Monte’s 5K at CSUMB draws diverse group of runners

By Mark Muckenfuss

High school senior Derrick Sun left behind a field of more than 600 runners to win the third annual Monte’s 5K at Cal State Monterey Bay on Saturday, Oct. 11. 

“I’m really happy,” Sun said, catching his breath after a finish-line sprint. “This is the first race I’ve won, officially. I’m happy I had the experience.”

Sun, who attends Arroyo High School in San Leandro, came with some teammates from his cross-country team. He said he’s looking at colleges he might attend next year. CSUMB is on his list, and one of the reasons he wanted to do the run was to see the campus. 

“I love the campus,” he said. “It’s very colorful and looks really clean, and people seem very open here.”

The 5K event is the centerpiece of CSUMB’s RAFT Weekend, a four-day event that celebrates Reunion and Family Traditions, tying them into the metaphor of the communal strength of an otter raft, a survival strategy where the animals link arms for protection. Proceeds from the event help fund student scholarships. 

Other weekend activities included a Friday night drag show and a Saturday afternoon carnival. On Sunday morning, CSUMB President Vanya Quiñones will host a community brunch.

Anna Watson was the first woman to cross the finish line in the 5K. A recent graduate of the University of Chicago, where she ran track and cross-country, she’s long been part of the CSUMB community. Her parents are both faculty members on campus. This is the first time she’s done Monte’s run.

“It was an awesome event,” Watson said. “I love the morning run with the view of the bay in the background.”

Quiñones said the run is a way to draw the outside community to CSUMB, especially those who might not be familiar with the campus, and to show off the beauty of the campus and its surroundings. It’s also a way to strengthen the Otter community, she said. 

“I’m really excited to have this new tradition,” Quiñones told the crowd just before the start of the race. “We are all about culture of care and our Exercise in Medicine program and our kinesiology faculty are making this a reality.”

Runners crowded into a starting area in front of the Otter Student Union where volunteers waved “Go Otters!” signs, inspirational music blared from speakers and organizers pumped up the runners with encouraging words.

Runners could compete not just in the 5K, but in a 1-mile event as well. Eight-year-old Jeremiah Buatista Jr., dashed under the start/finish arch to win the shorter race. He called the experience “amazing” but not unexpected.

“I’ve done agility training, soccer and baseball,” he said. “It’s been a lot, so I believed I could win.”

While Jeremiah was the youngest winner, he had plenty of company as the event drew everyone from toddlers to seniors. It even had an international flavor with students from Germany, France, South Korea and other countries participating as well. 

For many, it was a family affair. 

Angelique Wilson, of San Jose, said the 5K offered an opportunity for her to spend the day with her daughter Kassandra, a senior majoring in environmental studies. 

“We try to do some kind of run once a year,” Wilson said, noting that both she and her daughter are former track and field athletes. “I roped her into this one. I said, ‘Are you going to do it this year?’

“I’m not sure what we’ll do afterwards,” she added. “We always like to visit Cannery Row, but we’ve got 3.1 miles to figure it out.”

Kirstie Mathieu said the 5K was a last chance for her to participate in a parents weekend with one of her college-age kids. Her son, Hayden, is graduating with a degree in social science in December.

“It was always my dream to do a parents weekend, and I never got to do one until now,” Mathieu said. 

A veteran of half-marathon runs, she said the 5K was an opportunity to see if she and her husband, Jeff, could still do it. 

“It was nice running through the campus,” she said. “It’s a pretty campus. There were a lot of cheerleaders with cowbells, and a lot of community.”

This year, entries were limited to 650 participants. But Quiñones said she expects that number to grow larger in future years. 

“The sky is the limit,” she said.