Kat Mabry / Roundup
With temperatures high at 96 degrees 12 high school cross country athletes suffered from heat exhaustion and at least 10 were transported to local hospitals for treatment, according to Sheriff Security Officer Venezuela.
The weather left two athletes in critical condition.
The meet which ran Pierce’s three-mile track included high schools from the LAUSD.
The same story told Thursday also happened one decade ago as 800 students and coaches met at Pierce College for a cross country track meet including multiple high schools, according to a bulletin from the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD).
A meet was canceled on Sept. 30, 2001 at 3:56 p.m. due to intense physical exertion. Temperatures that day were at 89.7 degrees, according to the Pierce College Weather Station.
Thursday’s meet was canceled at 3:57 p.m. following the suggestions of the medics on site.
“Obviously we looked at the weather and the humidity,” said Vicki Lagos, assistant California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) commissioner. “[We] e-mailed them [coaches] throughout the week, make sure your kids are hydrated, make sure they’re trained, that they are properly trained to race.”
The meet was the first of five dual meets of the season. Prior to Thursday’s event teams were given the option to not participate due to concerns of the heat.
One coach, who chose to remain anonymous, said that Lagos, ignored the concerns of coaches who wanted the event to be canceled all together.
According to LAFD Captain Gikas, this happens in competition, they (athletes) try and push themselves too hard.
Lagos was a cross country coach at Kennedy High School before taking the assistant commissioner position and is beginning her fifth year with the CIF.
The third of four races began at 3:30 p.m. soon after the event was canceled and the first emergency call went out.
Runners were picked up in a golf cart by Pierce College Sheriff’s deputies.
“I’m always concerned about any athlete that gets hurt,” Lagos said.
Runners were still being carted in for treatment 45 minutes later, according to Valenzuela.
LAUSD Superintendent Ramon Cortines was disappointed that the meet wasn’t canceled sooner when the temperatures were more than 95 degrees, according to local news.
According to Lagos, teams were given the option of not participating before the day of the meet.
“They should have canceled it earlier, a lot of people weren’t up to it,” said Karen Ragazo, junior cross country runner and a participant at the meet from Reseda High School who watched two fellow teammates be transported to the hospital.