoping that holding Chris out of some of the big meets would pay off and his legs would be strong and he would be well rested.

Chris defended his valley titles in the 1600 and the 3200 and he looked more comfortable in those two races than I have ever seen him before, now it was time for state. A week before valley, I took Chris off of the track and we did 99% of his interval training on our cross country course.

My reason for this was to save his legs and I hoped the the grass would absorb the impact of the pounding from repeat intervals. I set fast times for Chris to hit on his intervals I even tried to motivate by telling him that Jordan Hasay could probably run her repeat 200s faster than he could. I had watched the video of Hasay doing a track workout towards the end of the season.

I tricked Chris a bit during those last three weeks. Even though I had Chris run the same intervals that we did on the track it was more challenging on our cross country course because he was running on grass and our course has a gradual incline. Chris was working harder and running faster without realizing it.

The last week of practice was a recovery week and Chris ran nothing over a 400. The day of the state meet came and I knew that Chris would have to run his best just to place in the top ten. When we arrived at the stadium we found a seat by the shot put area and did not talk much.

A few minutes before the race Chris said to me, "Coachie, how should I run my second 1600?" I told him that his second 1600 not as important as his first 1600. I told him to run comfortable for the first half and stay in the top five and to maintain contact with the leader. I reminded that most of the top guys were not even thinking about him.

When the race started I hoped that holding Chris back throughout the season had made him hungry. Chris thrives on competition. When the lead pack came by after the third lap at 68 I knew that they were running the perfect race for Chris but the race was not over. When Chris took the lead after the 1600 I thought back to Arcadia and got nervous. When Collin Jarvis passed Chris with 500 to go I hoped that Chris would hold on.

I can remember saying, "hold on Chris, hold on," and my 8 year old daughter asked me what did I want him to hold on to. When I saw Chris take off at the 200 and then pass him at the 150 and leave Collin Jarvis it reminded me of his last 200 on our course, during practice Chris finished his last 200 in 26 seconds after repeat 200s, he was tired and I pushed him but Chris just kept driving his arms and legs to make himself run faster.

When Chris crossed the finish line it was one of the most amazing moments I have ever been a part of. When Chris gave his interview after he won and said he just listened to his coach and he wanted it bad I knew it did not matter who was in that race Chris was going to win. I look back at the last three years and can not imagine a better finish for Chris. I also look back and realize how fortunate I was to coach Chris. Chris would have accomplished all of his goals no matter who coached him.

Coach Paul Contreras

Cesar wins the Male 15-19 10k at the HATM

Mireles (Golden Valley / BC) easily won this race by over 4 minutes over the 2009 state 3200 champ Chris Schwartz (Foothill / Cal Poly SLO). The athlete who was hit by a car was in this age group.

Class: M 10k 15-19 - 10k Male 15-19 10k
1 392 MIRELES, Cesar 19 34:10.7 0
2 442 SCHWARTZ, Christopher 19 38:35.4 +4:24.7
3 433 SCLAFANI, Dustin 15 44:02.0 +9:51.3
4 417 LOCKWOOD, Bryson 16 47:28.4 +13:17.7
5 441 BEARD, Thomas 17 48:35.7 +14:25.0
6 443 RAMIREZ, Joel 15 1:18:33.9 +44:23.2

Another Three in the Top Five

The valley record for the 3200 meter run is: 8:49.4 peter romero,reedley '67 and the valley meet record is: 9:02.71a kyle alcorn,buchanan-clo '02

2008 valley meet results: 1-+C.Schwartz,ft h 9:24.19a 2-+J.sanchez,buc 9:24.99a 3-j.ross,CE 9:26.13a 4-+d vartanian,clo 9:26.42 5-d.sanchez,farm 9:30.43a 6-+++J.vilhauer,redw 9:31.42a

Going into the meet, everyone was expecting big things from Vilhauer especially since he threw down 9:02 at Arcadia and was skipping the 1600 to focus on the 3200. Some were even predicting a sub nine performance. But with the first lap clocking in 69, the hoped for fast race was not in the cards.

