Green Mountain's Grahm Tuohy-Gaydos (checkered pants) was the runaway winner in the boy's 5k.
Before the outdoor track and field season was up for question, and before the indoor season had officially ended, over 30 of Colorado's toughest distance runners toed the line in snowshoes in Leadville for the 2020 United States Snowshoe Association (USSA) Junior 5k National Championships March 6.
The race took place at roughly 10,250-feet of elevation, adding an additional burn to the lungs that the legs definitely felt.
While the top-three finishers earned the opportunity to represent the US National Team at the World Championships in Argentina, Colorado made sure to take them all.
Maybe it was the checkered pants, but it was probably the fact that Grahm Tuohy Gaydos is an aerobic beast.
The Green Mountain junior led the way for Colorado, dominating the field with a stellar 20:53 clocking - a new course record, and first sub-21. Battle Mountain's Sullivan Middaugh took the runner-up spot, finishing in 21:36, while Central's (GJ) Jordan Leblow took the third and final qualifying spot in 21:50.
In the team competition it was Central (GJ) to claim the title, just ahead of Green Mountain.
For the girl's Tristian Spence made it a Colorado sweep on the victory stand. The Central (GJ) sophomore ran away from the field for a 27:13 finish - a five-minute victory over teammates Kora Handy, who finished second in 32:09, and Hope Watson, who finished third in 33:36.
Among the teams there wasn't anyone who could hand with Central's (GJ) 1-2-3 punch.