With a new school year comes new changes, this is especially true for the Claremont High School’s cross country team. The cross country team welcomes husband and wife power duo, Mark Batres and Natalie Miano. These new additions to the coaching staff are looking to foster a strong team with a supportive environment.
Coaches Batres and Miano both graduated from Cal Poly Pomona with experiences in collegiate running. They continued their careers running semi-professionally and specializing in obstacle racing. After college Batres set the world record for the World’s Toughest Mudder Race, running 115 miles in 24 hours. His accomplishments have been fueled by his commitment to running from a young age.
“I’ve pretty much-done everything that there is to running, I ran in state meets when I was in high school and then NCAA championships,” Batres said. “I have a really wide [breadth of knowledge] in each aspect and what people have gone through and are going to go through.”
Miano, a multisport athlete, discovered her love for running in high school. Success only followed her from there.
“I pursued competitive running in obstacle racing, so that was kind of like my sport,” Miano said. “I ended up being the best at it and it was nice because it ended up being a combination of basically all the sports I’ve played.”
Batres and Miano’s coaching philosophy is rooted in their genuine love for the sport. Driven by their passion for sharing their extensive knowledge and experiences, they also coach the Claremont Nighthawks, a youth running team, beyond their roles at CHS. The youth team often competes in high-caliber youth races, and multiple runners on the team qualified for nationals last year. Batres and Miano have found encouragement in their coaching career from seeing athletes overcome challenges to better themselves.
With Batres and Miano’s coaching, the team hopes to accomplish big goals this season, looking towards state and possibly nationals. However, at the end of the day, both coaches just want their athletes to enjoy the sport and more people in it.
“My main goal is for them to enjoy racing and to enjoy the process of running, to familiarize and understand how to get better so that they can take the knowledge with them for the rest of their lives,” Batres said.
“I just want to see everybody enjoy this experience, running in high school,” Miano said. “It’s going to be something they’ll remember forever and I know we have a very competitive team. We strive for greatness and I want them to experience that together in every way that can bring them happiness and joy.”
With the experience of Batres and Miano, Claremont High School’s cross country team are not just starting a new season, they’re starting a journey to better themselves as athletes and people. With their deep-rooted love for the sport and genuine desire to see their athletes succeed, Mark and Natalie are poised to lead the team to new heights.