SAUGUS CROSS COUNTRY: Big Bear, behind the scenes -- what a birthday present

Waking up early on a Monday morning and running is always a challenge.

Doing so on your birthday isn't exactly my idea of celebrating.

But a 40-minute run up the trail off Poligue Canyon Road adjacent to Big Bear Lake was the present awarded to UCLA junior Shannon Murakami, who was celebrating her 20th birthday with her younger sister, Amber, and the rest of the Saugus cross country program Monday.

Birthday well wishes were also going out to Saugus assistant Jenny Ridnor, who joined the Centurions for their morning run, which begins with roughly 1,500 meters along a paved road, then becomes similar to the "Beast" course at Whitney Canyon Park in Santa Clarita, as it develops into a predominantly uphill, windy trail of mostly uneven terrain that narrows as it ascends.

The good news for the Saugus runners, coaches and parents who embarked on the Poligue Canyon trail is whatever territory was covered going uphill on the way out was a much less stressful downhill run on the way back to the parking lot adjacent to the Cougar Crest trail, the site of another Saugus morning run later this week.

After 40 minutes of continuous running on the 1 1/2 mile loop on the interpretive Wildwood course Sunday afternoon, Saugus was back to its 80-minute schedule Monday morning.

The Centurions also welcomed junior Kaylin Mahoney to the group for her first run of the week, as the defending Div. II state champion was fulfilling her obligation over the weekend with the Canyon Theatre Guild and its production of "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" at College of the Canyons.

Mahoney, who plays the role of "Wife" in the summer production, has balanced her time the past seven weeks since finishing third in the 3,200 meters at the state track meet with training with the Centurions and rehearsing for the play.

Recent graduates Brianna Jauregui and Anne Randall were among the strongest of the female runners, with the nucleus of the varsity girls' roster and Murakami following closely behind.

Along with UC Santa Barbara sophomore Baxter Frick and Jeff Nelson -- a former Burbank High and Glendale College standout -- the boys' varsity group, led by Alec Nelson, Alex Ruther, Zack McGraw, Robert Pion, AJ Hebert, Logan Smith and Kurt Lutz, took the Poligue Canyon trail further than ever before, reaching the 5-mile peak and descending another mile on the other side of the mountain during the 84-minute round-trip run.

The group is returning to the cabin preparing for breakfast, with another run scheduled for 5 p.m. today.

Will check back later with more updates.