The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
Boys’ team rallies to back-to-back top five results
[ by Than Acuff ]The Crested Butte Titans cross-country team doubled down this past weekend as they spent Friday, September 29 at the Delta Pantherfest before lining up Saturday morning, September 30 for their home race of the season as a part of the Elk Run 5k event.
While racing back-to-back days, the coaches were confident the team could handle the effort and had them just focus one day at a time heading into Friday’s race.
“We just told them we’re racing today. Don’t worry about tomorrow,” says coach Shari Sullivan-Marshall.
The Delta race always provides the Titans an opportunity for fast times. This year, the course did so again as two of the six Titans girls in the race recorded new personal records and the boys’ team placed second overall, their highest team finish ever at the race.
Josie Feier led the way for the girls’ team, posting a new personal record time by 15 seconds. Eva Loughlin was next for the Titans while Lilla Laird crushed her previous PR time.
“Lilla was the athlete of the day,” says Sullivan-Marshall. “She just pushed racing the clock. It was good to see that grit out of her.”
The remainder of the Titans girls continued to get experience as they continue working out racing the five-kilometer distance.
As for the boys, well Sullivan-Marshall simply said, “they rocked it.”
Lining up against several of their regional opponents as well as a handful of larger schools, the boys’ team ran to a second-place finish.
Cody Pleak and Jake Pendy worked together through four of the five kilometers before Pleak put in one last push to finish seventh with Pendy coming in 11th place. Giles Billick ran a massive PR to come in 15th place while Flint Hoyt shaved time off his previous PR to come in 21st place. The rest of the Titans runners followed suit with the boys’ team racking up six PRs and two season-best times on the day.
“We just had this amazing pack,” says Sullivan-Marshall. “It’s just super exciting. When you’re running as a team, instead of giving up at the line, they’re all running through the line.”
Well aware that the team would be lining up the next morning in Crested Butte for their home race, the coaches and athletes were diligent in their cool downs and nutrition following the Delta race, making sure their warmup prior to the Crested Butte race was calculated and deliberate allowing their athletes ample time to prepare.
“We focused more on recovery after the Delta race and just forgot we ran a race the day before,” says Sullivan-Marshall.
The home race brings a massive number of teams to Crested Butte with close to 300 runners between the two high school races.
This time Loughlin led the way for the girls with Feier and Elise Crisi next to cross for Crested Butte.
The boys’ team had another great day of racing. Matched up against massive programs throughout the state, the boys’ team ran to their best team result ever at the Crested Butte race placing fourth overall. Pendy was the first to cross the line for Crested Butte coming in 15th place while Billick ran three minutes faster than last year to place 23rd. Pleak placed 28th and Hoyt rounded out the team scoring with a 43rd place finish.
“For the boys to take fourth is really awesome,” says Sullivan-Marshall. “For all of the runners to step up, I was so proud of their performances. It was an awesome two days. They took on the challenge and did well with it.”
With the school’s October Break at hand, seven Titans will head to Aspen to compete in the Chris Severy Invitational on Saturday, October 7 and then turn their attention to the post season when they return.
