Off in the distance a pair of footsteps crunch dirt in rhythmic cycles.

You can hear the stride getting closer, and getting louder. 

Until --

It's here!

The 2022 edition of the National High School Trail Championships have finally arrived - and it looks like we've got some great races on tap!

The course starts just a few blocks east of downtown Salida, Colo. at 7,083-feet, and that's about as easy-breathing as it'll get. The opening miles will take racers up a variety of switchbacks, literally climbing up the side of a mountain. The course tops out at 7,558 in elevation before screaming back down towards Salida over the final mile. 

It's all trail, and some rock (they don't call it the Rockies for nothing...)

This grueling course will test the heart, legs, and lungs of everyone who competes, and it's because of the varying terrain, we've got a few questions to answer for this 5.4-mile race.

2019 Champion Tyman Smart ran away early.

Boys Race

The boy's race will answer the question "How well does success on the track translate to success on the trails?"

It's worth pondering, because 4A 1,600 and 3,200 state champ Connor McCormick is on the entry list. And in being the fastest distance runner in Colorado this Spring, he'll head to Salida as a pre-race favorite.

Among the many questions to be answered is whether or not the "hills" (AKA "mountains") can zap anything out of that fiery kick of his that everyone at Jeffco got to witness this past May. 

While the distance of this race (5.4 miles), and the terrain (trails) is very, very different from the success the Longmont grad had in previous months (1,600-3,200, and on a flat track), we could look at his 2021 cross country 5k as a hint of what we might see Saturday - and his 14:30 from RunningLane is in fact the fastest among all the entries by over half-a-minute.

Add that he ran 4:06 in the 1,600, and 9:03 in the 3,200 - both performances were run in Colorado.

What this tells us is that McCormick has the gears to kick, and the engine to run hard.

If anyone has hopes of taking down McCormick, they'll likely want to do the damage well before the final mile, which is mostly downhill. 

Editor's Note: Keep in mind, however, that the final 100 meters or so is slightly uphill.

While McCormick will toe the line at the National HS Trail Championships for the first time, he'll likely have someone who is very familiar with the course to battle with. 

And that's Porter Middaugh.

Last year Middaugh finished second (to his brother, Sullivan,) so he clearly knows how to run this course. For his efforts Middaugh represented the good ole' red-white-and-blue last month at the U18 International Mountain Cup in Italy, where he finished fourth. Porter ran 4:31 in the 1,600, and 9:14 in the 3,200 on the track this Spring, and 15:34 at NXR-Southwest last Fall.

Christian Groendyk is the No. 2 returner from last year's race where he finished eighth, and he's coming off a great track season. He ran 4:17 in the 1,600 (in Colorado,) and 9:12 in the 3,200 this past Spring. Add that his 15:09 5k PR from RunningLane is the second-fastest in the field.

And then there's the Mountain Vista duo of Benjamin Anderson and William Wachter.

Like Middaugh, Anderson heads to Salida with some very recent trail-success under his belt - he finished seventh at the U18 International Mountain Cup last month, and finished 12th in this race a year ago. Anderson ran 4:18 in the 1,600, and 9:15 in the 3,200 this past Spring. Additionally he ran 15:32 in the 5k at RunningLane last Fall. 

Wachter is the third-fastest 5ker in the field with a 15:29 from RunningLane. Additionally, he ran 4:25 in the 1,600 this past Spring.

Sullivan Middaugh's 31:52 from 2020 stands as the course record.

And let's not forget about the team race...

A three-person team competition also looks up for grabs. 

The question to be answered here is can the Lambkins from Fort Collins defend their team title? Or will the Warrior Flamingos (Central (GJ) rekindle their 2018 magic? Or will we see a new team champion this year?

When scanning the entries, it looks like Bongmont (Longmont) could replicate their track success and claim the title here as well. But perhaps the squad in the best position to claim the title looks like Vista Nation (Mountain Vista), as they already have two top-seeds who could crash the top-three overall.

2019 Champion (following - Joslyn Blair) and Runner-Up (leading - Madeline Burns)

Girls Race

The girls race looks nearly up for grabs, and it's loaded.

Three of last year's top-eight return, and there are a few additions that'll make this race fast.

If we're looking at last year's results for predictors for this year, Tristian Spence is a favorite. She's the top-returner, having finished third here last year, and she's coming off a blazing track season where she ran 10:52 in the 3,200. She also ran 38:33 at the Bolder Boulder 10k in late May, showing that she's clearly got a big engine. Add her 17:18 PR from RunningLane - that's the second-fastest in the field.

If we're looking at success on the trails,  Rosie Mucharsky and Milaina Almonte are among the favorites as well.

Both girls competed in the U18 International Mountain Cup in Italy, with Mucharsky finishing two-seconds in front of Almonte. 

It's of note, however, that Almonte is the No. 2 returner from last year's race, where she finished sixth in 40:45. The Battle Mountain (incoming) senior ran 5:08 in the 1,600 and 11:15 in the 3,200 this past Spring, and owns a 18:12 5k personal best from NXR-Southwest.

Mucharsky's edge may come from a variety of things, including that she just spent a week at a high altitude camp, meaning that she may be a bit more acclimated to Salida's thin air that burns the lungs. The Denver East (incoming) sophomore ran 5:05 in the 1,600, and 11:45 in her lone 3,200 this past Spring. But perhaps what's most revealing is her 17:37 5k PR from RunningLane (she also ran 17:52 at NXR-Southwest.) 

Mucharsky and Almonte clearly know how to run the trails, but they're not alone. 

If there's a Dark Horse, it's Keeghan Edwards.

The Valor Christian (incoming) sophomore is the fastest distance runner in the field. This past Spring she ran 4:49 in the 1,600, and 10:25 in the 3,200. Add her 16:58 5k clocking from RunningLane - that's the fastest in the field. 

In scanning the entry list, it looks like Aubrey Surage's one year-old course record of 37:21 could be threatened. 

Like the individual race, the team races appears to be up for grabs, though two teams really stand out.

Tri-Lakes (Lewis-Palmer) looks like an early favorite, though they'll like have Pikes Peak (The Classical Academy) to battle with. 

It only takes three runners, so it's likely that this one will come down to the line. 

MORE INFO: THE NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL TRAIL CHAMPIONSHIPS