"You're next."
Following the 2019 cross country season Niwot cross country coach Kelly Christensen told Zane Bergen he had the wheels to do some big things.
This was after Bergen's 12th-place finish at the 2019 Colorado State Cross Country Championships, where he ran 16:30. His teammate - Cruz Culpepper - won that race in 15:36.
Fast-forward to 2021.
The picture that would be Bergen's stellar 2021 began to sharpen when he dropped a 8:57 3,200/ 4:11 1,600 double at the NIKE Chandler Rotary Invite down in Arizona in April.
And even then, that was just scratching at the surface.
The tip of the iceberg.
A little over a month later Parker Wolfe and Harrison Witt would eclipse those times in Colorado's altitude.
But so would Bergen.
Those wheels Christensen mentioned to Bergen in 2019 were showcased at the Randall Hess Invitational the third week of May, where Bergen ran 1:53.71.
Three weeks later he dropped his fastest Colorado-1,600 to date - a 4:13.58 at the Boulder County Track Championships - he also doubled back to win the 800 in 1:54.29.
Still, it was all just a hint of what was coming.
And what was coming, was a tsunami.
Just under three weeks later Bergen put together one of the most impressive quadruples at the 2021 Colorado State Track and Field Championships.
The then-Niwot junior first won the 3,200 Thursday morning in a strategic race, running 9:18 - closing in 59-seconds, and with a final mile of 4:22.
On Friday Bergen torched the field in the 800, once again running a negative split, going 56.6, then 54.5 for a 1:51.26 personal best - less-than half-a-second off the 4A state record.
And then Saturday he finally unleashed his best performance of the meet - and arguably his best performance of the 2021 track season - 4:09.51 4A state meet record.
Add another crazy stat - Bergen's performance in the 1,600 made him the third runner to break the late Rich Martinez's 40 year-old state record of 4:10.98 in 2021.
(The other two being Witt and Wolfe.)
Martinez's record officially stood for 40 years. And in 2021 three boys broke it. Imagine running 4:09.51 in Colorado, and being the third-fastest of the year...
Additionally, Bergen anchored Niwot's 4x800 state championship squad, bringing his tally of points to 40.
While Bergen could've packed up his incredible track season with that incredible quadruple at State, he toed the line one more time and thrashed his mile PR. The result would give track fans hints of what's likely to come during the 2022 track season.
The week after his quadruple at State, Bergen headed to Eugene, Ore. for The Outdoor Nationals, where, in an thrilling full-mile race, he took second in 4:03.90 (roughly 4:02.60 for a 1,600.)
Four months later Bergen finally got to cross the finish line of the 4A Colorado State Cross Country Championships first, as he successfully defended his state title. He ran a 4A state meet record of 15:17, despite running a strategic race early on.
Excerpt From Colorado 4A State Cross Country Recap: Titans Battle
"Zane Bergen ran into Penrose alone.
There was no one in front of him, besides him, or behind him.
Well, there were runners behind him. About 156 to be exact. But no one was near him.
It was the only way the Niwot senior would've preferred it.
Bergen took crisp, business-like strides while the crowd roared to life. There would be no crazy, close-finish like last year. No trip to the dirt. No waiting for an official results.
This year, Bergen won the 4A Colorado State Championship state title out-right.
And this year, he had the titans of Colorado's cross country scene to battle with for it."
READ MORE: Colorado 4A State Cross Country Recap: Titans Battle
And once again, we're talking about the tip of the iceberg.
A little over a month later Bergen once again made history, running under the previous cross country 5k national record at the Garming RunningLane Championships. He finished fourth in the fastest race in high school history, running 14:09. Needless to write, that's the fastest cross country 5k by Colorado high schooler, ever.
A week later he backed that up with another fourth-place finish at Eastbay Nationals.
To sum up Bergen's 2021:
Five 4A state titles (800, 1,600, 3,200, 4x800, and 5k.)
Two 4A state meet records (1,600, and 5k.)
One Colorado high school 5k cross country record.
Bergen started the year as one of the best runners in the state, but he ended it as one of the best in the country.
And he's got one more season to go...
