27th Foot Locker
cross country championships

the national individual championship
for US high school cross country runners.

National Finals
Dec 10, 2005 Balboa Park, San Diego CA

“Wish Upon A Shooting Star”

A look back at the 1986 Foot Locker Championships

"How do you win Foot Locker (at Balboa Park)? The HILL!"

Has it really been 19 years since I ran at the Foot Locker Championships? I hate to use the cliché’ “time flies”, but it certainly has in this case. I was actually online gaming with Bob Kennedy the other night, and this very topic came up in conversation. I think I go through this age-check situation just about every year in December. Not just because my birthday is that month, but surely because it reminds me of the most significant point in my high school running career.

I don’t really know what I was doing when I started running in high school. I was in drama class and band class (no, I was not a geek!), but apparently I needed something more. Since I was the epitome of a skinny distance runner, I guess it seemed like a good fit. Nowhere in my mind did I ever fathom that it would have taken me to such great heights in my life. And it all started one sunny day in December of 1986; just before my 17th birthday. Sometimes I can’t even believe that that day even happened. The talent that was in that particular field astounds me sometimes, and yet I beat them all!

I have recounted many stories of that weekend to many different people over the years. How I stayed up late the night before the race; hanging out on the beach in front of the Hotel Del Coronado and dreaming of victory. How the shooting star I saw that night let me know for sure that I was going to win. How there must have been more people at the course the next day that were cheering for me than ever before. See, I was kind of the hometown hero you might say. My high school, San Diego High, was about 800 meters down the road. Heck, I knew about 3 or 4 courses on the grounds of Morley Field. I trained there about 5 times a week, so I knew every blade of grass and every undulation. But that was all good in theory. I had to put it to work that day.

I showed up that morning with all the confidence I had been exuding all season. I had my cassette recorder (yes, that’s how old I am!) jamming my psyche-up tunes. I was sure that no one was going to stop My Day. Looking back, I should have given much more credit to my fellow competitors. I mean, Bob Kennedy and Todd Williams? (2nd and 3rd respectively that year) Who would have known the impact those two amazing runners would end up having on American distance running. But I had other plans for those guys, along with the other 29 runners who were trying to get in the way of my goal; the National Championship.

I don’t remember the introductions of the field that morning. I don’t even remember the gun going off, For that matter, I actually don’t remember most of the race. That may be because it was so long ago. Or perhaps it was just because I was just in that zone. But what I do remember the most is the last 200 meters of the race. I came around the last turn WAY out in the lead, and I was going to enjoy every last second. So I guess you could say I started my victory lap a bit early. After all, it was my home course, my home crowd, and this was the biggest race of my career up to that point. So I have no reason to apologize for celebrating early. Coming up to the finish line, the #1 hand-sign went up in the air, and I strolled in the whole final straightaway. Later on, I would find out that I missed the course record by just 1.3 seconds (Reuben Reina, 1985). But that didn’t diminish my feelings one bit. I had achieved what every high school runner wishes to in his/her career. That can never be taken away.

You may ask, “How do you win the Foot Locker Championships?”. You may inquire, “How did you run the course in order to win?”. Well, my answer every time is this; The Hill! Hills are always the best alley to a talented runner. Everyone has a certain amount of speed, but it’s the strongest that prevails on top. And the strong runners can crush the field in no better place than the hills. The San Diego course has one hill that you go up twice, and that’s where I did my damage in ’86. I tore up that hill in every practice, so I knew every curve like it was home to me. Also, the footing around Morley Field is never the best, so keeping off the tree roots and watching for the uneven ground is always a smart bet. And finally, tangents are a runner’s best friend. You need to run that course as short as possible. With that kind of talent that is there, it’s going to be the little things that will separate the best.

To be honest with you, I don’t think you can really teach someone how to win the National Championships. You can’t simply put into words how someone beats the type of runners that gather at that kind of race. You might be able to say it’s in the hands of the Running Gods. Or it just may be as simple as saying, “You have to want it more”. But on that day, if you win, you will have fulfilled something that no one can imagine unless you’ve been on top of that 1st place podium. Kennedy was able to see that the very next year. And countless excellent runners have done so since then.

So 19 years later, and I still consider that race to be one of the three highlights of my running career (the other two being my victory at the 1994 Goodwill Games, and of course the Olympic final in 1996). This will be a bond that all Foot Locker Champions will have with one another. A moment when you have realized that this is what you are about. That this is what you are meant to be. That from now on, you are not just a runner, but the best runner in the country. Actually, when I think about it, looking forward to the 20th anniversary of my victory in San Diego is not so tough to handle. Besides, I still have that cool ashtray I stole from the Hotel Del! :)