Middle School Runners Blaze New Trails Down The Corkscrew

For the first time in history, WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca held an official footrace for middle school cross-country teams from Salinas Unified and Santa Rita School Districts, with students racing on the demanding 2.238-mile circuit on October 1 and October 18. Six schools sent their athletes to compete around the iconic track, with six races divided by grade levels 6^th through 8^th and girls and boys competitions. The participants took off from the start/finish line under the Mission Foods bridge, pushing their way up the circuit’s legendary hills and down the famous Corkscrew, making for a memorable athletic experience.

While the students are accustomed to training for distances of 3 to 4 miles, they usually only compete between 1.6 to 2 miles. That with the addition of the steep hills on the iconic raceway added an extra challenge. The winners, along with their schools, are as follows:

• 8th Grade Boys – Daniel Rubio, La Paz Middle School
• 8th Grade Girls – Melissa Hernandez, El Sausal Middle School
• 7th Grade Boys – Jurenz Mata, Harden Middle School
• 7th Grade Girls – Aliaha Cruz, La Paz Middle School
• 6th Grade Boys – Alexis Soto, Gavilan View Middle School
• 6th Grade Girls – Yolotdin Ortega, Gavilan View Middle School

"The use of the Laguna Seca allows the runners to experience a different type of terrain and environment," said Jessica Epps, cross-country coach at La Paz Middle School. "I think it also motivates the runners because it allows them to run in an environment that other schools have not done yet. They are making history!" Thanks to Chris Charfauros Timing, each runner's time was recorded and made available on Athletic Net, allowing students to track their progress.

History was indeed made as Daniel Rubio claimed the fastest overall time, finishing at an impressive 12:54. This will go down in the raceway’s history as an official track record on two feet and the raceway is set to honor the student with a special presentation soon to follow. The districts concluded their season with a final meet at Rancho Cielo grounds on October 25, wrapping up a memorable season that set new records and inspired future racers.