Titans x-country rambles through Ridgway race

“It’s really good mental and physical prep”

Every season the Crested Butte Titans cross county team heads to Ridgway for the annual Ramble at the Reservoir for some hill training. The course is notoriously tough, almost to the point of absurdity, with one hill climb and descent in particular. As a result, coaches Connie Hayden and Shari Sullivan Marshall see it as an opportunity to gauge their runners’ strength on hills, specifically the downhills. Furthermore, the state championship course has a similar brutal hill and Ridgway gives the athletes some insight into negotiating the specific terrain feature.
“Anyone can run uphill,” says Hayden. ”The downhills take strength and finesse. Plus, it’s really good mental and physical prep.”
The day opened with the girls’ race and senior Shannon Costello had a breakout performance. Costello was sitting in fifth place for most of the race before making one final move to push her way into third by the finish line.
“She was up front, hung on tight and didn’t let go,” says Hayden. “She was gutsy for sure. She was aggressive, which was good to see.”
Freshman Mia Shanks and sophomore Sienna Brooks worked together for most of the race until foot pain slowed Brooks down. Shanks maintained her pace to come in 15th with Brooks holding through the pain to come in a minute and a half later.
“Sienna actually finished really strong and Mia is just a steady work horse,” says Hayden.
The boys’ race hit a bit of a snafu as timers and timing equipment broke down, leaving several runners wondering where they finished.
One thing is for sure, senior Forrest Smith had another top-level performance, coming in second place. After running with the lead pack for most of the race in a group of three, the frontrunner broke away, dragging second place with him. Smith remained focused and with a half mile left to go, Smith stomped on the throttle to reel in second place in the final stretch.
Senior Danny D’Aquila and sophomore Aiden Truettner were two runners who got lost in the shuffle at the end. All race officials know is they finished somewhere between third and 15th place.
Senior Kyle Boyle came across in 16th place and the boys’ team finished the day in third place behind a couple 4A programs, with just three points separating the top three teams. Still, with times and places missing, hard to truly say in the end.
“All the boys were really focused,” says Hayden. “They just shrugged it off in the end and their sportsmanship really impressed Shari and me,” says Hayden. “They knew that they had good races.”
The team heads to unchartered waters this weekend to compete in the Fountain Valley School Invitational. The race attracts the top 2A schools from around the state and will give the Titans some insight as to where they stand, especially the boys.
“Our main competition is Vanguard and this will be our first contest against them,” says Hayden.