Emma Stutzman eyed the back of Mia Prok's black singlet.
With about a mile-and-a-half to go in Saturday's St. Vrain Cross Country Invitational the Pomona junior was chasing the Niwot sophomore, who had set a hot early pace.
And the gap was, sizable - about 10 seconds-ish.
But Stutzman had a few more gears in her back pocket, and Prok had been leading since the gun.
Prok climbed up near the highest point of the course for the second time while Stutzman inched a little closer. Eventually each inch gained became a foot, then another, and then another.
Stutzman began eating up that once-double-digit lead, and by the time the two neared the two-mile, the Pomona junior was running forward.
As they entered the third and final lap of the highly spectator-friendly course at Lyons High School, Stutzman tossed off her gloves, threw in her hat, threw down the gauntlet.
Whatever you want to call it, she did it.
The Pomona junior went beast-mode.
Stutzman made a decisive bid for the lead right as the two passed the two-mile marker. Once in front without a shadow to chase, she never relinquished her lead, she only added to it.
In the final mile she ran onwards towards the first big victory of her season.
Stutzman cleared the trees without a challenging shadow, and raced across the infield of the track to a 18:24 victory, which ranks No. 7 all-time on the course.
Prok held her ground for a runner-up finish, crossing in 18:43.
Behind them, Madison Shults dipped under 19 minutes, running 18:58, which was two-seconds ahead of Niwot teammate Eva Klingbeil, who crossed at 19:00. The only other non-Niwot runner inside the top-five besides Stutzman was Liberty Common's Isabel Allori, who finished fifth in 19:19.
The team race was more than over before the tally had gone outside the top-10, or the clock passed 19:20. US No. 12 Niwot did Niwot things, and pumped their entire top-five into the top-seven, going 2+3+4+5+7 (8+11) to tally just 21 points. Mountain Vista took second with 81, while Battle Mountain was third with 134.