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What was it that Chester Bennington's shrapnel-laced voice belted out in Linkin Park's song "Faint"?
"I Won't Be Ignored!"
That song might have come out several years before Mountain Vista senior Benjamin Anderson was born, but those four words combined into that one iconic line rang true at the Pat Patten Invitational in Boulder, Colo. Saturday morning.
Anderson stormed away with his fifth-consecutive victory - and lit a torch to his own course record, clocking a mind-boggling 15:06 on a course that's only seen four sub-15:20 performances - two of which Anderson own.
The Mountain Vista senior has been on a rampage this season, tallying impressive victories at the Dave Sanders Invitational, Liberty Bell Cross Country Invitational, Cherry Creek Steve Lohman Invitational, and the Vista Nation XC 2-Mile Invitational.
"I just want to finish the season with no regrets," he shared. "As long as I know I gave it my best, that's all that matters."
A year ago he cruised through the season and headed to State as one of the favorites to claim the title before finishing second at the 2023 5A Colorado State Cross Country Championships.
The runner-up finish has clearly fueled his stride this season.
"I want to go after that State course again, and hopefully take the W this time," he said. "I was pretty disappointed after (last year's runner-up finish.)"
Anderson did get redemption of sorts - he went on to finish ninth at Foot Locker Nationals Presented By HOKA in December.
Cue Mike Shinoda on the track "Faint"...
"Face away and pretend that I'm not..."
Despite Anderson's impressive 2024 resume (in addition to 2023,) he has been largely overlooked on the national stage this season. In the latest MileSplit 50 Rankings he was left off the list entirely.
"I try not to look at the rankings, but it's hard to ignore," he admitted. "I like being the underdog. I like coming out and surprising people."
Though if Anderson continues to race as he has, it might be a little hard to be an underdog.
His 15:06 at Pat Patten sliced seven-seconds off his previous course record, it was a 28-second victory, and it was just one of four sub-16 clockings on the day.
Add that his performance came in dominating fashion - run largely off the front of the pack.
Alright Chester, take us home...
"No, hear me out now
You're gonna listen to me, like it or not
Right now, hear me out now
You're gonna listen to me, like it or not
Right now (I can't feel the way I did before)
Don't turn your back on me,
I won't be ignored!"
Anderson's run led Mountain Vista to a 1-2 finish, with sophomore teammate Benjamin Adams finishing second in 15:34, which was just ahead of Castle View freshman-phenom Evan Dann, who took third in 15:40.
The upset of the day came in the team race, however.
It was the host-school Boulder who brought the fire to defeat Colorado No. 2 Rock Canyon, tallying 55 to 66. Mountain Vista was 10-points back in third, tallying 76.
While the boy's team race was tight, and Mountain Vista's Anderson ran away with the W, Juliet Frum and the Mountain Vista absolutely dominated on the girl's side of the competition.
Frum sat way, way back through much of the race before storming off to victory over the final mile.
The Mountain Vista junior picked up her first win of the season, clocking 17:56 to finish just one-second off the meet record (held by teammate Peyton Adams, who ran 17:55 last year.)
"I was not expecting to race that well," Frum admitted. "My legs were really tired during the warm-up, and we've had a hard week of training."
Frum's finish led a wave of green across the finish line, as Claire Guiberson, Zoe Brandt, and Brenna Jorde went 2-3-4, running 18:06, 18:16, and 18:34.
Castle View's Ciara Baker denied Vista Nation the coveted 15-point sweep, however, as she finished fifth.
Obviously a calculator isn't really needed to figure out who won the team race here.
US No. 4 Mountain Vista tallied 17-points to take the title. What's additionally impressive about their performance was their 40-second 1-5 split.
Boulder took second with 70-points, while Fairview was third with 86.
