There's a subtle, but nonetheless real, gradient to almost the entire Lyons course. Colorado Track XC file photo.
A little more than two years ago, I did an article rating the difficulty of several of Colorado's high school cross country courses. Recently, a reader asked me if I'd consider updating the article. I considered it, and then decided it was an idea past due. In the interim, I've altered my assessment of some of these courses and added several new courses to the list. Below, then, is the updated list:
The Screamers
Liberty Bell - Of course this one belongs on the list of screamers. It's a slightly downhill course. A course composed entirely of asphalt and groomed, densely packed trail dirt. Add a little adrenaline from the mega meet atmosphere and you have what Liberty Bell is--the fastest heavy-duty course in the state.
Connected Lakes State Park - Anna Banana might compete with Liberty Bell if only the meet drew more teams. Frankly, though, it's hard to assemble massive sets of team entries on the western slope. And the State Parks limits the number of teams Fruita Monument can bring in. AB is a little lower elevation than Liberty Bell, very flat, and has lots of hard surface for the runners to get moving on. Where it goes off the hard surfaces, the trails are flat, groomed, and fast.
Confluence Park - I've been known to refer to Confluence Park as the Delta Speedway. Whitney Anderson ran 16:56 here in 2004. That, folks, is ripping. Very little hard surface on the course, but it's flat, it's low elevation by Colorado standards, and--once again--the trails are highly groomed and packed. The Delta heat can be a limiting factor on Labor Day weekend, however. I've also heard rumors that the course has changed over the years and the current version may not be quite as fast as at least one former version. In any case, this course is just a stone's throw from a place called "The Stinking Desert." I'm not kidding about that, either. Okay, maybe two stone's throws.
Cattails Golf Course (Joe Vigil) - Okay, so this one is at 7544 feet, give or take a couple feet (which is all the giving and taking there is to be found in Alamosa). Whatever people run here on the second weekend of the season takes them most of the rest of the season to match--if they ever match it. I'm guessing much of the race is run on golf cart paths, because there is no way grass should run this fast.
Monte Vista Golf Course (Eric Wolff) - Just about everything we just discussed about the Alamosa course applies to the Monte Vista course as well. Nobody will ever mistake the Monte Vista Golf Course for the home of the British Open.
Adams County Fairgrounds - I've only seen this one via satellite imagery on Google Earth, but I see some hard surface and I see very level terrain overall. I also know something of the history. It tends to produce some very fast times.
Wiggins - I've added the Wiggins Invitational to my list of life experiences. This one always produces very fast times. Even when the wind is blowing rain in your face, it produces fast times. Oh, and elevation is kind of low out there, too. If you don't have a place to go on league meet weekend and are looking for a PR, this is a nice place to end up. Mario Garcia promotes this one as the fastest cross country course in the state. And, the only part of that advertisement that's up for grabs is the "cross country" part.
Brush - I think much of what applies to Wiggins applies to Brush as well, though I've not been to Brush in a very long time. And, I've never been to the Brush Invitational.The times coming out of Brush are consistently quite fast. I'm told the pig plant doesn't exist any longer, which I'm sure is a relief to the cross country runners.
Monument Valley Park - It's time to add this one to the list of screamers. It's not the fastest of the fast, but nobody seems to run a slow race here any longer. But for one hill near the start/finish line, it's very flat (ever so slightly uphill south to north), roomy, and the trails are packed about as hard as trails ever get.
Bear Valley Park - When the DPS schools want to set PRs, this is where they go. The publication of this article today is timely, in fact, in that Cerake Geberkidane will be going after the Colorado all-time record on this course today. Lots of hard surface, not much to slow you down.
Island Grove Regional Park - One meet into its history and this course has already earned its place on the list of screamers. Greeley, of course, is relatively low elevation (by Colorado standards) to begin with. Double that up with no perceptible gradient and lots of hard surface and you have... a screamer.
Northglenn Open Spaces Park - I formerly didn't think of this one as a screamer, but the last two years of results are indisputable--it's plenty fast. And the common denominator of the screamers would seem to be... plenty of hard surface.
Stegner Soccer Park - It's time to give this course its due as the place where Mr. Geberkidane ran 14:46 earlier this fall at the Arvada West Invitational. Any elevation change here is minimal. Where the course runs on grass, it tends not to be very dense grass. There's a reason an attempt was made at an all-time mark on this course.
The Merely Fast
Fountain Creek Regional Park - This one produced some scary fast times in 2012, but it turned up the course was a little short. With the reconfiguration in 2013, it returns to the category of merely fast. Only 250 meters of hard surface helps to keep things sane here.
Waneka Reservoir (Centaurus) - Flat and fast, some grass, apparently. Not quite a screamer, but creeping toward the edge of it. The quality of the fields Centaurus is bringing to this venue helps to bump up the speed factor.
