James Gregory ran clear of the field to defend his title.
James Gregory pumped his arms and clawed at the dirt beneath his feet. His wild blond hair drifted behind him as he rounded each rocky curve on the way down to Salida with reckless abandonment. And when he found a smooth patch of dry dirt without any dangerous rocks, he gave a rock-on sign with his hands without losing stride, or pace. He embodied the surfer in the mountains.
Rock on!
Gregory must have been tapping into the more primitive forms of running, because even though he was running clear of the field, he raged on, powering through every step as if he had a shadow that wasn't his clipping at his heels.
Or maybe it was his two first names that just fit so well with winning?
The Fort Collins (incoming) junior sought to defend his title, and he just that. He ran a clear 42 seconds in front of a solid field that included Salida's Camden Gillis. When Gregory crossed the line he had nabbed the fastest time of the day - which included an open race beforehand. Gregory finished in the challenging course in 33:21, or 6:10 pace.
Gillis cruised behind with a runner-up finish, crossing the line in 34:03. While Gregory took a clear win, and Gillis nailed the runner-up spot, the real race was for third.