By the 800 (2:19), Schwartz had taken a slight lead and Vilhauer moved to counter Schwartz's move. At the 1200 (3:29) the duo had broken away from the chase pack that was paced by the Buchanan athletes. By the 1600, the top four finishers had established their lead over the rest of the field.

As the race progressed, Schwartz maintained his lead but Vilhauer was slowly being reeled in by Sanchez and Reedy. With a lap to go the Bears had caught Justin and were moving fast and ended up putting five seconds on the Redwood sophomore. In the end, Buchanan placed 2nd, 3rd and 5th in the 3200. Super frosh CJ Albertson (Buchanan) ran 9:33 for the Bears and barely beat Robby Baker (Ridgeview Jr.) who PRed in the last race of his season.

At state in 2008, Scwartz came in second in a time of 8:58 and Sanchez came in 9th in a time of 9:10

Men 3200 Meter Run

#	Name	Year	School	Finals
1	Schwartz, Chris		Foothill	9:20.22
2	Sanchez, Jonathan		Buchanan	9:22.21
3	Reedy, Heath		Buchanan	9:22.28
4	Vilhauer, Justin	10	Redwood	9:27.43
5	Albertson, C.		J. Buchanan	9:33.58
6	Baker, Bobby		Ridgeview	9:33.65
7	Freeman, Jason		Clovis East	9:38.80
8	Sanchez, Johnny		Roosevelt	9:49.95
9	Lorenzo, Isaiah		Madera South	9:50.05
10	Rodriguez, Antonio		Washingon Union	9:52.98
11	Cisneros, Alfonso		Mcfarland	9:53.32
12	Levy, Kellen		Clovis West	9:57.49
13	Chavez, Jesus	12	Golden West	9:57.57
14	Guerrero, Daniel	11	Redwood	10:08.15
15	Villaplando, Jesus		Shafter	10:08.39
16	Ariey, Andrew		Bakersfield	10:08.50
17	Kelly, Curtis		Stockdale	10:14.44
18	Uranga, Xavier	11	Redwood	10:29.75

Three in the Top Five

Schwartz defended his title and Buchanan started it's team title run with fourteen points in the 1600.

The valley 1600 meter record is: 4:06.4 peter romero,reedley '67 and the valley Meet record is: 4:12.51a gary gonzales,clovis '81

2008 valley meet results 1-+C.Schwartz,FtH 4:15.80a 2-+j sanchez,buc 4:17.48a 3-e battles,CW 4:20.34a 4-j arellaro,mad 4:21.56a 5-+d vartanian,buc 4:21.84a 6-++h reedy,buc 4:23.28a

Sanchez and Schwartz went through the first lap in 62 but the pace slowed and they came through the 800 in around 2:10 with Reedy and Lewis of Highland in tow. By the 1200, Schwartz and Sanchez separated themselves from Lewis.

Down the homestretch, Lewis faded to 7th and it looked like Buchanan would go 2nd, 3rd and 4th but Tesfai managed to out kick both Bears for the final state berth. None of this year's qualifiers ran at state in the 1600 in 2008.

Men 1600 Meter Run

#	Name	Year	School	Finals
1	Schwartz, Chris		Foothill	4:14.37
2	Sanchez, Jonathan		Buchanan	4:14.71
3	Tesfai, Germay		Hoover	4:21.36
4	Reedy, Heath		Buchanan	4:21.44
5	Albertson, C.		J. Buchanan	4:22.98
6	Rodriguez, Roberto		Tulare Western	4:25.90
7	Lewis, Colin		Highland	4:27.84
8	Castanon, Taylor		Miss. Coll. Prep	4:28.65
9	Rodriguez, Antonio		Washingon Union	4:28.87
10	Pace, Joseph		Clovis West	4:30.64
11	Cruz, Noe		Clovis East	4:33.08
12	Morris, Matt	11	Golden West	4:34.59
13	Martinez, Max		Buchanan	4:35.27
14	Garcia, Alex		Ridgeview	4:40.29
15	Nava, Francisco		Mcfarland	4:45.16
16	Solis, Brian		Ridgeview	4:50.75

