All eyes were on Allison Pippert and Leah Hill.
A mile into Thursday's Colorado 3A Region 3 Championships the battle was already brewing. It was Pippert and Hill, then a sea of space. These two had met several times this season already, and the score was 1-1.
But Pippert was racing on with a bit of redemption in mind - a year ago she finished third at the 3A Region 3 Championships behind Hill and Allison Beasley, though she did not race at State.
But here on the course at Lyons, Pippert was ready to roll.
The Stargate sophomore attacked after the mile, thinning the tether that bound her and Hill together. Onwards into the middle mile they raced, but with each stride Pippert began to create a gap.
A second turned into two, and two into four, and four into eight. Soon Pippert had created a gap so large it was a giant abyss of time and space.
The Stargate sophomore raced forward, on to claim the 3A Region 3 title in 18:37 - her sixth consecutive victory, and seventh of the season.
Hill was a clear runner-up, finishing in 19:23.
The clock ticked on for another minute without a finisher. Then a hotly contested battle for third came roaring in.
Evelyn Boyd and Avery Marr kicked stride-for-stride across the grass towards the finish. The both crossed the finish locked at 20:30.40.
And then all eyes went to the team race.
Jefferson Academy took the next three spots, going 4-5-6, though Holy Family countered with an 8-9-10 finish, eventually sealing the deal by putting five inside the Top-12.
Holy Family tallied 37 points to claim the 3A Region 3 title. Jefferson Academy was second with 54 points. Prospect Ridge took third with 68, and Peak to Peak took the fourth and final qualifying spot with 91.
RESULTS | PHOTOS
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