A RUN TO REMEMBER BENEFIT PAYS TRIBUTE TO LATE ATHLETIC STAR.

Byline: Joseph Giordono Staff Writer

AGOURA HILLS - It wasn't quite the Olympic trials, but for 8-year-old Lisa Morgan, it was close enough.

``I ran real far, real fast,'' she said as she struggled to catch her breath after a two-mile run. ``I don't know what my time was, but it was fast. I'm good at that running thing.''

Lisa, her older brother and her parents were among the approximately 300 runners who dragged themselves out of bed early Saturday morning to participate in the fifth annual Justin Koppel Memorial Cross-County Races at Agoura High School.

The event, honoring the memory of the school's former cross-country team captain, was expected to raise around $1,000 for the team.

Justin Koppel was a 20-year-old junior at the University of Pennsylvania when he was killed in a car crash during a trip to the Florida Keys in 1995.

``This is the fifth year that we have held the race, and we think it is an appropriate way to remember Justin,'' said his father, Richard Koppel. ``It's a fun event and a nice way to raise some money for the team.''

Koppel also expressed thanks to the many volunteers who helped organize the event, time the runners, set up the course and hand out refreshments.

In July 1995, a group of more than 60 volunteers helped the family build a three-mile cross-country track that loops around the campus. That course was part of the two- and three-mile races that were held on Saturday.

There were, of course, winners and prizes, but that was incidental.

``It's such a beautiful morning, and it's so nice to see all of these kids and parents out for a run,'' said Maureen Betts, whose daughter ran in the three-mile race.

``I prefer the view from up in here in the stands with my cold drink, but it is wonderful to see everyone come out and sweat for a good cause.''

The top finishers received medals and prizes such as watches, running shoes and jackets. There was also a free lottery for ice cream and other treats.

But for some, there were other benefits of participating in the event.

``I'm not too sure about what the other runners are getting out of this, but I met a real nice young lady,'' said Greg James, a recent graduate of Agoura High. ``I guess I'll have to get in shape, because she wants our first date to be a five-mile run. But we'll have to see about that.''

CAPTION(S):

2 photos

Photo:

(1 -- color -- ran in Conejo edition only) Hundreds of runners take off on the start of the three-mile Justin Koppel Memorial Cross-Country Race on Saturday at Agoura High School.

(2 -- color -- ran in Conejo edition only) Robert Kubler, 17, crosses the finish line first Saturday with a time of 15:30 in the three-mile Justin Koppel Memorial race to raise funds for the Agoura High School cross-country team, of which the late Koppel was captain in the early '90s.

Eric Grigorian/Special to the Daily News