By Epi Torres
PASADENA, CA – It was a successful weekend for local distance runners as athletes from Fillmore and Piru traveled to Pasadena to compete in both track and road racing events on January 17th and 18th.
Track Standouts at Distance Night
The weekend kicked off on Saturday at Pasadena High School for the January Distance Night meet. Two local freshmen made their mark on the track, both coming away with new personal records.
Ethan Leighton, a freshman at Saint Bonaventure, put on an impressive display of endurance and recovery. Leighton established personal bests in two different events during the meet. He first posted an excellent time of 2:07.39 in the 800-meter race. Just minutes later, he returned to the starting line for the Mile, where he clocked his second personal best of the night with a time of 5:15.61.
Representing Fillmore High School, freshman Damien Santa Rosa took on the grueling two-mile race. Competing in the event for the first time, Santa Rosa crossed the finish line with a strong personal best time of 10:43.02.
Success at the Rose Bowl
On Sunday, the focus shifted to the iconic Rose Bowl for the 2026 Rose Bowl Half Marathon.
In the main 13.1-mile event, Martin Arredondo of Fillmore and Fabian Ochoa of Piru represented the local community. Arredondo finished the half marathon with a time of 1:31:55, while Ochoa completed the course in 1:42:14.
The next generation of runners was also in action as Angel Fabian Ochoa Arredondo, a student at Piru Elementary, participated in the Rose Bowl Rush. The young athlete completed the half-kilometer (one-third of a mile) course. While no official times were kept for the youth event, it capped off a weekend of high-level participation for the Fillmore and Piru running community.