Dan Castaneda rambled to the finish line as his parents Ted and Clarianne Castaneda provided encouragement Saturday at the CC Tiger Classic 5K. Dan and Ted are cross country coaches at CC.

Photo Gallery from CC Tiger Classic 5K
Video of the entire field in CC Classic 5K

The whole idea for Colorado College cross country coach Dan Castaneda was to pace one of his runners.

"I don't think I was very good at it," Castaneda said after winning the 23rd Colorado College Tiger Classic 5K on Saturday.

About 150 runners turned out to support the Tiger Pride Fund, which provides support to all of CC's athletic teams.

Sarah Young captured the top spot in the women's race. It was her second win in as many starts. Young won the XTERRA 5K in the wind and rain last week at Cheyenne Mountain State Park.

The race saw an increase in participants over last year, a boost that pleased CC's athletic marketing manager Jessica Bennett.

"We had 98 pre-register and 60 signed up today," she said. "We have a lot of alumni, but quite a few from the running community came out to support us."

Dan Castaneda always runs at the front of the pack, but this fall he is concentrated on CC's cross country teams. He said the Tigers' men's team has an opportunity to qualify for the NCAA Div. III national meet.
"This could be one of the better teams we've ever had," he said.

Results coming soon.