Who Made State? (Boys)

To make state one must come in the top three at valley or meet a very tough At-Large standard. The following boys made state:

Stockdale's Nathan Alada made it in the 200, Isiah Purvis (Ridgeview) in the 400 & 4 x 400, Jerrid Lewis (Ridgeview) in the 800, Chris Schwartz in the 1600 & 3200, and Centenial and Ridgeview in the 4 x 400.
In the field events, George Robbins (West) and Phillip McCullum Made it in the high jump, Marty Afeentranger (Liberty) in the long jump, Johnny Carter (Ridgeview) in the triple jump and Matt Darr (Frontier) in the throws.

Men 100 Meter Dash

#	Name	Year	School	Finals	Wind
1	Love,.Vontrail	12	Hanford`West	10.70	2.6
2	Alada,;Nathan		Stockdale	10.84	2.6
3	Scott,.Dj		Edison	10.86	2.6

Men 200 Meter Dash

#	Name	Year	School	Finals	Wind
1	Purvis,.Isiah		Ridgeview	21.68	0.8
2	Parker,:Cameron		Buchanan	22.08	0.8
3	Bourbon,.Richard		Clovis.East	22.13	0.8

Men 400 Meter Dash

#	Name	Year	School	Finals
1	Bigelow,;Brendan		Central	48.04
2	Purvis,;Isiah		Ridgeview	48.24
3	Afrentranger, Marty		Liberty	48.72

Men 800 Meter Run

#	Name	Year	School	Finals
1	Lewis, Jerrid		Ridgeview	1:54.75
2	Arellano,'Jesse		Madera	1:54.81
3	Sanchez, Jonathan		Buchanan	1:54.97

Men 1600 Meter Run

#	Name	Year	School	Finals
1	Schwartz,,Chris		Foothill	4:14.37
2	Sanchez, Jonathan		Buchanan	4:14.71
3	Tesfai,.Germay		Hoover	4:21.36

Men 3200 Meter Run

#	Name	Year	School	Finals
1	Schwartz,:Chris		Foothill	9:20.22
2	Sanchez,`Jonathan		Buchanan	9:22.21
3	Reedy, Heath		Buchanan	9:22.28

Men 4x400 Meter Relay

#	School	Finals
1	Centennial	3:19.94
1),Moore,,Myren,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,2),Diller,,Jim
3):Turkington,:Matt::::::::::::::::4):Grimes,:Thomas
2	Ridgeview	3:20.23
3	Buchanan	3:22.29

Men High Jump

#	Name	Year	School	Finals
1	Robbins, George		West	6-08.00
2	Mccullum,`Phillip		Garces	6-06.00
2	Coles,`Idarre	11	Redwood	6-06.00

Men Long Jump

#	Name	Year	School	Finals	Wind
1	Afrentranger, Marty		Liberty	22-09.00	1.6
2	Gaines,.Fred		Chowchilla	22-06.00	2.6
3	Wilson, Marquess	11	Tulare Union	22-04.25	1.8

Men Triple Jump

#	Name	Year	School	Finals	Wind
1	Carter, Johnny		Ridgeview	47-04.00	1.1
2	Coles, Idarre	11	Redwood	47-00.50	1.5
3	Green,.Jeremiah	12	Tulare Union	46-03.75	1.3

Men Shot Put

#	Name	Year	School	Finals
1	Darr,;Matt	FR	ontier	60-07.75
2	Irwin,.Willy		Clovis East	58-10.50
3	Vasquez, Ivan	FR	esno	51-01.00

Men Discus Throw

#	Name	Year	School	Finals
1	Darr,`Matt	FR	ontier	177-06
2	Brice, Sandri		El;Diamente	173-06
3	Irwin,;Willy		Clovis East	168-00

Returning Finalists?

