Soto Runs with Family, Wins Race, Then Celebrates Thanksgiving

High school sophomore tops large field at Topanga

The Soto family worked up an appetite and discovered they had much to be thankful for before celebrating Thanksgiving.

Four members of the Soto family participated in the XTERRA Topanga Turkey Trot Trail Run at Topanga, California, on Thanksgiving Day, November 24. A capacity field of more than 720 runners participated in the event.

The fastest of them all was Christian Soto, a 16-year-old sophomore at Riverside Prep School. He completed the 15-kilometer long course in 1 hour, 10 minutes, 30 seconds, to top a field that included several older elite runners.

"I was kind of surprised," Christian said. "I was running together with another gentleman and we caught a group in front of us. When we hit the fire roads at mile 4 or 5, I kind of took off. I knew the other guys were right behind me, but I was able to hold on."

(Photo of race start courtesy www.supersportsphoto.com)

Matthew Mejia of Manhattan Beach, California, placed second with a time of 1:10:49, and Arnulfo Bautista from Los Angeles was third in 1:11:02.

Christian said he recently completed his high school cross country season and was looking for a race to stay competitive during the winter.

"This was my first big race - my first 15K," he said. "I've done some 5Ks and won, but nothing like XTERRA. This is my biggest win."

Making it more meaningful, the entire Soto family participated. Christian's parents, Andrew and Christina, also ran in the 15K, and his sister, Faith, competed in the 5K. "My parents are the reason why I got into running," he said.

After the race, the family went home to a traditional Thanksgiving meal. "We had a feast," Christian said. "And we all had fun talking about the race, too. It was nice to spend the day as a family like that."

Michelle Barton of Laguna Niguel, California, placed 20th overall and was the first female with a time of 1:15:44. Kate Freeman was second in 1:17:20.

For complete results, CLICK HERE.

The XTERRA Topanga Turkey Trot was the second of seven races on the 2011-12 season schedule for the XTERRA SoCal Trail Run Series.

The next event in the series will be the XTERRA Crystal Cove Trail Run at Laguna Beach, California, on Sunday, December 11.

All races in the XTERRA SoCal Trail Run Series are open to runners of all ages and skill levels. For more information, please visit www.trailrace.com or www.xterratrailrun.com.

SoCal is one of 12 regions that are hosting an XTERRA Trail Run Series during the 2011-12 season. The others are Alabama, Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, Ohio, Pocono, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas.

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