Hallowed Ground: Mt. SAC

Hallowed Ground: Mt. SAC

Jul 28, 2014 by Joe Battaglia
Hallowed Ground: Mt. SAC

By Lincoln Shryack
When the heat of July and August finally wear off, and as summer turns to fall, runners all across the country are ready to cash in on months of training in the form of cross-country season. Long, slow runs to build the runners' base have been replaced with a more-focused, speed-oriented regimen that leads to peak form come November. While each athlete’s ultimate goal is to be at their best at the end of the season, there are a few meets early in the schedule that coaches and runners circle on their calendars.
For over 25,000 runners, the Mt. SAC XC Invitational is one such meet. Held annually for the last 66 years in Walnut, CA. Mt. SAC is famous not only for its terrain (all dirt, hilly), but also for its alumns. Most recently, Mt. SAC was home to Sarah Baxter’s otherworldly time of 16:00 in 2012 that smashed the course record by 16 seconds. Arguably one of the toughest courses in the country, Mt. SAC serves as a litmus test for the athletes with big plans in November and December.

Course:
Mt. SAC Cross Country Course
Location: Walnut, CA
Usage: Elementary, Middle school, High school and College           

History: The Mt. SAC XC Invitational began in 1948 as a way to promote a sport that at the time had no other regional competitions in the state of California. With two divisions consisting of men and boys, 148 runners competed in distances ranging from 1.2 miles (high school) to 3.1 miles (college). According to the meet website, most of the competitors in the inaugural meet ran barefoot on the course, relying on their thick calluses to protect their feet from the terrain. While Abebe Bikila may have immortalized the barefoot runner with his shoeless victory in the marathon at the 1960 Rome Olympics, it should be noted that at Mt. SAC the rough terrain was not quite as forgiving- the blisters of those first competitors in 1948 were often torn off, “leaving a raw and bloody mess of tissue exposed beneath.” Today, flats provide a much more enjoyable ride through the 3-mile course.

Layout: The 3-mile course features a unique series of hills and switchbacks that test both the runner’s physical and mental ability. Starting on a flat, concrete road known as Airstrip, many runners take out quickly as they head to the Valley Loop, which they cover twice before reaching the first mile marker. The first mile is fool’s gold for the unseasoned, however, as the grueling portions of the course lie ahead.

The switchbacks that the competitors encounter at the beginning of the second mile form the first real test of the race. The zig-zags and steady climb of the switchbacks will begin to punish the greedy who went out too fast in the first mile. Even worse than early oxygen debt from these hills is knowing the brutal terrain that is to come.

After re-crossing the start line, the runners head toward aptly named Poop Out Hill. This hill begins to pick off the weak and separates the contenders from the pretenders. Even after completing Poop Out, there is still one mile remaining and one more nasty hill to conquer.

Reservoir Hill is the final test before heading to the home stretch known as the Gauntlet. Before everyone can “throw down” to the finish, Reservoir forces you to use up any strength left in your already spent legs. Any first timer that went out too hard over the first mile will remember next time that Poop Out and Reservoir are waiting.

Course records (3-mile): Boys: 14:24 – Diego Mercado, West Covina, CA, 2005 & Ammar Moussa, Arcadia, CA, 2010. Girls- 16:00- Sarah Baxter, Simi Valley, CA 2012.

Famous alumni: Jordan Hasay, Mission College Prep, CA. (16:27), Tim Nelson, Liberty Christian, CA (14:33), Amber Trotter, Ukiah, CA (16:16)