Olympic hopefuls win Narbona Pass Classic

NARBONA PASS, July 10, 2008

As many as 400 runners and walkers challenged the course at the 29th annual Narbona Pass Classic on Sunday.

Narbona Pass, at 9,000 feet in elevation, is a challenge even for the physically fit.

CJ Carl, race coordinator, said, "We had an excellent turnout despite the high cost of fuel."

According to Carl, people traveled from as far as Phoenix and Albuquerque. The farthest entrant was from Montesano, Wash.

"First-time runners did not anticipate the challenging course and said that they will be more prepared in the years to come," said Carl.

A highlight of the race was witnessing two Navajo athletes perform literally in their own backyard.

Brandon Leslie, Diné, had not run Narbona since the 90s but easily won the 10K with a time of 35:45. Pablo Vigil of Colorado set the 10K record of 34:42 in the early 80s.

"I felt good," said Leslie. "I tried to get after the record, but the course was pretty tough.

"The race finally worked into my racing and training schedule," he said. "The race also helped with my training, being it was tough.

"The last hill was washed out, so I had to jump back and forth," he said.

Leslie held a comfortable lead throughout the race and was well ahead of the second place runner, Jacob Bore, who was clocked in 37:34.

In the last mile of the 10K the crowd began whistling and clapping and clicking cameras focused on Leslie as he made his way down the home stretch.

"I appreciate the support I receive and they are the reason I am here," he said.

Leslie tried out for the U.S. team in the marathon for the 2008 Beijing Olympics on Nov. 3, 2007, in New York City but fell short due to hamstring problems.

Leslie, from Gallup, is now preparing for the Twin Cities marathon in Minneapolis-St. Paul in October, aiming at the next Olympics. The race is the host of the U.S. Men's Olympic Trials qualifier.

"This is also the first and only race one can get for the 2012 U.S. Men's Olympic Trials," said Leslie. "If I attain this I will be able to concentrate on running a fast marathon for the next three years and not having to be so conservative in the marathon to get into the marathon trials."

Alvina Begay, Diné, who also tried to qualify in the U.S. Olympic Trials, was the 10K female winner with a time of 43:17.

In April, Begaye ran in the women's Olympic Trials for the marathon in Boston but failed to finish in the top three to qualify for Beijing.

"I am exhausted," said Begaye, of Ganado, Ariz. "You can never underestimate Narbona. I have a lot of respect for the course.

"I came here to have fun and see where I am at," said Begaye, who is recovering from a running related injury.

Begaye said she was happy to be at Narbona Pass.

"It's for the Navajo people who never get a chance to see me run in the races and I want to give back," she said. "I want to give thanks to everybody for their support. I was surprised everyone knows me.

"And this is like a Begaye family reunion," she added. "My parents never get to see me run. They are proud of my running."

After Leslie's unsuccessful Olympics effort, he thought of retiring but said Olympic gold medalist Billy Mills encouraged him to keep going.

"He told me, 'When you feel ready to retire, you will know when it's time. You need to think twice,'" Leslie said.

Leslie said he thought to himself he has a lot to prove to a lot of people and "running again has become enjoyable."

Many young runners participated in the Narbona Pass Classic.

"The competing of a lot of young Native runners is awesome if they are enjoying themselves and wanting to run with no one else forcing them to do so," Leslie said.

"They may be doing great now, but as they get older they will become to burnt out from too much racing every weekend especially when going into high school," he explained.

"Yeah, it's great to be doing good in local road races but people - coaches, colleges - look at what you can do at the national level," he said.

When asked what he thinks of when he is running, he said, "I think of my wife and kids, family, relatives, how proud they are of me and the support they have given me through my ups and downs.

"The Navajo Tribe and people, and all of them have never given up on me, so I can't give up on them.

"Most of all I love to prove people wrong," he said, "I really feed off the negative thoughts about me. No one is perfect, we all learn from our mistakes. The real challenge is the losing and how you pick yourself up."

Leslie thanked the Navajo Tribe for its sponsorship for the past months and all who believed in and supported him.

"Thank you for your prayers and blessings," he said. "Nothing is easy or just handed down to you, anything is possible, never give up, we all make mistakes, try to be positive, the lord will bless you."

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