The leading potential returnee to the state meet has to be Shafter's Ana Jelmini who is the defending state champ in the shot and the discus. this Arizona State bound senior recently broke the national record in the discus and moved to number two all-time in the shot.

Alex Collatz (Stockdale 10) came in fourth in the discus and this year hope to make it in both throws and the triple jump.

Johnny Carter (Ridgeview 10) came on strong in the final meets of the season and won the triple jump last year as a freshman! Since then he has grown a lot physically (I did not recognize him from last year when the season started) and has been battling injuries. But he made it to valley and one should never count him out.

On the track, Kern County only has one potential finalist returning. Chris Schwartz (Foothill 12) had a front row seat to one of the most impressive doubles in high school distance running when German Fernandez broke the national record in the 3200 and ran 4:00.29 in the 1600 earlier in the meet. The CalPoly SLO bound Schwartz came in second and ran a PR of 8:58 in the 3200.

In the horizontal jumps, Washington State bound Alana Alexander (Centennial 12) surprised many by making the finals in both jumps.

Saturday Night is Alright for ...

The Boys 3200 will be at 8pm on Saturday night. Prime time! The battle for first should be between the usual suspects: Schwartz, Sanchez and Vilhauer from the 1600 and Sanchez's teammate Reedy should be right there for those three qualifying spots for state. The At-Large Standard for the 3200 is 9:12:57 so the Central section could send four athletes to the state meet

The Buchanan athletes will have added incentive to do well because their team is favored to win the team valley title and valley and state are on their home track.

Event 18 Men 3200 Meter Run
Saturday 5/23/2009 - 8:00 PM
Lane Name Yr School Seed Time

Section 1 of 1 Finals
1 Schwartz, Chris Foothill 9:35.06 ______
2 Sanchez, Jonathan Buchanan 9:37.78 ______
3 Vilhauer, Justin 10 Redwood 9:39.51 ______
4 Reedy, Heath Buchanan 9:42.74 ______
5 Lorenzo, Isaiah Madera South 9:43.20 ______
6 Sanchez, Johnny Roosevelt 9:43.47 ______
7 Baker, Robby Ridgeview 9:46.25 ______
8 Freeman, Jason Clovis East 9:46.89 ______
9 Ariey, Andrew Bakersfield 9:47.59 ______
10 Villaplando, Jesus Shafter 9:50.87 ______
11 Albertson, C. J. Buchanan 9:51.97 ______
12 Chavez, Jesus 12 Golden West 9:54.37 ______
13 Rodriguez, Antonio Washingon Unio 9:54.60 ______
14 Levy, Kellen Clovis West 9:55.24 ______
15 Kelly, Curtis Stockdale 9:55.58 ______
16 Cisneros, Alfonso McFarland 9:59.03 ______
17 Uranga, Xavier 11 Redwood 10:03.60 ______
18 Guerrero, Daniel 11 Redwood 10:12.71 ______

Alternates
1 Garcia, Alex Ridgeview 9:58.59
2 Perez, Jose Parlier 10:08.63
3 Baranard, Kevin Buchanan 10:08.85

