TRIVIA TIME: Roger Bannister of Great Britain...

TRIVIA TIME: Roger Bannister of Great Britain was the first man to break four minutes in the mile and Australian John Landy was the second. But did you know that Hungarian Laszlo Tabori was the third? Tabori, longtime coach of the San Fernando Valley Track Club and a resident of Burbank, ran it in three minutes, 59 seconds on May 28, 1955. . . . He defected to the United States shortly thereafter, but this January was inducted into the Hungarian Athletic Hall of Fame.

SHOOTING FOR SEVEN: Camarillo (1989), Hart (1990-92) and Thousand Oaks (1993-94) high schools won the past six State Division I boys’ cross-country championships, and Hoover High appears capable of extending the region’s title streak. . . . The Tornadoes are the top-ranked Division I team in the state. But, says Coach Greg Switzer, “we’ve never made it to the state meet. God willing, we will this year.”

NO END IN SIGHT: He won the state junior college cross-country championships in 1968, the NCAA Division II title in 1970 and placed seventh in the marathon in the 1972 U.S. Olympic trials. Yet Mark Covert’s greatest claim to fame might be his running streak. . . . Covert, above, the cross-country and track coach at Antelope Valley College, has run at least three miles a day, every day, since July 23, 1968. He has suffered a broken foot, been hospitalized with the flu and undergone surgery during that time, yet still has run more than 110,000 miles.

WINNING TRADITION: Hoover isn’t the only standout cross-country team in Glendale. The Glendale College men placed third in last year’s state junior college championships and are undefeated in five meets this season. The Vaqueros are shooting for their second consecutive Western State Conference title and seventh in nine years.

STANDING TALL: With an enrollment of just over 1,000, Nordhoff High in Ojai is one of the region’s smaller schools. But the Rangers might have the best cross-country program in California. . . . The boys are ranked second overall in the state and the girls are third.