With a mile to go Katelyn Maley was being hunted.
The defending state champ had set a hot early pace that was a lot like the rising temperature at the course, and it was beginning to take its toll.
"Today was definitely tough with the heat," Maley admitted. "I kind of felt it that second mile."
After leading through the first two miles, Basalt's Maley was caught by Stargate's Allison Pippert, who appeared to be timing this one to perfection.
The Stargate sophomore sat back through the opening miles but had attacked the final mile in a bid for the state title.
The move nearly worked, as Pippert gapped Maley at a point in the race that you usually don't come back from - the final mile.
But the defending state champ proved why she's the defending state champ - she persevered.
Maley battled back, closing the gap one stride at a time. When she reached the creek crossing the race was back on.
"When you get to that water crossing you just got to go," Maley said.
And so she did.
The Basalt junior pumped furiously up the hill, onwards to Penrose, and onwards to another state title.
As Maley raced on towards the stadium, she took the familiar right-hand turn into Penrose and for the second consecutive year, the crowd erupted as she entered.
"That's the coolest feeling," she explained of finishing in Penrose. "That's what we work for, hearing that. To be able to hear the crowd cheering is something I'll never forget."
The Basalt junior kicked all the way through the line, and let a slight grin paint across her face as she finished.
Maley had successfully defended her 3A state title, running 18:37.
Pippert held on to her great run, finishing second in 18:47. A year ago she wasn't on the starting line of the state meet, now she was the runner-up.
Meanwhile there was a battle for third - Leah Hill and Jaycee Williams kicked all the way through Penrose, and while the battle went across the finish line, they both were clocked at 18:49.60. Isabel Allori took fifth in 18:56.
And then the team battle began to heat up.
TCA's Hope Ahnfeldt finished sixth in 19:09, which was just ahead of Alamosa's Sarah DeLaCerda, who finished seventh in 19:14.
Sawyer Wilson and Cassidy McDonald battled back, finishing 10-11, though Alamosa countered with Autumn McQuitty, Elizabeth McQuitty, and Madeline Castillo, who finished 17-18-19.
With four runners in the lean went in favor of Alamosa, but TCA closed the door soon after, with Sophia Valentine and Kyra Shaner finishing 22 and 29.
When the pencils stopped their tally, TCA had defended their state title with 65 points. Alamosa was second with 91, which was just ahead of Berthoud's 104.