1. Bismark Lepe   Oxnard H.S.   1st   12-17   M   25:18
    (#6 performer, #10 performance, age group course record,
    old record 28:10 by Gerardo Vaca, Fillmore H.S.-1988)
 2. Tom Anderson   Newbury Park   1st   36-41   M   27:48
 3. Hans VanKoppen   Summerland    2nd   36-41   M   27:55
 4. Paul Marcel   Summerland    1st   42-47   M   28:36
 5. Dennis L.Lefler   Oxnard   1st   18-23   M   29:45
 6. Ken Gerry   Camarillo   2nd   42-47   M   30:13
 7. Steve Johnson   Santa Barbara   1st   48-53   M   30:43
 8. Keena Carstensen   Thousand Oaks    1st   36-41   F   31:16
    (#8 performance, female, age group course record,
    old record 31:35 by Mimi Baranowski-1987)
 9. Greg Hart   Pasadena    3rd   36-41   M   31:52
10. John McGreevey    Simi Valley   4th   36-41   M   31:55
11. Horst Lutz   Thousand Oaks   1st   60-65   M   32:01
12. Charles Carranza   Camarillo   3rd   42-47   M   32:40
13. Stuart Sato   Santa Barbara   5th   36-41   M   33:24
14. Rick Hunter   Newbury Park   4th   42-47   M   33:25
15. Jeanene Gerry   Camarillo H.S.   1st   12-17   F   33:54
    (age group course record,
     old record 36:59 by Francis Santin, Taft H.S.-1993)
16. Katie Tapia   Ventura   1st   30-35   F   34:12
17. John Leggat   Thousand Oaks   1st   24-29   M   34:35
18. Kathy Sanders   Newbury Park   1st   42-47   F   35:15
19. Devin McMahan   Granada Hills 2nd   18-23   M   35:38
20. Kim Hocking   Oxnard   1st 54-59   M   35:42
21. Caroline Doll   Ventura   2nd   35-41   F   36:10
22. Stephen Cribben   Ventura (age 12) 2nd   12-17   M   37:09
23. Caroline Prikosovits   Ventura   2nd   30-35   F   37:47
24. Dennis H. Lefler   Oxnard   5th   42-47 M   38:38
25. Amy Barrett   Woodland Hills   1st   24-29 F   39:30
26. David Anthold   Northridge   3rd   24-29   M   39:56
27. Ted Oviatt    Agoura   2nd   60-65   M   42:19
28. Lee Cannaday    Ojai   2nd   48-53   M   44:08
29. Joe Chase    Moorpark   6th   36-41   M   44:42
30. Patsy Dorsey   Santa Barbara 1st   48-53   F   44:48
31. Katie Hart   Pasadena   1st   6-1  1 F   48:05
32. Michelle Hart   Pasadena   2nd   6-11   F   49:30
33. Teri Werber   Ventura   2nd   42-47   F   51:00
34. Fred Werber    Ventura 6th   42-47   M   51:00

Ventura-Postponed by fire, muddied by rain, the Eleventh Annual Twilights Last Gleaming Cross Country Challenge was undeterred. Because the race was rescheduled after the end of the high school cross country season, a couple of local high school stars came to dominate the race. The overall winner was Bismark Lepe, from Oxnard High School. His winning time of 25:18 made him the 6th fastest person ever to run the extremely difficult, hilly course. His time was the tenth fastest time (5 time winner Steve Brown, whose streak ended this year, has run faster several times). The race is uniquely broken down into six year age divisions. Lepe also demolished the 12-17 age group course record by almost three minutes. This was not a soft record to break as it was held by Gerardo Vaca, a state track finalist from Fillmore High School back in 1988.

The womens race also produced course records as Keena Carstensen from Thousand Oaks challenged all but the top men in the race, winning her new 36-41 age division in an age group course record of 31:16, narrowly edging Mimi Baranowskis 1987 time of 31:34. Carstensen, already the holder of the #3 and #5 times on the course added the #8 time, knocking Baranowskis time to tenth.

The girls 12-17 age group was also dominated by a high school cross country star as Jeanene Gerry of Camarillo High School annihilated the old record by over three minutes. Her 33:54 beat the old mark set by Francis Santin in 1993. Santin, now of Taft High School, was a state track finalist last year.

The Great Ventura Fire of 1996 occurred the evening before the traditional day before the time change run. Even though the fire was on the other side of town and almost under control ten hours before the race, cautious city government officials closed down Arroyo Verde Park and the race along with other events citywide. Because of the rescheduling, only 34 people came out to challenge the course this year, all but ten were repeating the challenge. The lowest attendence ever caused a $150 shortfall to the poorly organized not-for-profit event. But for some unknown reason the race (dis-)organizer will hold the event again next year, on October 25, 1997 at 5:00 p.m., rain or shine (though fires may cause a change) at the same time as the 6th game of the World Series, in the middle of the traditional California fire season on a course that most of the hardcore running community deliberately chose to avoid. Illogical as all this may seem, he still hopes to build attendence for next years event.