The heat couldn’t stop hundreds of runners from the 40th annual Independence Day Classic in Santa Clarita on the Fourth of July.
Numerous local distance runners and out-of-towners all gathered to compete and raise money for local cross country teams and the Santa Clarita Runners Club.
Races all began at Newhall Park with the lengthy 10K race reaching as far as the Santa Clara River while 5K runners raced to the Newhall Library and back.
Winning the 10K race was local runner Oscar Orozco (34:03.7), who just beat out Hart alumnus Owen Ahten (34:19.4).
For the women, Shannon Murakami from Canyon Country finished first with a time of 39 minutes and 3.9 seconds.
In the 5K race, The Master’s University distance runner Brint Laubach crossed the finish line in 14 minutes and 53.2 seconds. Carla Luna was the first woman to finish, with her 18:49.5-mark.
Independence Day also offered a 15K combined race where runners who couldn’t get enough of just one race could run both the 10K and 5K. Jose Jimenez’ 55-minute, 30-second time was the day’s best mark for the combined runs. Gina Johnson finished with the women’s best time of 1 hour, 3 minutes and 46 seconds.
The 2024 classic also featured a senior walk for the first time in the event’s history. Seniors ranging from their 50s to mid 80s conquered the course in Newhall for a good cause.
Registration is already open for the 41st annual Independence Day Classic. For more information, visit id5k.scrunners.org.