Fort Collins - I don't know the course, though I do know the area, and I do know what kind of times it tends to produce. A good dose of hard surface and very little up and down makes this one a mostly fast option. We saw this year what can happen here when most of the schools going to Fort Collins didn't get to run Liberty Bell. So, this one is now on the promotion list to Screamer, but isn't quite there yet.
Clement Park - Hard surface on the back side of what may be Colorado's most used course compensates for whatever slowing factors this course has on the front side. The solid competition that comes regularly to this meet helps to ensure that times will tend toward fast.
Elmwood Golf Course - This is the old Pueblo state course. The level of competition this course sees on a regular basis has declined somewhat in recent years, but it's still fast despite the grass. Low elevation, some hard surface, some shade, and a mostly flat course keep this one fast. Except for the extensive portions of grass, this one would probably move over and take residence in the Screamer category.
The Meanies
Viele Lake Park - I'm told this is a tamer course than the state course the one year they held the state meet there. The fact the state meet was only there one year tells you something, though. A good bit of grass. Only average times on this course typically. This year, of course, was further slowed by heavy rainfall.
Montezuma County Fairgrounds - This one likely figures toward the slower end of the meanings. There is one big up and one big down to the course, one that is otherwise mostly flattish. But, the footing is not exactly up to the standards of city park trail grooming.
Widefield - This one is harder than it looks. The more or less constant little ups and downs get to you before the end of the race. Grass keeps speed subdued as well. As meanies go, this one has more of an edge to it than most.
Gypsum Creek Golf Course - It's a scenic venue, and you probably can't afford the homes that butt up against the venue, but none of that is to be confused with a fast course. It isn't fast, but it's still a very pleasant place for Eagle Valley to host their home meet.
The Tough
Arapahoe County Fairgrounds - This is the 2010/2011 state course. It may never be used again. Then again, it might. In any case, a lot of uneven footing and two agonizing trips up Powerline Climb make this one a tough one.
Norris Penrose/Bear Creek Regional Park - This is the current state course. The 1-2 punch of Little Willis and Big Willis (where did those names come from, anyway?) is what most people think of when you mention this course, but what tore most people up last year was the steep downhill coming right after Big Willis. The steepness of the downhill is difficult enough as it is, but with legs already compromised by the ascent just finished, it takes on an extra level of concern. Oh, and there's a little more water in the creek this year than last. In my estimation, this one is more difficult than the Arapahoe County Fairgrounds.
Air Academy High School - If the single tracks don't get to you, the hill will. The hill isn't that long, but it is gnarly. And it comes right before an extended double single track. You're in a bad mood after the hill and it only gets worse when you can hardly pass anyone for the next half-mile. Elevation adds to the pain factor. The course is much more pleasant if it's rained recently.
Chris Severy (Aspen) - There is, as yet, no consistent Chris Severy course. There have been iterations that would trip over into the brutal category--like the year I ran in the citizens' race at this one. We started at the school, ran 1.3 miles uphill, leveled out for a short stretch, then ran gonzo downhill over hummocky sections of grasses. I wanted to find some level ground and kiss it when that one was over. Not all iterations have been that challenging, but they all have a pernicious bent. You're at altitude and you're going up and down. You come to this one expecting a little pain. If the course whetted your appetite a little, try going home over Independence Pass.
Sunset Golf Course - The amount of grass and the amount of hills pushes the site of the St. Vrain Valley School District meet into the realm of the tough. There probably aren't a lot of people who'd want to run an invitational here.
Saul's Creek Road - Just outside of Bayfield, this one will allure you with tall pines and the cool air of the San Juan National Forest. But the course will exact a pound of flesh from you before you're done.
Ridgway Reservoir - If you've ever driven by on your way from Montrose to Telluride, this one requires no further explanation. There simply isn't much level ground to be had here. On a calm day, the surface of the reservoir itself is pretty level, but that's about it.
The Brutal
Colorado Mountain College - Nothing at over 10,000 feet is easy. This one wasn't meant to be easy. The footing isn't so great. It has hills. And some coaches got rather up in arms a few years ago when this one hosted a regional meet.
Platte Canyon Rosalie Property - Seems there was a brouhaha about a recent regional meet here as well. Not as high as Lake County, but still high enough to get your attention and to afford the home team a little entertainment watching the flatlanders deal with the terrain.
Clear Creek High School - Home of the Golddigger Dash (but "dash" may be something of an exaggeration), this one may provide a clue to the origins of the expendable crewman of Star Trek lore. Samantha Berggren ran 22:29 to win by a full minute in 2010. Flatlanders, consider yourselves duly warned. They still run this meet, it's just that results for this meet aren't always easy to come by.