Who’s ready for a fun run?
A fab four Colorado schoolboys will take their high-altitude approach to San Diego on Saturday morning in search of a big break in the 2007 Foot Locker National Cross Country Championships.
It’s an all-boy band for Balboa Park — local schoolgirls failed to qualify last month in Wisconsin, an unusual occurrence in that they have been churning out regular regional and national challengers for two decades.
The boys’ pack was so good — and tight — in regional qualifying that Colorado won as a team against 12 other states and qualifiers from U.S. Overseas Military Installations.
Kevin Williams, a senior at D’Evelyn, led area runners by finishing sixth in 15 minutes, 17 seconds. Just behind were Joseph Manilafasha, junior (North), seventh, 15:17.5; Bobby Nicolls, senior (Regis), ninth, 15:19; and Evan Appel, senior (Dakota Ridge), 10th, 15:21.
There will be 80 entrants, with girls at the starting line at 8:15 a.m. MST. For boys, four of the 40 ran faster than 15 minutes, widely considered a magic time in high school cross country. Two did it at sea level, in Florida, where senior Colby Lowe of Southlake, Texas, finished in in 14:45.
Neil H. Devlin
Foot Locker National Cross Country Championships
When: Saturday, 8:15 a.m. MST girls; 9 a.m. boys
Where: Balboa Park, San Diego
Local qualifiers: Evan Appel, Dakota Ridge; Joseph Manilafasha, North; Bobby Nicolls, Regis; and Kevin Williams, D’Evelyn.
Distance: 5k, or about 3.1 miles
Colorado’s national champions: Melody Fairchild, Boulder, 1989, 1990; Adam Goucher, Doherty, 1993; Katelyn Kaltenbach, Smoky Hill, 2003.
The race: Established 1979