top marks '09
c-1 9:02.71a ++justin vilhauer,redwood-vis 4-11 arcadia
n-1 9:04.30a jonathan sanchez,buchanan-clo 4-11 arcadia
s-1 9:12.57a chris schwartz,foothill-bk    4-17 mt sac
n-2 9:15.12a heath reedy,buchanan-cl       4-4  WCR
9:27.99a ss taylor castanon,mission college 4-10 arcadia
n-4 9:23.27a +johnny sanchez,roosevelt-fr     4-10 arcadia
9:35.37a adam delton,buchanan-clo        3-28 CV classic
9:35.64a ++mizreal mendez,mt whitney-vis 3-27 exe monarch
9:37.87a danny vartanian,buchanan-clo    3-7  SSC
n-5 9:40.36a jason freeman,clo east        4-24 SMC
9:42.40a cole younger,mt whitney-vis     4-17 lemoore
  9:43.11a robby baker,ridgeview-bk        4-4  WCR
n-3 9:43.20a isaiah lorenzo,madera south   5-13 no area
n-6 9:46.42a ++cj albertson,buchanan-cl    5-7  trac
s-3 9:47.59a andrew ariey,bakersfield      5-13 so area
9:48.8   +germay tesfai,hoover-fr        3-13 1st c
9:49.02a ++kevin barnard,buchanan-clo    5-1  reedley
9:50.24a alex garcia,ridgeview-bk        4-4  WCR
ss-1 9:50.87a ++jesus villalpando,shafter  5-13 seq-sie
c-2 9:50.89a jesus chavez,golden west-vis  5-8  wyl
9:51.09a ++josh webb,clovis              3-28 azusa m of champ
ss-3 9:53.0 alfonso cisneros,mcfarland     4-29 WsiL
ss-2 9:54.60a antonio rodriquez,wash u-easton 5-13 seq-sie
n-7 9:55.24a kellen levy,clo west         5-13 no area
s-4 9:55.58a +++curtis kelly,stockdale-bk 5-13 so area

The G.O.A.T.?

He was a Division I state cross-country champion his junior year and Schwartz defended his Central Section title as a senior and finished seventh in the state. Then took first at the Foot Locker Western Regional and eighth at the Foot Locker national race.

In track, he placed second in the state in the 3200 as a junior behind German Fernandez who broke the national record in the event.

Since his sophomore year he has won just about every 1600 and 3200 that he has entered. He even wins the 800 often and then finishes off most meets by anchoring the 4 x 400 where he is usually far behind and gets to work on his last lap speed.

Below is how he stacks up against the best Bakersfield runners of All-Time:

1. 4:13.0 Tom Elieff Highland-Bakersfield ‘74
2. 4:14.3 Eddie Granillo East-Bakersfield ‘70
3. 4:14.72a Chris Schwartz Foothill-Bakersfield ‘09
4. 4:15.6 Robert Johnson Bakersfield ‘80
5. 4:15.85a Billy Nelson Taft ‘02
6. 4:15.89a +Terry Hickey Foothill-Bakersfield
7. 4:16.08a Chad Schmidt North-Bakersfield ‘86
8. 4:16.2 Robby Bray North-Bakersfield ’74
   
9. 4:16.6 Scott Hislop West- Bakersfield ’77
10. 4:16.8 Blaine Rudolph Bakersfield ‘78
11. 4:17.12a Taylor Lucero Bakersfield ‘02
12. 4:17.0 Laird Parker Shafter ‘68
13. 4:17 Jose Chavez Bakersfield ‘73
14. 4:17.23a Sean Langer Bakersfield ’65

1. 8:52.1 Felix Elieff Highland- Bakersfield ‘77
2. 8:58.50a +Chris Schwartz Foothill-Bakersfield ’08
3. 8:59.2 Eddie Granillo East-Bakersfield ‘70
4. 9:08.5 Rick Hitchcock North- Bakersfield ‘68
5. 9:14.12a Ricardo Brewer North-Bakersfield ‘93
6. 9:18.0 Lucas Burke Stockdale-Bakersfield ‘03
7. 9:18.5 Roman Gutierrez Foothill-Bakersfield ‘77
8. 9:18 Richard Ursin Bakersfield ‘77

So trek up to Buchanan on Saturday May 23rd and watch Bakersfield's potential G.O.A.T. add to his accomplishments.

