RICHLAND -- How impressive was Erin Hegarty's performance at Hermiston's Brooks XC Fest last weekend?
Not only did the Hanford junior shatter the course record at Sandstone Middle School by 10 seconds -- a course that has seen a lot of talented runners over the years -- but she also took on Idaho standout Kate Jamboretz and left her in the dust.
Hegarty and the Boise runner separated from the pack early, blazing to a 5:45 opening mile on the 5-kilometer course.
"Which is stinkin' fast," noted Falcons coach Sean Mars. "It was pretty special to watch. They were flat flying shoulder to shoulder."
But by the end of the second mile, Hegarty had opened a big lead, going on to win by 32 seconds over a girl who had finished just 6 seconds behind her at last year's Sunfair Invite.
One last thing: It was Hegarty's first race of the season, while Jamboretz was running in her third, having won her previous two starts.
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