With a mile to go it was a two-man race.
Porter Middaugh led Will Brunner by a stride.
From the side of the trail at the National High School Trail Championships it looked like we had one hot battle on hand. And while it was true - we did - for Middagh and Brunner, it was a lot like it's been all summer long.
Two Battle Mountain teammates sharing the burn of the legs and lungs.
"It was pretty much felt like a team run," Brunner said. "It was so cool to be running with my best friend. But just because we're friends doesn't mean we're not competitive."
The two Battle Mountain juniors had run away from the field early, making the final kick to the finish a Battle Mountain-affair only.
Brunner unleashed a furious kick over the final half-mile.
The Battle Mountain junior went on to claim the National High School Trail Championship title, running 32:13, while teammate Middaugh finished just 15-seconds later, running 32:27.
"To get to run with my teammate, and be up in the mountain, it's awesome," Brunner said after the race. "To come here, it felt great to race again, and be out running against your friends, it was great."
Mountain Vista's Benjamin Anderson was a clear third-place place, and it would play a major roll in the team race, which came down to single digits.
Jake Drever and Gilbert Valdez also dipped under 33:30, while Christian Groendyk was sixth in 34:00.
One point separated the team champions from second - and third. And second and third were an actual tie that was eventually decided by 1-3 team average.
The Mountain Vista trio of Anderson, Daniel Romalia, and Milan Patel claimed the team title, tallying 46 points. Longmont and Fort Collins were a close second, with both squads tallying 47 points, though Longmont got the edge with the overall team average being several seconds faster.
While the boys race came down to the final mile, Keeghan Edwards made no question of the girls race.
The Valor Christian (incoming) sophomore torched the field over the final two-thirds of the race. She opened up a massive gap that would go unfilled by the time she arrived at the finish without a competitive shadow save for her own.
"It's definitely really exciting," Edwards shared of the win. "The end of the race, all you have to do is get to the part where people are, and they'll carry you the rest of the way. It's definitely a rush of adrenaline."
Edwards gave Aubrey Surage's course record a bit of a scare - she came within 14-seconds of taking it down, running 37:35.
While Edwards was clear of the field for the title, Rosie Mucharsky was a clear runner-up. The Denver East (incoming) sophomore ran 38:19, which was nearly half-a-minute in front of Lewis-Palmer's Jade Allen, who finished third in 38:48.
Three more dipped under minutes, including Milaina Almonte, Amy O'Connell, and Tristian Spence, while incoming Niwot freshman Anna Prok was just a second over.
The team battle went nearly according to plan, with the trio of Allen, Lily Poteet, and Emma Thomas of Lewis-Palmer taking the win with 32 points. The Classical Academy was second with 43 points, while Cheyenne Mountain was third with 53 points.