Event 4 Men 1600 Meter Run
Saturday 5/23/2009 - 5:27 PM
Lane Name Yr School Seed Time

Section 1 of 1 Finals
1 Sanchez, Jonathan Buchanan 4:20.28 ______
2 Tesfai, Germay Hoover 4:21.49 ______
3 Reedy, Heath Buchanan 4:22.62 ______
4 Vilhauer, Justin 10 Redwood 4:25.00 ______
5 Albertson, C. J. Buchanan 4:25.26 ______
6 Cruz, Noe Clovis East 4:28.38 ______
7 Pace, Joseph Clovis West 4:28.93 ______
8 Schwartz, Chris Foothill 4:29.61 ______
9 Castanon, Taylor Miss. Coll. Prep 4:30.49 ______
10 Rodriguez, Roberto Tulare Western 4:30.54 ______
11 Martinez, Max Buchanan 4:31.54 ______
12 Lewis, Colin Highland 4:32.87 ______
13 Rodriguez, Antonio Washingon Unio 4:33.18 ______
14 Nava, Francisco McFarland 4:33.90 ______
15 Morris, Matt 11 Golden West 4:34.29 ______
16 Penaloza, Ricardo 10 Redwood 4:34.94 ______
17 Solis, Brian Ridgeview 4:36.19 ______
18 Garcia, Alex Ridgeview 4:37.24 ______

Alternates
1 Freeman, Josh Clovis East 4:32.40
2 Lavinder, Josh 12 Mt. Whitney 4:35.03
3 Vanderschuur, Tyler Cent. Valley Chr 4:35.60

In the 1600, it should be a race between Schwartz, Sanchez and Vilhaur. Schwartz and Sanchez have been running against each other for four years and Vilhaur (10) is the new kid on the block. It would be great to see Schwartz break 4:13 and take over the top time by a Bakersfield runner. Even if that runner graduated from my high school!

The boys 1600 is scheduled to be run at 5:27 pm.

top marks '09

s-1 4:14.72a chris schwartz,foothill-bk    3-28 CV classic
n-1 4:15.12a jonathan sanchez,buchanan-cl  4-4  WCR
c-1 4:15.35a ++justin vilhauer,redwood-vis 4-18 mt sac
n-3 4:20.84a +heath reedy,buchanan-cl      3-28 CV classic
n-2 4:21.49a +germay tesfai,hoover-fr      5-13 no area
ss-1 4:23.41a ss taylor castanon,mission prep-slo 4-4 WCR
n-4 4:25.26a ++cj albertson,buchanan-cl   5-13 no area
n-5 4:27.40a noe cruz,clo east              5-1  reedley
c-4 4:28.52a ++ricardo penaloza,redwood-vis 5-8  wyl
n-6 4:28.82a +joseph pace,clo west          5-7  trac
s-2 4:28.94a +colin lewis,highland-bk       5-1  reedley
ss-2 4:29.08a antonio rodriquez,wash u-easton 4-17 lemoore
s-3 4:29.35a robby baker,ridgeview-bk         3-28 pasadena
c-2 4:29.70a roberto rodriquez,tulare western 5-6  eyl
c-3 4:30.33a +matt morris,golden west-vis 4-17 lemoore
n-7 4:31.54a ++max martinez,buchanan-clo  5-13 no area
ss-3 4:33.4 ++francisco nava,mcfarland    4-29 w si l

8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1 and gone

In the fall of 2006, I returned to the local high school cross country and track scene and immediately heard of a wunderkind from Foothill by the name of Chris Schwartz (12).

The stories I heard of him, I took with a grain of salt. Often I would be told of this or that athlete and the hype rarely matched the reality. Well Chris is the real deal and in my opinion has had the best high school career of any distance runner from Bakersfield.

Sure there have been athletes in the past who might have run a bit faster:

1. 4:13.0 Tom Elieff Highland-Bakersfield ‘74
2. 4:14.3 Eddie Granillo East-Bakersfield ‘70
3. 4:14.72a Chris Schwartz Foothill-Bakersfield ‘09
4. 4:15.6 Robert Johnson Bakersfield ‘80
5. 4:15.85a Billy Nelson Taft ‘02
6. 4:15.89a +Terry Hickey Foothill-Bakersfield
7. 4:16.08a Chad Schmidt North-Bakersfield ‘86
8. 4:16.2 Robby Bray North-Bakersfield ’74
   
