Belmont Police Gear Up for Huge Cross Country Meet Saturday

This Saturday, Oct. 12, the Belmont hills will be home to a thundering herd of high school long distance runners as they descend upon Crystal Springs Cross Country Course for the annual Serra Invitational. 

"We'll have 2,700 runners this year," said Bob Rush, the race director and course manager.

"That's about 700 more than we've had in previous years, and that means more parents, more cars, more traffic and parking issues in the neighborhood," said Rush.

The race begins at 9 a.m.; typically runners and coaches start arriving at the course by about 7:00 a.m.

Rush has been in contact with Belmont police and the Belmont Heights neighborhood that bears the brunt of most of the traffic and parking issues that come up with such a large event. 

Belmont police Chief Dan DeSmidt and his officers are planning for the large athletic event.

"We’ve added extra staff including CSO’s (Community Service Officers) and Traffic Officers, which will be paid for by the coordinators. We also have a neighborhood outreach plan which will involve flyers, phone calls and Twitter messages. We are also working on alternate staging areas for the buses to get them out of the neighborhood as much as possible," DeSmidt told Patch in an email. 

Because the entrance to the course is located in a residential neighborhood, race fans park along the streets, occasionally causing trouble for homeowners trying to get in or out of their driveways.