Coronado's Dusty Solis and Arapahoe's Connor Winter break away from the pack at Thursday's Coronado Cougar Classic. Photo by Mark Weeks.

You won't find this on the master schedule of cross country events for Colorado high schools, but this was "go run a brutal course" week. Consider that Summit's 9100 Foot Invitational, the Hotchkiss Invitational, the Ridgway Ramble at the Reservoir (tis far more than a mere ramble, that race), the Pagosa Springs Cross Country Invitational and Hill Climb, the Rock Canyon Invitational, and the Snow Mountain Invitational all fell on the same weekend. Not only is the terrain challening, but the altitude is over 6000 feet in each case. And, the Broomfield Invitational isn't exactly the easiest of races in urban park settings.

So, now you know, this is the weekend we pick to honor those who tend more toward the strength end of the spectrum than the speed end.

It was also yet another weekend with a lot of notable names sitting out while their teams competed. Without specifying any reasons for the absences (and in most cases I don't know the reasons for the absences), the following notable runners were out of action this weekend:

Alamosa: Jenny DeSouchet

Boulder: Sam Lewis, Ashi Guiles

Cherry Creek: Clare Gallagher

Denver South: Mifta Ali

Faith Christian: Evan Fortney

Fort Collins: Rachel Viger, Marci Witczak, Erin Hooper

Green Mountain: Renuka Jain

Liberty: Hannah Everson

Lyons: Melissa Roberts

Mancos: Kelsey Corbin

Middle Park: Sam Berggren

Nederland: Kelley Robinson

Pine Creek: Heather Bates, Ruth-Ann Hadjis

St. Mary's: Kara Slavoski

Silver Creek: Alex Paul

Smoky Hill: Matt Caldwell

The Classical Academy: Shebly Stableford, Emily LaValley, John Metzger

ThunderRidge: Dominique Gerard

And, honestly, I'm probably missing several more. There's some injuries to blame in some cases, needed rest in others, and flu-like symptoms in still more cases. Still, we hope to see many of these back in action soon.

Last Week in Review