The Sun
Sunnyvale's Newspaper

Photograph by Skye Dunlap

Runners ramble over the course as they head to the finish line--and some refreshing watermelon--in the 16th annual Watermelon Run at Fremont.

Townsend tops melon field

But Watermelon Run is more than a footrace

By Dick Sparrer

The annual Fremont Watermelon Run has become more than just a footrace to kick off the high school cross country season.

It has become a regular community event.

The entire Fremont community--from the students to the alumni to the faculty to Principal Pete Tuana--all participate in the annual September race around the high school campus.

Jason Townsend, a Fremont teacher coach, won the Watermelon title in the 16th annual event with Fremont cross country runners Eric Fontes and Doug Cameron close behind. But the exciting finish was only part of the day's festivities that had started out in rather impressive fashion.

As the Fremont band played the school song, Tuana fired the starting gun to send the runners on their way, and the school's Featherettes lined up to guide the runners off the football field and onto the race course.

Townsend, who is also a Fremont alumnus, covered the 2.1-mile course in 12:02 to finish first overall in the 132-runner field. Fontes was a close second in 12:09 with Cameron third in 12:14.

For Townsend, it was his second Watermelon title. He was also the winner in the division for male coaches, marking the fourth year he's won a division title.

Fernando Contreras, a faculty member at Fremont, was fourth overall in 12:34 with Fremont alumni Brian Cooper fifth in 12:36. Contreras was the male staff winner in the race, claiming his third division title, and Cooper won his fifth alumni title.

Greta Hilbourne was the female coach winner in 19:21. It was her third division title.

Cameron and Sueh-Han Liew were the senior class winners in the race. Liew stopped the watch at 13:33 to finish 14th overall and first among female runners. She joins 1990 graduate Beth Bartholomew, a recent inductee into the Fremont Hall of Fame, as a four-time Watermelon winner. Liew was only 17 seconds off the senior course record.

Renato Carlos and Avy Brumbaugh were junior winners. Carlos was ninth overall in 13:15 to win the boys' title and Brumbaugh ran 16:22 to take the girls' crown in the junior class.

Fontes was an easy winner among the sophomore boys with his blistering 12:09. Jennifer Brown was first among sophomore girls in 16:08.

Freshman winners were Vince Klumper and Marlene Piazza. Klumper ran 14:16 to finish 20th overall and take the boys' title and Klumper won the girls' title in 21:19.

Y.C. Liew ran 17:59 to finish first among parents in the field. Members of the math department teamed to win the staff title and the Condons won the family division crown.

Watermelons were awarded to the race winners, and all competitors shared watermelons at the race's end. The melons were donated by Chuck's Produce.

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This article appeared in the Sunnyvale Sun, September 16, 1998.
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