Michael Mooney ran a state-leading 9:20 3,200 at the Broomfield Shootout.
When you've only run one 3,200, it's a little easy to set a new personal best. But 31 seconds? That's the difference between passing the 200-meter-to-go mark, and finishing.
A little over a week ago Michael Mooney ran 9:51 for the distance. While the time is modest, he didn't wait long to absolutely demolish it. Mooney ran a state-leading 9:20 at the Broomfield Shootout to take down a star-studded field that saw the top-five marks in the state. 21 went under 10 minutes, led by Mooney, who ran away from the field for a nine-second victory.
While Mooney's jaw-dropping time was a thriller, his 15:25 5k and 4:21 did hint at his talents. But now he's thrown his name into the hat for a state title in May - last year only one Coloradan went under 9:20 at altitude, and that was Tanner Norman. Can Mooney join the club? He's currently got the No. 1 time in the state by nine-seconds.
And the frightening thing was that Michael Mooney wasn't the only Mooney with a huge weekend - twin sister Madison Mooney dropped a 2:11.60 800 for a 10-second victory in the event, and a new state-leading mark. Clearly, she's stating her intentions, as her time is No. 1 in Colorado by five-seconds.
Madison Mooney ran a state-leading 2:11 in the 800 at the Broomfield Shootout.
To tally it up, the Mooney household currently has three Colorado No. 1 marks -- Madison in the 800 and the 1,600, and Michael in the 3,200.
I guess they both wanted to spend their first weekend as 18 year-olds (they celebrated their 18th birthday several days ago) with two huge performances.
We'll have a much more in-depth recap of the Broomfield Shootout tomorrow.