What a difference a week and a few thousand feet of elevation make.
One week ago, Bobby Nicolls ran the first four laps of the Great Southwest Classic 3200 with Kevin Williams and Evan Appel before falling off the pace.
This week, in a different setting, Nicolls was the one who held pace, winning the two mile of the Midwest Distance Gala in a personal best of 9:03.04. Nicolls' time beat the previous meet record by just over one second. While breaking the 9-minute barrier at the two mile/3200 distance, whether in state or out, has thus far remained out of reach for Colorado's distance elite (although a 9:03.04 two mile does convert to just under a 9:00.00 3200), the number of these events won by Colorado boys this spring speaks volumes about the depth of the state's quality in this event.
Danny Nicolls, the younger brother of Bobby, finished ninth in 9:36.63. Danny's mark was also a personal best.