Siraki in First Until the Last

Senior Anita Siraki of Hoover High fell 15 excruciating meters short of winning the girls’ title in the national cross-country championships at the Oak Trail Course at Shades of Green in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., on Saturday.

Siraki led for most of the last mile of the 5,000-meter race, but senior Sara Bei of Santa Rosa Montgomery passed her 15 meters before the finish to win in a course-record 16:55.

“It was terrible,” said Siraki, who clocked 16:56. “I was sprinting as hard as I could, but that’s not my strength.”

Bei’s victory on a sunny, warm and humid day capped a comeback of sorts for the four-time state champion at the Division II or III level, who failed to qualify for the national championships last year--finishing 10th in the West regional--after placing third in 1998 and 10th in 1997.

“I questioned myself when I was in last place [after the first 800 meters],” Bei said. “But when I caught up easily, I thought I would have a chance.”

Natalie Stein of North Hollywood finished 25th in 18:23 in a race of the top eight finishers from the West, Midwest, Northeast and South regionals.

Siraki, who entered the race as a co-favorite along with West region champion Alicia Craig of Gillette, Wyo., was among the lead pack when she came through the mile in 5:27 and she shared the lead with Craig at two miles in 11:02.

Siraki took the lead shortly thereafter when Craig began to fade to a 20th-place finish. But Bei was making her patented late-race surge after starting conservatively.

Siraki had about a five-meter lead on Bei with a 200 left, but she couldn’t maintain it.

“I was disappointed for a little while,” Siraki said. “But I feel like I ran a good race. I couldn’t have run any faster at the end.”

Bei, third in the West regional, broke the course record of 17:05.8 set by Victoria Chang of Honolulu in winning the national title last year.

Stein, a senior who finished eighth in the West regional, never got untracked.

“I didn’t run too well,” she said. “I started out slow and I never made up the distance.”

Stein, who won her second City Section title on Nov. 18, came through the first mile in 5:30, but found herself at the back of the 32-runner pack.

She passed a few runners in the second mile, but never felt like she was running well.

Senior Dathan Ritzenhein of Rockford, Mich., won his second consecutive boys’ title with a 14:35 clocking that gave him a 20-second margin of victory over senior Alan Webb of Reston, Va.