9. 4:16.6 Scott Hislop West- Bakersfield ’77
10. 4:16.8 Blaine Rudolph Bakersfield ‘78
11. 4:17.12a Taylor Lucero Bakersfield ‘02
12. 4:17.0 Laird Parker Shafter ‘68
13. 4:17 Jose Chavez Bakersfield ‘73
14. 4:17.23a Sean Langer Bakersfield ’65

1. 8:52.1 Felix Elieff Highland- Bakersfield ‘77
2. 8:58.50a +Chris Schwartz Foothill-Bakersfield ’08
3. 8:59.2 Eddie Granillo East-Bakersfield ‘70
4. 9:08.5 Rick Hitchcock North- Bakersfield ‘68
5. 9:14.12a Ricardo Brewer North-Bakersfield ‘93
6. 9:18.0 Lucas Burke Stockdale-Bakersfield ‘03
7. 9:18.5 Roman Gutierrez Foothill-Bakersfield ‘77
8. 9:18 Richard Ursin Bakersfield ‘77

But Chris has had great times in both events and been extremely successful in cross country (state D1 champ in 2007). Plus he has been one of the top runners in the state since his sophomore year.

Another factor is that he is so much better than his peers. Most of the top times on the list happen more than 30 years ago! He is charting waters that have not been seen in decades and he is doing it alone. The runners in the 70s had each other to feed off of. Plus there was the seventies running boom and the international success of athletes like Jim Ryun, Prefontaine, Frank Shorter, Billy Rodgers and many more. Lastly, Chris still has a few more meets left to run in his high school career and hopefully a state title or two and some PRs too.

At Area, Chris ran for the win and the real race was for the last three valley qualifying slots. for the first couple laps there was a large pack lead by Alex Garcia (Ridgeview 11'). On the third lap Schwartz took the lead and the pack began to thin and stretch out.

Lap four saw Schwartz, Garcia and Kelly (Stockdale 9') forming a pack that was 20 or 30 yards in front of Ariey (Bakersfield 12') and Robby Baker (Ridgeview 11'). As per usual Schwartz made his move at the 1600 mark and left Garcia and Kelly. Baker lead Ariey in an attempt to join Garcia and Kelly.

By lap six, Schwartz had the race won and Kelly was gapping Garcia. Baker had left Ariey and it looked like Ariey's only hope was that Garcia would continue to fall of the pace. At the start of the 7th lap, Baker had caught the two in front of him and it looked like the final four had been decided.

With a lap to go Schwartz had a comfortable lead over Baker and the rest of the placings had been shuffled a bit. Kelly was third and was followed by Ariey and then Garcia. On the last lap Ariey caught Kelly to move in to third with a PR to boot.

Kelly is the 8th fastest 9th grader in the state and the second best on the valley. Perhaps Curtis Kelly will pick up where Schwartz left off.

1	9:36.4		Sam'Peckham	9	Hart	SS	Weekly Duals, 4/19/09	04/19/09
2	9:39.40		Brandon Pugh	9	San Juan Hills	SS	Orange County Championsh...	04/25/09
3	9:40.1		LuislGutierrez	9	RancholCucamng	SS	Meet of Champions	03/28/09
4	9:40.43		Anthony Monroy	9	Burroughs(Bur)	SS	Mt. Carmel Invitational	03/28/09
5	9:44.70		Allen Leung	9	Arcadia	SS	Pacific League Finals	05/08/09
6	9:48.72		Sebastian!Cruz	9	St.!John!Bosco	SS	Trinity League Finals	05/08/09
7	9:49.53		Cj'Albertson	9	Buchanan	CE	Sanger Metric Classic	04/24/09
8	9:50.75		Curtis Kelly	9	Stockdale	CE	Reedley Invitational	05/01/09

3,200--1. Schwartz, Foot, 9:35.06; 2. Baker, Ridge, 9:46.25; 3. Ariey, Bak, 9:47.59; 4. Kelly,Stock, 9:55.58

Why Not Go Big!

Before the meet, I heard that Jerrid wanted to make a statement at the Area meet and he did in the 800. Usually, he lets others handle the pace making and then he goes in for the kill on the homestretch. But from the gun he took the lead and never looked back.

