All photos by Alan Versaw
Christie Rutledge was determined to set the pace of this race. Here she leads the field into the first major patch of mud.
I'm not sure which Manlius runner this is, but the determination on her face typifies their approach to the race. Typically race photos have a lot of closed (or nearly closed) eyes. You don't see that on the Fayetteville-Manlius runners nearly as much.
Kramer Keeps it Klean: While everyone else was getting caked in mud, Michelle Kramer stayed amazingly free from the goose poop saturated slop.
Only the finish line stopped Christie Rutledge and Rachel Johnson from hammering on each other. Neither had the slightest idea of losing.
You can see a moment of hesitation here as the boys' field approach the first serious patch of mud.
Nobody I know or recognize in this picture, but we have a wall of individuals here fixed in concentration. A lot of elements come together in this photo that don't come together that often.
With about 800 meters left to go, Danny Carney is showing some of the fatigure this course worked the competitors. Mr. Carney has to be one of the nicest young men I've ever met--and a pretty tough competitor as well. Look for him to be back next year.
I'm not even sure who this Fort Collins runner is (though I can narrow it down to one of two), but you pay a steep price for falling in this race--both in terms of position and in terms of what you get to wear the rest of the way around.
Verzbicas looks back. At this point, it appeared Lukas Verzbicas was going to drop Cheserek and Lutz, but it didn't end up that way. Both of the pursuers closed up a little in the next 600 meters but couldn't overhaul the eventual winner.
