Photo by Tom Angel
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A Run with a View
By Marion Harmon
Although the forecast predicted showers, this early November
day is one typical of Northern California fall weather—cool
but sunny, perfect for a long run. But this Nov. 4 isn’t
a typical day at the Forebay Aquatic Center in Oroville. It is
the first time Chico State is hosting the NCAA Division II West
Regional—on its new cross country course.
Spirits are high during the usual pre-race commotion, and the crowd
looks forward to the first run on this unique new course—nearly
the entire track can be seen by the spectators. The track begins
next to the calm water, shimmering gold from the reflected grasslands,
and rises up into the hills, barely noticeable until the racers
swarm upward in their team colors.
“It was a great backdrop for a championship competition,” says
cross country Coach Gary Towne. “We have a great fan base
here in Chico, and when you give them a course where they can follow
the progress of the runners and see them up close several times
during the race, that’s a premium experience.”
The cross country team previously hosted races at Butte College
or in Bidwell Park. The beautiful natural landscape of Bidwell
Park impressed visitors, but also made it difficult for spectators
to see any of the action, as runners disappeared up hills and behind
rock formations. The new course, Towne says, is much better for
spectators than the average course.
“It brings the race to the fans, which is important to generating
more interest in the sport,” says Towne. “I was really
happy with how the course worked out.”
In addition to being a thing of beauty, the course is really difficult,
adds Towne. “It’s a very challenging layout, especially
the men’s course going four times up that big hillside. It’s
probably the better part of two miles of climbing for them.”
Before the challenges of actually running the course came the challenge
of building it. In 2005, Chico State submitted a bid to host the
2006 West Regional, which, once accepted, prompted the need for
a new course. Thanks to the hard work and collaboration of a wide-ranging
group of people, the course was ready well before the championships.
To the layperson that might seem like a simple endeavor—just
dig out a path wide enough to run on. But there is much more to
creating an approved NCAA course. And this course would not have
been possible without the collaboration of several organizations
and many volunteers from the community. Chico State Recreational
Sports and the Associated Students’ Adventure Outings program,
which oversees the Forebay Aquatic Center, set up a meeting in
fall 2005 to get the project going.
The California Department of Parks and Recreation facilitated the
completion of the environmental impact study and archaeological
assessment, and secured funding for the heavy equipment to cut
the track and gravel to cover the surface. Towne gathered a volunteer
group of about 20 student-athletes, alums, and community members
to spend several days spreading the gravel over the running surface.
“This is one of those projects that couldn’t have been
done without the collaboration and cooperation of several groups,” says
Kimberly Scott, recreational sports director. Scott, a long-time
supporter of the cross country program, was one of the first to
see the potential in the Forebay Aquatic Center location.
Towne says the most gratifying thing about the process was the
support and help from a lot of different people, from local volunteers
to the regional superintendent of the parks department. The resulting
course is a 1.4-mile loop that will be used for organized meets
and community races, and serve as a recreational running, walking,
and biking trail. The entire trail is at a 5 percent grade or less
and is ADA compliant, accessible to persons with disabilities.
The final phase of the project includes another overlay of gravel
and additional drainage.
“We need to have a certain number of trails that are ADA
compliant, so this helped the Lake Oroville sector of the district
add more
distance,” says Tim Higginson, park maintenance supervisor. “The
new course also brings in people who might not normally come to
the park, such as when there’s a cross country meet. It also
ties in well with Chico State’s recreation activities in
this area, such as the aquatic center next door.”
The team christened the new course on Sept. 9 when it hosted the
Chico Invitational. At the
West Regional, Chico State’s men’s cross country team
took first place. The women took fourth, but were only 10 points
from winning it, “only a matter of a few people passing a
few other people,” notes Towne.
This was the Chico State men’s fifth regional win in five
seasons, and the women had won in the three previous years. Both
teams went to the national championships Nov. 18 in Pensacola,
Florida, where the men’s team finished fourth and the women’s
team finished ninth. The Chico State men have been one of the top
five teams in the nation the last five years, and the women have
been in the top 10 six of the past seven years.
Not only are Chico State’s cross country athletes winners
on the track, they also tend to do very well academically. “It’s
an emphasis of ours,” says Towne. “When I meet with
them individually, the first thing we talk about is the status
of their academics. They’re pretty driven people, and we
do pride ourselves on having some really high academic achievers.”
Certainly the new course, one that challenges runners and allows
coaches and onlookers a great view, will keep them inspired for
years to come.
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