When he hit the 4oo, his time was 54 seconds and at the 500 it looked like the hunter might be the hunted this time. The Highland boys were in his slipstream and looked like they were ready to pounce.

At this point Schwartz was out of the race and I wondered if something was wrong with him because before the start he was nursing his knee and looked to be in pain. By the end of the race, Schwartz ended up jogging in and finished last with Solis of Ridgeview. Then he left the track immediately, which is unusual for the gregarious Chris. Later in the evening he looked good in his win in the 3200 and ran the anchor league of the 4 x 400 so who knows what was going on

In the final 300, Jerrid increased his lead on the Highland athletes and posted the fastest time in the valley this year. Colin Lewis of Highland also posted a season best to go along with his second in the 1600 earlier in the evening.

800--1. Lewis, Ridge, 1:54.63; 2. Van Zandt, High, 1:57.16; 3.
Lewis, High, 1:58.49; 4. Burke, Stock, 2:00.12

South Area Musings on the 400 Relays and the 1600

The meet started of the with the Drillers winning both 4oo relays. The girls was an expected occurrence but the boys was not. The Lady Drillers have one of the top three times in the valley and are looking to make state in both relays.

400 relay--1. Bakersfield (Harriston, Torres, Wandick, Brown), 48.37; 2. Golden Valley (Shaw, Epps, Hildalgo, Olison), 50.12; 3. Liberty (Affentranger, Wilcox, J. Fitch, M. Fitch), 50.79; 4. Centennial (Alexander, Chudy, Dayanghirang, Humecky), 51.83.

It took the boys the entire season to recover from the loss of two seniors from the squad way back in March but they looked good in winning the South Area title. Their winning time was their season best and moves them into the top four in the valley just behind Ridgeview.

400 relay--1. Bakersfield (Hunt, Norwood, Anderson, Gant), 42.99; 2. Ridgeview (Purvis, Robertson, Wiley,Hobbs), 43.36; 3. Centennial (Diller, Grimes, Moore, Turkington), 43.39

In the 1600, Sarah Baker (Bakersfield 10) defended her 2008 title, last year she ran away from future CSUBer Candace Carlson (North 12), but had a much closer race this year. Baker is not expected to run the 1600 at valley despite being ranked in the top ten in the event.

She will focus on the 800, where she has a better chance to make it to state. Of course, the team title competition at valley might make the double a consideration. But her chances of a top six scoring placement is unlikely in the 1600.

In the 800, Baker might have to compete with Jordan Hasay who ran 2:10 at her qualifying meet as well as winning the 3200. In the past Jordan has only contested the 3200 at valley and the 800/3200 double would seem unlikely at valley and/or state. The 800 at state has qualifying rounds on Friday and the two events are fairly close to each other in the event schedule which goes 800, 300h, 200 and 3200.

I believe the 800 was run in preparation for the 1500 at the adidas track classic on Saturday May 16th, especially since she cruised the 3200 in a time of 11:32. Jordan is a four-time California State Champion in cross country and three-time California State Champion in the 3200m.

The local season started with a photo finish between Baker and Tijerra Lynch at the EB Invite (4x800) and the same finish happen at the South Area meet. Sarah has won everyone of these photo finishes that I have seen so far. Also making it to the valley meet were Monica Guzman (Garces 11) and Gabby Lerma (Bakersfield 10) who ran a season best for the last ticket to valley.

1,600--1. Baker, Bak, 5:24.23; 2. Lynch, Ridge, 5:24.92; 3. Guzman, Gar, 5:33.33; 4. Lerma,Bak, 5:34.70.

The boys 1600 was won by none other than Chris Schwartz (Foothill 12) who has won three South Area crowns. He also has the fastests 1600 (4:14) in the valley. He didn't have to run near that time for the win and clocked just under 4:30. He was followed by Colin Lewis (Highland 11) and Robby Baker and Brian Solis of Ridgeview. All four will be at the valley meet on Saturday May 23rd at Buchanan.