Crystal Springs is a nice course. I've race it a couple times, and it's tough (first time I raced it I got stung in the head by a bee during warmups--that's a tough course). To my mind, the BEST cross country course I've ever run is located a little further North, at Lake Lagunitas in the shadow of Marin County's Mt. Tamalpais. Unfortunately, it's a high school course that was only used a few years, back in the mid-70s, and then abandoned, because the local water municipality had concerns about the parking situation. A killer hill, three creek crossings (at our sectional championships the water splashed up to your chest on two of the crossings), beautiful tree-lined trails, padded with leaves. Most of the course run around the lake. A memorable course, for those fortunate enough to have raced it. (NorCal prep standouts Rich Kimball, Roy Kissin, Dan Aldridge, Hal Schulz, Rod Berry, Linda Broderick, Kathy Costello, Maggie Keyes and Kate Keyes all raced there at least once). -Brian McGuire
