VICTORIA RANDALL |STAFF WRITER

With the bulk of the season over, both the men and women’s cross country teams at Riverside City College have championships races to look forward too.

The next three races are crucial for both teams.

The Orange Empire Conference Finals will be held on Nov. 1 at Irvine Park.

After the conference finals, the Tigers  headed to the So Cal Championships at Central Park in Santa Clarita, and with a qualifying score they will be going to CCCA State Championships at Woodward Park in Fresno.

Each race is different the runners face the obstacles of unique courses, difficult weather conditions, and the big challenge of self.

Although there are teams, each runner competes as an individual.

“Cross-country racing is really competitive, you get on the line and its mano y mano” said McCarron. “It tests, your stamina, your strength and you psyche as well.”

The teams are working hard to prepare and McCarron says, “ We’ve got a very good chance of being in the top 10 in the state.”

“The goal is to  take one minute to 90 seconds off their time” said Coach Smith, “and a lot of the athletes are doing that.”