World Jr Cross Country champion Bobby Thomas ('75) leads Serna (Irvine Frosh), 3M (1976).

Serna Collection

After 2^nd in 76, Thom Hunt (143) moved up one place to win the World Junior XC title ('77).

Hunt opened up a 15 meter gap after two of the three laps of the 7.5km race and stretched it to nearly 100m at the finish.

The U.S. junior team, won, making it four in a row, but were given a scare by the Spaniards, whose losing margin of 44 at Chepstow was reduced to just four points here. Actually Spain had all four scorers home inside the top 15, while the Americans had to wait to 18^th place, but led by outstanding individual winner, Hunt, they had just enough in hand!!

Jan. 17, 1971, 8th grader, Mitch Kingery started off with a 1:12:07 @ Nat’l 20 kilo Championships (20^th place)!
Feb. 6^th Mitch ran the Las Vegas marathon in 2:58:10 good for 19^th place.
Feb. 20 Searsville Lake, Kingery ran 45:26 (8M) netting 23^rd place.
March 7, West Valley Marathon, Kingery just misses the age-14 marathon record (2:43:04) with his 2:47:27!
April 18, De Anza Ridge Run, Hilly 10M, 6^th Kingey-65:25, Bested all HS runners.
May 22, Palos Verdes Marathon, 14^th Kingery breaks the 2:40:00 barrier with a 2:39:43!

(L) Kingery dropping down in distance comes up short, by .4 -running 2:11.1, in this 880y race with 25 mph winds.

July 9-10, Kingery  was part of the winning team in the 24 hour relay (28 teams).
July 31, Ocean to Bay Marathon- 11^th Kingery in 2:52:10.
Aug. 7, @ PA-AAU Hour Run Championships- Kingery is 16^th with 10M-996yrds.
Aug. 15, Raced up Pikes Peak (ascent) in 4:51:20 for 137^th place!
Sept 4, Emerald Hills Run, Kingery 41:24, 27^th place.

December 27, 1971, Phoenix, Arizona, Fiesta Bowl Marathon, Mitch Kingery runs an age-15 world mark, 2:34:37, in 9^th place!

January 1, 1972, Los Altos Hills, Midnight Run (tough 5.2 Mile course), 14^th Mitch Kingery in 27:59!

January 23, PA-AAU 20 kilo Championships: 10^th Kingery 1:07:51.

Feb. 11, Oakland Coliseum-Indoors -HS-2M -6^th Kingery in 9:43.0 (1 -Bobby Grubbs Washington ... 9:22.4).

Feb. 5, Las Vegas Marathon, 6^th Kingery 2:34:43, only seven seconds off his best!

Feb. 13, 1972, Burlingame-San Mateo, The Second Annual West Valley Marathon
Clear Blue Skies, Temperature in the low 50's. The course, consisting of five 5-mile loops and a short loop of one mile, 385 yards at the end, was officially certified by Ted Corbitt's Standards Committee as being an accurate marathon. (20^thlast year, Kingery just missed age 14 record with his 2:47:27).

(R) Mitch Kingery, a freshman, placed 12^th clocking a 2:29:11 (Don Kardong won-2:18:05).
***a World age-group record for 15-year-olds***
Splits: 5M 27:33, 10M 56:48, 15M 1:25:30, 20M 1:53:43, 25M 2:22:18.

15 year old, Mitch Kingery's feats in recent weeks... within a six-week period, he ran 2:34 Marathon Race (MR), 1:08 (20kilo), 2:35 (MR) and finally the 2:29:11 perfomance (L) at the West Valley Marathon - a World age-group record for 15-year-olds attains a Runner's World cover (March 1972).

* * * *

Eugene, Oregon, July 9, Sunday, 5:50pm, 1972 Olympic Marathon Trials.
35^th Kingery ... 2:31:46.2, (youngest qualifier ever) & the sensational frosh led the Nation in the Marathon for preps.

Senior teammate Matt Yeo traded wins with Kingery during the '72 XC season.

Nov. 22, Sophomore marvel, Kingery won the CCS Championships (Yeo was 3^rd).

Nov. 4, '72 -Kingery was second at the 2M postal with a 9:12.5 with Yeo 4^th at 9:14.

Dec. 2, Kingery was also second at the 3M postal with a 14:12.2.

Dec 30, Sat, College of San Mateo (CSM)/All Comers, 2M: 1^st Kingery 9:28.6.

Jan 6, Sat, CSM/All comers Mile: 1^st Kimball ... 4:19.6, 2^nd Kingery ... 4:26.3.

Jan 13, Sat, Examiner Games Trials @ CSM, 2M: 6^th Kingery 9:18.3.

Jan 21, Sun, PA-AAU 20 kilo Championships: 4^th Kingery 1:06:06 -Pictured (R, #596).

Jan 26, Fri, -Examiner Games Cow Palace, 2M: 3^rd Kingery 9:15.8.
Jan 27, Sat, Magnan Memorial 18-Miles (Hilly!): 1^st Kingery 1:56:10.

Feb 3-4 (Sat & Sun) No races....

(L) The pack of four stayed together through 10 miles (54:50), before Ron Zarate (#164) broke away. By 15 miles Zarate led by 22 seconds over 16-year-old phenom Kingery (# 263) 1:21:45 to 1:22:07).

(R) San Carlos Sophomore, Mitch Kingery, braving rain, ripped a 2:23:47 marathon; age 16 & Prep Record (5:29 pace!). Kingery placed 2^nd to Ron Zarate 2:23:15, & ahead of Jon Anderson, 2:23:57.

6 DAYS Later...
Feb. 17, Pleasanton 20 Kilometer Kimball (Jr) was 2^nd (64:19) & Kingery (soph) 3^rd (64:39). Kimball avg-5:10 per mile for the 12.4 miles. Kingery avg- 5:12.

*Kimball runs his last road race before Track Season;
Feb. 24, Martinez 8-Miler, 1^st Rich Kimball .. 41:22, ... 4^th Roy Kissin (San Ramon HS) .. 43:01.

Northern Calif... Fall of 1973 ('73 CCS XC Finals LINK)

Central Coast Section-Kingery raced through his junior XC season undefeated. That included winning the 2M postal (9:00.5) & setting a Crystal Springs CR.

North Coast Section-Kimball, a senior went undefeated as well... They met at...

Nat'l 3-Mile Postal (Dec, 1, San Jose)

1. Kimball 13:43.6 (state record, 6th best all time). He would go on to win the World Jr XC title.

2. Kingery 13:56.4.

*The NEXT day- Kimball would try a longer race (8.4M) at Livermore, breaking away from the field at 2½ M, and win by 64 sec., in CR - 43:10 (5:02 pace!).- 2 weeks later Kingery would run 10M in 52:10 (5:12 pace) relay leg @ Christmas relays.

San Franciso Examiner Games, Jan. 24, (above) Kissin & Kingery met again....

1) Kissin-9:07.8, 2) Kingery-9:09.4, 3) Fritzke-9:24, 4) Holmes (Downey-Soph)-9:27.6.

Tom McChesney (South Eugene) Class of "73.

Set the bar high for little brother Billy by running 8:53.2 / 14:24.4 / 29:54.4 (2M / 3M / 6M).

Rono, McChesney & Thomas Wessinghage (GER) race 3,000m in Cologne, West Germany (8/22/82).

Bobby Grubbs (Washington HS, CA) class of '72. (L-R), Freshman, senior & Oregon frosh.

Raced 8:54.6 for 2-Miles, 3rd in CA State meet (2M) came back the next week to win the 8 lapper @ International Prep Invite in IL.