For being one of the best runners in the state, one wouldn’t expect to hear that Jose “Tito” Lezama didn’t always like cross-country.
“I had more passion for soccer, even if I was winning every race my sophomore year,” Lezama, 19, said.
Lezama, one of the top runners in the state and the No. 1 runner for the men’s team alongside David Cardona, started his running career at Leuzinger High School.
Lezama said he was pressured by his high school coach, who had seen him run in P.E.
“Before P.E., I had only played soccer,” Lezama said. “(My coach) didn’t have any runners for (varsity) cross-country.”
From the start, Lezama stood out, winning every race of his sophomore season. All the while, he played soccer as well.
It wasn’t until his senior year that Lezama started to enjoy running, the year that cross-country was cut from Leuzinger.
“Senior year was when I really started to enjoy running,” Lezama said. Nothing would keep him from his newfound passion.
“Even if I had to pay $200 to run and I didn’t win any races, I appreciated the sport.”
Lezama always had it in his plans to go to a community college. El Camino’s coach Dean Lofgren pursued Lezama as soon as he graduated from Leuzinger.
“Dean was the first one to talk to me,” Lezama said. “Rio Hondo contacted me as well, but they trash talked EC and I didn’t appreciate that.”
Under the tutelage of Lofgren, Lezama expects only to progress.
“Everyone who I talked to that knew coach Lofgren told me he would make me faster than I already was,” Lezama said. “I already see a lot of improvement. I’m in the best shape of my life now that Dean has me running seven, eight, sometimes ten miles a day.”
Under Lofgren’s guidance and constant encouragement, Lezama has already had an outstanding season for the men’s team, finishing first in back-to-back races in late September.
“The competition (at the community college level) is a little bit easier,” Lezama said. “It’s not because the runners are slower, but because I’m getting faster.”
Lezama has been noted for many photos in which he is caught looking over his shoulder. Known as a team oriented runner, Lezama has grown very close to his teammates.
“I enjoy running with everyone,” Lezama said. “We were once all rivals in high school, but now we’ve grown to be close friends. We mess around a lot.”
Another notable member of the men’s team is David Cardona.
“We both push each other,” Lezama said. “It’s funny, because in workouts I run faster than him, but in the races he runs faster than me. But, since we’re both leaders, we have to push each other and everyone else on the team.”
Lezama has high hopes for the season, and along with capturing the team title for the state, he looks to achieve the individual state title as well.
“I think we can take state,” Lezama said. “If your top five runners work hard, we can definitely win it. My goal, though, is to win state individually.”
Lezama’s life at the moment is focused on his desire and passion for cross-country, so much so that school has become a fine balancing act.
“In between classes I go to the library,” Lezama said. “I work on homework from the class I just attended so that I have only one piece of homework left by the end of the day.”
Lezama’s work ethic is evident in both aspects of his life, as a college student and as a runner.
“Tito is a great guy,” Lofgren said. “He has an incredible work ethic and is a very talented runner.”
Lezama’s current passion for cross-country is a stark contrast to his initial opinion of the sport.
“Cross-country is what I like to do,” Lezama said. “Sometimes at night, I even go for another run. At night I can go forever.”