Cross Country: Forever, we shall remember

Saturday, August 22 marked the seventh annual Marshall Clark Fun Run. The race has been held every year since the late Marshall Clark passed away from a heart attack on September 30, 2002, while on a run with his team. Clark was the cross country coach at SHS for eleven years after a successful career at coaching at Stanford University.
   
Scott Surrette, SHS alumnus and a member of the SHS cross country team under Clark’s coaching, wrote a eulogy in honor of his coach in which he describes Clark as “a great man who didn’t just coach us, he coached us well. Coach Clark was the greatest coach that anybody who went to Saratoga could have and probably ever will have.  Coaching was what he did and what he loved, and all of us only wish to die doing what we love.”   

    
“He was a real asset to the team,” said Athletic Director and girls’ cross country assistant coach Peter Jordan.  “It’s nice to remind people of all that he did for this school and for the community.”
   
The four mile course starts at the SHS track and goes down Saratoga-Sunnyvale Road to Cox Avenue, at which point the runners take a residential street and wind their way back to Saratoga High.
        
The boys’ and girls’ teams both ran well, but nobody did better than senior Karen Wai, who came first not only her 16-18 age group, but also out of all the women racing. Wai came in over 30 seconds before the next girl with a time of 27:06.90, averaging around 6:45 per mile.
     
“This race was more of a tune up for me” said Wai of her performance.  “A lot of girls from last year weren’t there this year so that made it a bit easier.”
Girls not running this year included SHS alumnus and course record holder, Alicia Follmar.  Follmar, class of 2005 and one of Clark’s runners, is one of many alumni who the race to honor Coach Clark.   
    
Strong performances from the boys included Kyle Fukui, who finished 17th overall.  SHS alumni Hari Iyer, class of 2005 and coached by Clark,  and Kian Banks, class of 2009,  finished third and fourth overall, respectively. 
     
As Surrette said of Marshall Clark, “We shall all keep Marshall in our memories, and in our running we will honor him. We will only honor him with a fraction of what he deserves, but with all our hearts.”

To view the full memorial, visit www.togaxc.bravehost.com/MC.html.