Hollister distance runner finishes among state’s top 20 with a
time of 11:15.41 in the 3200-meter race
Sacramento – In her first trip to the California Interscholastic Federation State Track and Field Championships, Amanda Boyd ran a time of 11:15.41 to finish 18th out of 31 runners in the 3200 meter run.
Not bad for an event that Boyd hadn’t even planned on competing in at the beginning of the track season.
“I was just doing it for endurance,” said Boyd after her race. “I started in the 800, then the mile, then the 2-mile.”
Still, the junior, who had been conflicted on how to approach Saturday’s race strategy-wise, regretted not being more confident and setting out at a faster pace.
“I didn’t go in with as much confidence.…I don’t know if it was (because it was) state or what,” Boyd said.
At the May 27 Central Coast Section Finals, Boyd broke the 11-minute mark for the first time and ran a personal best 10:54.86 to earn a spot in the state meet.
“It was a really weird race,” Boyd said. “At CCS, after running a 5:10 mile, I felt a lot more relaxed than with the 5:20 mile (I ran) today … I felt so confident that race.”
Boyd clocked a 5:26 first mile and had a large pack of runners – and gap in time – between her and leader Tori Tyler of Gunn, to whom Boyd finished second in the CCS Finals.
“I tried not to let (the pack) break away,” Boyd said. “I have to get up there (early in the race). I can’t really work my way up very well.”
Boyd said she wasn’t bothered when the race was re-started after Gillian Fitch of La Costa fell about 50 meters into the race.
“It was a packed 2-mile, but I expected it to be that way,” Boyd said.
The finish for the gold was a dramatic one. With about 300 meters left, Amanda Moreno of Escalon challenged and momentarily passed Tyler for the lead. Tyler powered back ahead of Moreno and kept the lead heading out of the last turn. As they headed down the final stretch, Lauren Saylor of Buchanan, who was in third, turned on the jets and surprised Tyler by taking the lead. But Tyler showed her strength by kicking into an even higher gear and crossing the line with the winning time of 10:38.90. Moreno finished second (10:39.85) and Saylor collapsed across the finish for third (10:40.14).
In the 800 meters, Live Oak junior Cobbie Jones finished sixth with a time of 2:12.66, earning a medal for the second year in a row. As a sophomore last year, Jones finished fourth with a time that was a second faster.
“I didn’t feel too good. I hit the wall and I was trying to hold on. I just tried my best the rest of the way,” Jones said. “I was slower this year, but that’s running for you.”
