What are the top running clubs in Los Angeles and Orange Counties in California?

I think that Cal Coast and Snails Pace like to bring in ringers as occasional "team" members, so it's hard tell who has the "fastest" runners consistently. Runners High has a talented group of Masters, but they've also pulled in a ringer or two (Northwest Master comes to mind). I would run for any of those three.

Is Gardena Track Club still around? They used to be pretty solid, too.

Movin Shoes says it is number one

I don't know about Gardena club. Runners High has The Gidabudays, those Tanzanian guys, they rarely lose in any local race. I wonder if they do any race that are a higher level like a Tanzanian champs race? Anybody know? Or have they done any big marathons I wonder, they dominate the area here.

Michael Bautista wrote:

I don't know about Gardena club. Runners High has The Gidabudays, those Tanzanian guys, they rarely lose in any local race. I wonder if they do any race that are a higher level like a Tanzanian champs race? Anybody know? Or have they done any big marathons I wonder, they dominate the area here.

The geta-bodies are fast for sure but W. is very beatable locally and will not run a race if he thinks he will be beat. Furthermore, he only races to win, not for time. I've watched him jog a 15:50 on an easy course. He's in it for the coupla-hundred prize money. Not a bad idea to get paid for a tempo run and I cannot balme him for it. He would not, however, keep his head above water outside the US or in an invitational.

Anyway's, TRH has the best elite running club (it is an entirely different club than their mere mortals club) but Cal Coast probably has the deepest "real" club field.

I would think that Farm Team LA is the best team now. I remember Hesch beating the Gidabuday's a lot more than they ever got close to him. also they are supposed to have a few 29flat and sub 29 guys so I thkn they would kick runner's high's asses. just my opinion though, feel free to post some recent results of runnershigh.

farm team La....but depends on how good you are... to run with em

Cue Christian Hesch screaming "there is no FARM in Team Run LA's name!!!!!!" in 5.....4.....3.....2.....1.....

Ok, if I've said it once, I've said it a thousand times - THERE IS NO "FARM" IN OUR TEAM NAME. It's Team Run L.A. Not associated with the Farm Team in Palo Alto......got it? For goodness sakes people, when will you learn? Also the Fluffy Bunny guys would smoke us. Ok, I have to go eat now, see you guys in LA on the 7th.

-Heschmonster

actually, I do have to go eat. pizza, and lots of it (all you can eat in downtown SLO, for only 5.95, with drink)

also, I know who is impersonating me. I shall steamroll you this afternoon at the workout.

as for the bunnies, i wouldn't let anyone "fluffy" get too close to me. i've spent enough time in san francisco to know what that means :). just kidding dave.

finally, I gave up long ago about people and the FT association. maybe when they see the Uni's with yellow and green they'll figure it out.

well, i guess this means michael can't join them, what with his 22min 5k's. keep worshiping el g mikey.

The Hesch Monster's going to get you guys for messing up the name of TRLA.... Remember, there's no farm team in LA.

Regarding clubs, on the roads, Runners High has been the best (TRLA not being around very long), but CalCoast is the most "real" club (Bill Sumner also puts 1-2 people into every Oly Marathon Trial). Orange County Track Club is mostly a non-factor (their top people also run for other clubs). I believe that the Gardena club went defunct when Reebok pulled back from sponsorships; The Old VO2max club is now Trackwest, which puts on championship meeds in the LA area. Snails Pace has a competitive team, but it's closer to recreational than elite.

On the track it's a little different. CalCoast has some people (more than TRH). SMTC has a couple (mostly 400 or 800). Also So Cal Track (Mark Cleary) has a number. SoCal Track is mostly masters runners that are still quite good even by open standards. But a bunch of people compete unat, which is only a problem getting into meets if you want to run a Mt Sac (because Mt. Sac allows coaches to lie about qualifying marks).

Then there's the coolest name award. I've raced against a couple of Irv Ray's "elite" guys who run for an outfit called "Mob Fitness," which is a health club or something in Riverside.

None of you mentioned SoCal Roadrunners which always seems to have about 15 kids 3-1/2ft to 4 ft tall in yellow and black at every road race who elbow themselves to the front of every starting line and then take off at about 4:20 mile pace for the first 400m of the race and then steadily fade backwards.

here's the better question: do any of the clubs in this thread actually meet for workouts on a consistent basis?

or is is a bunch of people spread throughout socal who meet up only at the races and wear the same jersey?

ANyone meeting 2-3 times/week and working out?

sincerely,

smelly monroe

For the record, Northwest Master has only competed with us on Team Runners High in the beer-chugging events after races--he's never put on our uniform for the race itself (he runs for Club Northwest ... and once a year for the Mighty Micros, a beer-running club that I, too, join for a relay and brews once a year).

As for the Team Runners High Masters Club, we're the current (and undisputed) national mens masters cross-country champions, and we have 9 masters runners at 16 flat or better for 5K. And we never use ringers (or anyone from outside our region).

Our open team probably has as much talent as the Nike Non-Farm C-Hesch Warriors (with Chokri, Wilhelm, Julius, Kevin Koeper, Ramon Serratos, etc.), but we're rarely all in one place at one time.

For the record, I think all the clubs mentioned above are pretty good. I'd be comfortable running for any of them ... except the Fluffy Bunnies--a cannibalistic group of savages who lure unsuspecting runners into the Santa Monica mountains simply to hear them scream as their quads disintegrate on precipitous downhills.

CalCoast, OCTC, Snails Pace, and So Cal Track Club all have organized workouts. Calcoast has them on their website: www.calcoasttrack.com.

As a member of CalCoast I would vote for them. Of course, as mentioned there are many ood clubs in SoCal. Kind of depends on preference.

And many of the CalCoast guys do meet up and run together.

SoCalPete - I met you at Riverside, I was the one with the dislocated collarbone. See you at MtSac.

SoCalPete wrote:

For the record, Northwest Master has only competed with us on Team Runners High in the beer-chugging events after races--he's never put on our uniform for the race itself (he runs for Club Northwest ... and once a year for the Mighty Micros, a beer-running club that I, too, join for a relay and brews once a year).

Then did you "defect" for the Masters 4x 1600 record? Who was on the at team besides you and Young? I thought Angel Roman was on that team, too, but did not see his name in the Masters record page. What about the DM?

Masters Relay World Records (Distance Events):

4 x 1600: 17:40

USA

David Olds, Jamin Aasum, Peter Magill, Tony Young

4 x 1500: 16:24

Mighty Micros

Peter Magill, Angel Roman, Kevin Paulk, Tony Young

4 x Mile: 17:14

Mighty Micros

Peter Magill, Brian Pope, John Hinton, Tony Young

4 x 800: 7:54

Mighty Micros

John Hinton, Brian Pope, Kevin Paulk, Tony Young

Distance Medley: 10:19

Masters of L.A.

Peter Magill, Cornell Stevenson, Angel Roman, David Olds

Where the hell is TRH?!?!?!?

(Great job!)