by Marin Rodriguez ’83
On Saturday, October 26, cross country alumni and their families gathered with the current cross country team and their families to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Alumni Cross Country Run. This year’s event was reborn after a hiatus of nearly seven years thanks to the support of O’Dowd’s Assistant Director of Athletics and Head Cross Country Coach Hillary Kigar and the Dragon cross country families. The run was moved from the traditional Knowland Park location to Joaquin Miller Park in the Oakland Hills, a venue that Dragon runners through the ages know well. A new twist was added with parents of current runners joining in the run and a new, all-inclusive scoring format.
Alumni from the eighties to recent alumni participated, with the eighties alumni particularly well-represented. There were even some non-cross country alumni there in support of their current cross-country runners and alumni runner spouses. Despite a bit of creative course running by some runners, fun was had by all on the challenging course. During post-run refreshments, current runners got to know the alumni, their accomplishments, and a bit of team history. It seems that despite all the changes our world has been through over the past 30 years, cross country still involves a lot of running! Everyone had more than a few tales to tell!
Big thanks to O’Dowd’s Hillary Kigar for supporting the return of this annual celebration of O’Dowd cross country past and present and thanks to the current cross country families for providing the refreshments. Next year’s event will most likely take place on a Saturday in late August–mark your calendars. All cross country alumni and their families are welcome to join in the fun! For more information on the Alumni Cross Country Run, feel free to contact Marin Rodriguez ’83.