It was a little drier for Kacey Doner this morning winning the women's 5K at the Evergreen Town Race than it was back in May for the St. Vrain 1600. Colorado Track XC file photo by Alan Versaw.
There may have been several more road(ish) races of note this past weekend, but we'll focus on two of them--the Run for Rwanda in Colorado Springs and the Evergreen Town Race 5K/10 in, of course, Evergreen.
Early Saturday morning at Cottonwood Creek Park in Colorado Springs was the setting for the Run for Rwanda. The count of high schoolers in the race was a bit down from previous years, but there were still several performances to note here.
Maximilliano Martinez was second overall and the first high schooler to finish at 17:04. It's worth noting that the course for this race is far more typical of cross country than road race. There is some hard surface, but plenty of hard-packed trail, and a little bit of grass, as well. Teammates Matthew Arbegast and Cole Munoz followed Martinez at 18:05 and 18:41, respectively.
Air Academy's Lilliana Hamilton was the top high school female finisher at 21:37.
This morning's Evergreen Town Race saw a much larger high school representation. While this one is a road race, you need to keep in mind that it is a substantial net downhill race.
Joe Horen, recently graduated from high school, took the 5K title at 15:02. Bryan Hird was two places behind at 15:44 and the top finisher among current high schoolers. Joshua Campbell, Brandon Swenson, Hayelom Fitsum, and Jesse Freeman all also finished in the top 10, with times ranging from 16:01 to 16:15.
Kacey Doner was the top female overall, in addition to being the top high school finisher, at 17:50. Erin Thomas and Melissa Anderson both checked in with the clock still under 19 minutes.
In the 10K race, high schoolers were thinned out a bit, but still present. Tyler Scholl edged Logan Simington, 34:01 to 34:11, for high school age honors among the boys. Harrison Scudamore and Jarrett Thollot were just a few seconds back at 34:28 and 35:24.
Caitlin Schmitt topped out the high school age finishers among women at 41:02, with Nyla Chamberlin following at 42:54.
Down in Pueblo, Pueblo South freshman Emily Lucero ran away with the Atalanta womens 5K with a 20:34. Centennial's Elizabeth Manguso ran second at 22:51.
So, now you have a little better idea of what kind of shape a few folks are in at the front end of August!