Participants prepare for the Lancer 5000 race at the start line on Palm Drive at California Baptist University Feb. 14. Hosted by the CBU cross-country team, runners included CBU students, Riverside citizens and high school students. Krysta Hawkins | Banner
The cross-country team at California Baptist University held the Fifth Annual Lancer 5000 race Feb. 14 on campus and encouraged students, faculty and the Riverside community to participate in the race.
Every year, the team hosts the event as a fundraiser to raise money for the cross-country and track program.
Benjamin Gall, head coach for the cross-country team, said the team is pleased with the turnout of the event.
“The money raised goes directly back to the team in various ways,” Gall said. “Any money we raise for our program goes to enhance the athletes’ experience. We don’t have a specific thing we are raising money for with this fundraiser; it just goes into our fundraising account, which is separate than our operations budget, and we use it in a variety of ways to benefit our athletes and the program. We strive to make the Lancer 5000 a great community experience to bring people onto campus and show off the beauty of CBU.”
Participants arrived at 6 a.m. to register and begin their preparation for the race. Chick-fil-A samples and bottles of water were provided, along with massages and specialists to give tips on running.
The race began at Palm Drive and continued for 3.1 miles, making two loops through campus. Runners were greeted by volunteers to encourage them as they passed by. During the last stretch of the race, participants ran along the Front Lawn and Fortuna Fountain before ending the race on Palm Drive.
The winners who took first place in the 5k race were Jennifer Sandoval, CBU student, with a time of 18:18 in the women’s category, and Tyler Janes, participant in the race, with a time of 15:17 in the men’s category.
SoCal Road Runners, the track and field team from Vista Murrieta High School, and the track and field team from King High School attended the event.
Ali Clayton, freshman psychology major and runner in the event, said she saw the race as an outlet for stress.
“My goal is to make it around 18 minutes,” Clayton said. I came today because I used to be a cross-country runner and my old team (from) King High School is here.”
Rene Walter, a member of the T3 Fitness Energy Training in Riverside, was a part of the group to participate in the race. “What made me want to run in the race was that all the girls in my T3 fitness class do runs together, it’s local and it is a really good cause,” Walter said.
