It was a scene right out of a post-apocalyptic film: shadowy figures running around in dense fog.
It could easily have taken place somewhere in the Central Valley. But the location on Saturday was Balboa Park’s Morley Field on the occasion of the inaugural Brooks Cross Country Nationals.
Four section entrants highlighted the 98-deep field, including three in the girls race: Eastlake High School senior Jaelyn Williams, La Jolla High School senior Chiara Dailey and Christian High School junior Elliana Patterson.
Sage Creek senior Josiah Bowman represented local runners in the boys race.
All four section runners brought their A-game to the elite gathering. Williams entered the meet following a record-setting run in winning the Division I girls state championship race and then going on to post a third-place finish at the Nike Cross Nationals a week later in Portland.
Dailey entered the race as a three-time state Division IV girls champion.
Patterson, likely the smallest runner in the field, entered as the Division V section girls champion, bronze medalist at the state meet and the third-best runner at the Brooks Nationals West regional.
All put their best foot forward in front of a supportive home crowd.
Williams finished third with a time of 17:17.2 while Dailey placed 27th in 18:14.8. Patterson, sizing up the competition for next year, finished 33rd in 18:22.7.
The girls race mirrored the finish at the Nike meet with Michigan’s Natasza Dudek, New Jersey’s Blair Bartlett and Williams running three across midway through the race. Williams dropped back after the grueling hill and the race for the national title became a two-woman race.
Dudek collapsed after crossing the finish line in 16:55.5 to cap an undefeated cross country season. Bartlett was right behind in second place in 16:576.1.
The Brooks field was ultra-elite with an estimated 192,000 girls competing nationwide in the sport whittled down to the top 48.
“I’m very happy to be here in San Diego,” Williams said. “I was hoping to have a better race, but I’m happy.
“I wanted to stay with the leaders and take it out at the end. I think I went out a little too strong. That hurt me at the end.”
Patterson, who was easily lost in the maze of churning legs, said she enjoyed competing in the downpour at the section finals four weeks earlier the most in her running odyssey this year.
“I was raining hard, everyone was affected the same, so I didn’t feel any pressure,” she said. “It was slippery, but I didn’t fall like some of the runners did. It was pouring. I ran as fast as I could. I knew the other kids were dealing with the same thing. It was an amazing experience and definitely one I’ll remember for a long time.”
The petite La Mesa runner finished eighth among West runners while Dailey was sixth.
“It was very challenging,” Patterson said. “I didn’t know I could get that far. I feel very blessed that I could get third (at state and regionals). Those were really tough girls, they made me work for it.
“Hopefully I’ll be back here next year.”
Bowman had finished fifth at the preceding Brooks West regional meet but finished 10th on the West team at nationals, 38th overall in the 50-deep field in 16:18.6.
“I didn’t feel well at all, I’m grateful I was able to finish strong,” he admitted. “Overall, it was an amazing experience.”
Both the girls and boys winners on Saturday completed undefeated seasons, adding to the drama of the event beyond just the local runners.
Dudek, the Michigan state champion, was pushed hard to defeat Bartlett by the same time in successive weeks to become a double national champion while Utah state champion Jackson Spencer nipped Miami’s Marcelo Mantecon by 0.2 seconds in one of the most trilling finishes in Morley Field nationals history.
