Girls: Broomfield Sweeps the Competition while Claudia Burgess Rallies for the Win in Race that Never Was
The wind howled like a metal band, screaming into the faces of over 200 girls as they waited for the starter's gun. It was even impressive that some were able to explode off the starting line even as the powerful wind gusts toppled team tents and spectators left and right.
When the gun did echo out, the wind quickly taking the smoke from its tip, a hesitant field descended onto the open field and into the wind.
"No one wanted to take the lead," Boulder's Claudia Burgess explained.
While the massive pack ran off into the distance, it would only be a matter of time before the pace would pick up to something more manageable.
Broomfield's Katelyn Mitchem was the first to strike, and she dropped the hammer, hard. Mitchem telescoped away from the field with ease, reaching the mile with no one in sight. Behind her, teammates Madison Mooney and Ivy Gonzales led a stretched-out pack that had no beginning or end. Runners ran with five meter gaps between them as the pace seesawed back and forth in and out of the wind.
Broomfield looked impressive early, with their entire top-six running ahead of anyone else's third runner.
As the field dug deep through the second mile, dark clouds threatened with rain, adding to the challenge of the wind.
Lightning struck in the distance, sending race-organizers into a frenzy. They came over the PA system and attempted to stop the girl's race as they entered the final mile, though most of their words were lost in the hailing wind that drowned them out.
In the midst of all the turmoil, race-leader Mitchem was led off course. The move caused confusion for nearly everyone, as some runners began to stop, while others kept on. Despite losing precious momentum, and the lead, Mitchem rerouted to the course and kept running. Meanwhile, up ahead Burgess hammered through the final mile, unwilling to let this race go.
"We didn't want to stop," Burgess said. "We were so close already. We might as well just finish. We were dodging people left and right who were trying to stop us."
Burgess entered the final straight clear of the field to a confused line of fans and race organizers who thought the race had stopped.
"This was clearly my breakout race," Burgess said, adding that she had fought through pneumonia early this season. "I feel like I'm getting back to being myself again."
Mooney and Gonzales went 2-3 for Broomfield, while Mitchem battled back for an eighth-place finish.
Nearly 20 runners refused not to stop, leaving unofficial results
with a large, bold asterisk.
Due to the lightning, no results were official.
Despite the paper with black and white numerals separating facts from fiction, it was clear that Broomfield dominated the team race that never was, their top-four finishing in the top 10, and their six all within the top 15.