Titans cross-country tested at Lake County Invite

Race in Gunnison this Saturday

The Lake County Invite cross-country race has a habit of turning runners inside out. The race venue is in Leadville at 10,000 feet and has a succession of hills throughout the five-kilometer course. As a result, teams often spend much of the week leading up to Leadville concentrating on hills.
“We focused on hills for sure during the week and geared toward building strength but also how to pace,” says cross-country head coach Austin Ross. “I was really looking forward to it.”
In the end, the Titans had a bit of a “mixed bag” experience in Leadville, with some stepping up to the challenge, while some crumbled under the pressure.
Aiden Truettner suffered his first biomechanical, and hopefully his last, in Leadville. Truettner flashed the first mile taking the lead and running strong.
“He went out really, really well and his eyes were on setting a new record,” says Ross.
Yet as the pounding continued, his back started giving way and Truettner was forced to drop from the race.
“It was a fluky thing and that was tough,” says Ross.
That left Conrad Truettner, Benjamin Swift and Joe Hayes to carry the Titan colors in the varsity race. All three put in strong personal performances finishing in 48th, 54th and 68th place, respectively.
“I think they all ran a good race for sure,” says Ross. “I talked to them about setting a more aggressive pace and being comfortable with it and I think they were able to do that.”
Vincent Michel had the boy’s race of the day for the Titans though in the JV class. It was Michel’s first high school race and he jumped into the Leadville fire with both feet, coming out of it with a 22nd-place finish in the JV race and a time that would have placed him third among the Titan varsity runners.
“That was a really good race for him,” says Ross.
Sam Crossett and Tara Mortell continue to be the lone Titan girls running varsity and both posted top-30 results. Mortell’s effort was of note as she ended up sidelined temporarily 50 yards from the finish line but rallied after the break to finish strong.
“They both looked stronger than the last race in Delta,” says Ross. “Sam was attacking the hills and running aggressively.”
The girls JV team continues to show promise as well with solid efforts in their race and Ross feels the team is pulling together with each week of workouts and races.
“I think everybody is on an upward trend and it’s encouraging to see people making progress,” says Ross. “Hopefully, we’ll keep seeing that as the season continues.”
This Saturday will be the only chance to see the cross-country team in action in the valley as they head to Gunnison on Saturday, September 13. The race will be held behind the community school, with the girls kicking off at 9:45 a.m. and boys race starting at 10:30 a.m.