Tehachapi News

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Cross country runner, Chris Sanchez, a senior at Tehachapi High School, will be headed to Australia this summer to participate in the Down Under International Games.

A lifetime Tehachapi resident, Sanchez has been running since the sixth grade.
“I enjoy the the longer runs, eight to ten miles, and will be running in the 6K in the tournament,” said Sanchez. “It’s going to be great to go down there; meeting new people and just having fun.

Sanchez continued, “I’ll be there a week, then we’re [the team] going to stop in Hawaii for four days on the way home.”

He plans to go to college, but doesn’t yet know where or what he’ll study.

“I don’t know if I’ll be doing this in college or not so this might be my last run,” said.
Sanchez has won many awards for his cross country running, including this year’s “Most Valuable Runner” at Tehachapi High School. He found out about the games in February when he was invited by International Sports Specialists to represent California. He will be joining the California Cross Country Team for the tournament in Australia during the week of July 13.

The tournaments are hosted each June and July in Australia or New Zealand. Athletes from the United States, Australia and New Zealand come together each year to participate in the Down Under Sports Tournaments.

Sanchez has to pay his own expenses and is still looking for additional funding to help pay for the trip. He can be contacted at 823-9642 if you would like to help.