With a mission of helping runners to hone their skills over the
summer, the Tri-County Running Club has returned for a third year,
and is getting an even bigger membership.
By CHEETO BARRERA
Staff Writer
With a mission of helping runners to hone their skills over the summer, the Tri-County Running Club has returned for a third year, and is getting an even bigger membership.
The club was started by cross country coaches Jess Morales and Gustavo Ibarra, both of Hollister. Morales and Ibarra were hoping to help prop up existing school programs and to help develop new talent and camaraderie.
“We hope to give every school an opportunity to get their programs up,” said Morales, who coaches at San Benito High while Ibarra coaches at North Monterey County High.
Originally, the club started small, but now the Tri-County Running Club has 60 members, up from 50 the previous year. The Tri-County Running Club takes runners from Santa Clara, San Benito and Monterey counties with participants ranging in age from junior high to college.
The club meets Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays in both the morning and afternoon. Morning sessions, beginning at 9 a.m., meet at Gavilan College in Gilroy on Mondays, Toro Park in Salinas on Wednesdays and Nisene Park in Aptos. Afternoon sessions, beginning at 4 p.m., meet at San Benito High all three days.
Tri-County only meets during the summer and even the winter when it won’t interfere with school teams. The summer session, which began June 21, will run into August.
The club is aimed to help runners improve their times and distance. Morales said he tries to offer individual attention to the runners they may not otherwise receive with their high school teams.
“Some coaches may focus on the elites, but we’re able to give one-on-one attention,” Morales said.
Morales and Ibarra bring together runners from rival schools, but say rivalry is never an issue.
“Running is a sport where you get respect from other runners,” Ibarra said. “Those running with you know how hard it is. We have really broken down barriers.”
Morales added that everyone is rooting for each other, even if they are running for different schools.
“These kids all come together and compliment each other and encourage each other during meets,” Morales said.
Most of the runners will be running for their respective schools in both track and cross country, but there are some who are running just for fun.
“There are a few kids who just like running,” Ibarra said. “Some have finished running for their college and want to continue. But the majority compete in either high school or college.”
Curtis Wright, an incoming freshman to San Benito High who plans to join the cross country team, has been running for two years and said he finds enjoyment from running.
“The club has made me push myself,” Wright said. “Running is a lot of fun.”
Steven Sandoval, 14, will start his freshman year at Monte Vista High School in the fall and has participated in all three years that the club has been around. Since running for Tri-County, Sandoval has dropped his mile time considerably.
“I improved my mile by two or three minutes,” said Sandoval who now runs a 5:30 mile. “I’m now in better shape.”
Not all the runners in the club have been running for a long time. Trevor Foote, a seventh-grader attending Rancho Middle School in Hollister, recently found he enjoyed running after running the mile in school. During his time in the club, Foote said he is improving rapidly.
“I am able to keep up better with the group,” Foote said.
The club is not limited to the four cities during the summer. Morales and Ibarra have taken the runners on the road to compete in national competitions in Idaho and North Carolina, one runner placed in the top 10 in the nation.
Successful runners are nothing new to the club. Participants in the club have gone on to the CCS championships, where Morales had a runner take top honors and others place in the top three. Ibarra saw similar success with a second-place finisher and the team took fourth place in cross country.
The cost for membership is $60. However, Morales said he is looking for sponsors to help with additional costs that the club fee doesn’t cover. Currently two Hollister companies, Barragon Insurance Marketing and Hollister markets, sponsor the Tri-County Club, but Morales is looking for more.
“Sometimes a kid needs help buying shoes and paying the way to a national competition,” Morales said. “We do not hesitate to help any of our kids.”
Anyone looking to join the running club should visit tricountyrunningclub.tripod.com to get the application. For more information, contact Morales at (831) 637-3062 or Ibarra at (831) 635-0949.
“We’re looking for runners who want to put the time and effort to go to the next level,” Morales said.
