Poway's Alex Calegari will be in the conversation about the top female runner in the section for this upcoming season, but she has lots of competition for the honor.
To a distance runner, the summer is the most important season. This is when the true preparation is done, when the foundation is laid, when athletes and teams can start moving to another level. Summer is also a time of preparation for MileSplitCA! Starting Sunday, we're shifting into high gear to get ready for the 2016 cross country season. We start by gathering data on returning runners, using times from the 2015 season broken down by section. We'll move across the state from top to bottom, starting with the Northern Section and ending with the San Diego Section. We also have data from track season, which helps identify teams and individuals that have improved through year-round training.
All of this is in preparation for our Preseason XC Countdown, where we will highlight one boys and one girls team every day for 30 days. That will take us up to the start of competitive fall races, and from there the athletes in the Golden State can take over and make their own new headlines!
Today's focus is the San Diego Section, which has to grind through section races at Balboa Park before getting to the state meet.