On a warm and sunny Thursday at Stinson Beach, Marin County boys’ and girls’ cross country teams gathered for the annual Stinson Beach Relay. 

Tam girls and Drake boys are the top teams kicking off this MCAL cross country season. 

On the boys’ side, Drake placed first. The pressure was off for this light-hearted relay, but the stakes will be higher within the coming weeks. The V-boys are looking for another win at MCALs and another year at state. 

Although Redwood hasn’t participated in the Stinson relays for years, Liam Anderson, Redwood graduate and national cross country champion, has left the individual MCAL title up to the top boys in the county. Drake’s Amir Barkan and Owen Wolford, MC’s Lyle Rumon, and Tam’s Paul Law are all vying for the title.  

Drake girls secured second place behind Tam girls. 

Before the race, Drake’s Kyla Seeley was unsure how the girls would place. As race day neared a few runners got injured and caused relay team rearrangements. Not to mention, there was some strong competition from Tam and MC. 

“The fact that we got second place […] isn’t much of a bad thing, I don’t think. Of course, we are striving for excellence, and first place is always the goal, but we were scoping out Tam and MC at the Lowell Invitational and they have a tight top five, [which is] perfect for the cross country strategy. So it was no surprise that Tam did as well as they did in the relay,” Seeley said after the girls’ second-place win.

The Stinson Relays give a look into the season ahead. For both Drake girls and boys, it’s looking to be a competitive one.