One year ago, running was only a spectator sport for Claudia Lane.
Now, after placing a top 15 finish at the season-ending CIF state finals in Fresno last Saturday, the Malibu High School (MHS) girls cross country team member might be one of the best runners in the Los Angeles area.
Lane ran the 3.1-mile Woodward Park course in 18 minutes and 14.8 seconds, a 13th place finish. The high school freshman said it was a big accomplishment.
“I’m really glad I had the opportunity to do this,” 14-year-old Lane said. “I was really determined. I have a competitive side, so I used that to my advantage.”
Before the season, the last time Lane had tried to run competitively was as a sixth grader.
“There was no middle school program, so I decided to try it in high school, and I really liked it,” she said. “I have always liked running.”
Lane wasn’t the only Shark to have a good finish in the 5K CIF Division IV Girls race. Junior Abby Blackwood, one of the area’s top runners, posted a time of 18:39.3, which was good enough for 24th place.
The Sharks’ team captain and Tri-County League MVP described the race as good and fast with a lot of competition.
“I didn’t do as well as I hoped but that is OK,” Blackwood, the 18th place finisher at last season’s state championship, said. “I’m pretty happy with my time.”
Malibu was one of two schools to have multiple runners finish in the top 25 of the 192-runner race, which was won by Santa Cruz’s Mari Friedman. Friedman’s time was 17:46.7.
Lane said she started the season not in the best condition for running competitively.
“At the beginning of the season, I really had a hard time keeping my breathing at a steady pace,” she said. “Throughout training, I really learned how to control that.”
Lane said Blackwood had a big impact on her run to the state title meet.
“I was able to achieve this goal by practicing with Abby,” Lane said. “She is a really good runner. She really helped me push myself. She is an amazing person.”
Blackwood said Lane really improved.
“By the end of the season, she was right with me and ended up beating me,” Blackwood said. “She put in a lot of work.”
Lane began posting good performances in late October. She came in seventh at the Ventura County Championships. The freshman came in second at the TCAA League Finals — an event Blackwood won. Lane also came in second at the CIF-SS Finals. In between those meets, she came in fifth at the CIF-SS Prelims.
Blackwood, also a Malibu track and soccer player, turned in multiple top-flight performances.
The Sharks won the Lake Casitas Twilight Invitational and the TCAA League Finals. Blackwood came in third at the Ventura County Championships, the Seaside Invitational and the CIF-SS Prelims. She also came in fifth at the CIF-SS Finals.
Blackwood said she is happy with the season she had.
“My goal was to make it to state,” she said. “I’m competitive and motivated. I find something to focus on, the reason I want to win besides just winning. I use that to inspire me.”
The girls cross country squad had a couple of good finishes before the state title race. The Sharks finished third out of 11 schools in the TCAA League Finals and 11th out of 22 teams at the CIF Prelims. Members of the team included Sophie Johnson, Kate Pietrzyk, Emma Gallagher, Adina Berg and Madeline Ward.
Blackwood explained she thought Malibu had an awesome season.
“Throughout the season, everyone improved a lot,” she said.
Lane said she had fun.
“It was a really cool sport to try out,” she shared. “I had a really fun time with the team and learning more about cross country. I will definitely be doing it again next year.”