CHICO — In recent years Chico has become a well-known hub for successful and competitive distance runners — whether it be at the high school or collegiate level. This year has been no exception.
The rivalry between Chico High and Pleasant Valley has been fierce. Chico High is paced by the stellar Mario Giannini, while Pleasant Valley has two runners who often lead the pack in Renton McGregor and Tryon Jardin.
During this spring’s track and field season McGregor has stood out, and at PV’s recent Eastern Athletic League Meet against Enterprise, Pleasant Valley Athletic Director and track and field coach Pam Jackson said McGregor was clearly the one to beat.
McGregor won the 400-meter race in 51.72 seconds ahead of second place teammate Jackson Hein who finished with a time of 52.48. McGregor then ran the 800 and defeated the second place Hein by nearly four seconds, clocking a time of 2:07.68 while Hein clocked a 2:11.63. He then ran the 1600 meter relay with Austin Hein, Cristofer Velazquez-Patino and Jackson Hein and the four finished in 3:45.91.
Due to McGregor’s success he is this week’s Chico Enterprise-Record Prep Athlete of the Week.
Jackson said McGregor was working on speed work Wednesday and saving the longer distances for Saturday, as his main two events are the 1600 and 3200 races. McGregor will be competing in the prestigious Stanford Invitational on Saturday alongside Jardin, who will race Friday.
Pleasant Valley distance coach Ryan Teesdale called McGregor the ultimate teammate and one who is very easily coachable.
“He follows directions, puts in the time and effort needed to be successful. Renton is a hard-working, high achieving student and athlete,” Teesdale said. “Renton is the ultimate teammate; Willing to lead multiple reps, if not all reps, of an interval workout. He motivates and cheers for all athletes on the team because he wants them to become better. He champions and thrives in the process of getting better and his desire for getting better rubs off on his teammates.”
McGregor wasn’t always a runner, at least in competitions. Growing up he played basketball and baseball through eighth grade. A friend asked him to come out for cross country in the summer between eighth grade and his freshman year of high school and he said yes, figuring it would be a good way to keep in shape for basketball.
McGregor played basketball on the PV freshman team in his first year at PV, before transitioning full time to cross country and track and field. He was excelling at distance running his sophomore year, and after a disappointing section meet at the end of his sophomore year he and Jardin decided to work hard their junior year to stand out on the distance running scene at PV.
“Renton, along with Tryon Jardin, came together during the pandemic year and put in the work to become better athletes,” Teesdale said. “The rest of the team saw the effort and desire of these athletes and it made the team want to achieve greatness. They get to see Renton run school records now, but they also saw the amount of work he put into the sport … now we are all witnessing the fruits of his labor.”
McGregor’s favorite part of cross country is his teammates. Despite each runner wanting to win each race, McGregor praised the cross-country culture explaining how each runner wants their teammates to do well and it is encouraging — particularly on the long runs.
McGregor praised the help of Teesdale to his development as a runner, as well as Jardin who he has known since the two played baseball together in elementary school.
“I came out for cross country the summer before my freshman year and I saw him and I was like, ‘I know you,'” McGregor said. “It was sort of like I didn’t know too many other people, but I knew Tryon, so we’ve been getting closer throughout our four years here and it’s really awesome.”
McGregor currently holds the two-mile record at PV, as well as several other distance records. He and Jardin have been going back and forth, and Teesdale is excited for the two to go back-and-forth for through the record books for the rest of their senior year.
For McGregor, the records are a benchmark that says, “ya you probably made the right choice.”
McGregor, a senior, hopes to continue his running career and is currently weighing his options at both the Division I and Division II levels. Jardin will be signing to continue his collegiate career in the next two weeks.
“Renton is an amazing young individual who has a bright future ahead of him,” Teesdale said. “His steadfast determination as a student and as an athlete will allow him to achieve whatever he puts his mind to, but first, I am excited to see how this season finishes!”
