The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
Delta Friday, Salida Saturday, sleep Sunday
by Than Acuff
A handful of years ago former Crested Butte Titans cross-country coach Shari Sullivan-Marshall introduced something new to the team’s schedule: back-to-back meets. This season, new head coach Bart Spedden continued the tradition despite a tough week of injuries and illness prior to the big weekend Friday and Saturday, October 2-3.
“All last week was like an infirmary,” says Spedden. “I was just nursing everyone back to health.”
When it got down to racing though, Spedden felt they were ready for the two meets and, in the end, they were as they gained speed over the 48-hour stretch.
“Fact is, the kids run faster in the second race,” says Spedden. “Everyone PRd (personal record) in Salida so the proof is in the pudding.”
They started things off at the Delta Pantherfest on Friday in Delta and had a plan in place with the prior week of limited training and the Salida meet the next day.
“Going into Delta the goal was to back it off and treat it as a training day,” says Spedden.
Freshman Betsy McMahon had the top result among the Titans in Delta as she kept pace throughout the race and put in one final kick in the last 100 meters to pass a runner and take 12th place. Teammate Dari Spedden was still limiting her pace with questions around a strain yet found the pace to place 24th and set herself up for more in Salida the next day.
Three Titan boys toed the line with Micah Hansen not quite out of the woods from an illness all week using the race to find his pace without making his illness worse, Eero Stai continued to find what works over the course of five kilometers and Eli Hansen, despite the team plan, still ran his way to a PR time.
“Even with the plan Eli still PRd,” says Bart. “I was proud of them because they listened and followed the script, and it gave us a good litmus test to set up for Salida.”
The Titans got back on the bus on Saturday to head to Salida for a new evening race on a new course.
“The course was pretty flat but had lots of turns,” says Bart.
Dari was the lone Titan girl racing and given what she learned in Delta, she was able to push harder in Salida. After coming through the one-mile mark in 19th place, she spent the rest of the race tucking in behind opponents and then passing them eventually crossing the line in ninth place setting a new season PR.
“She just reeled people in little by little and that ended up going really well,” says Bart.
The boys’ team grew to five runners in Salida with Micah leading the team around the course, followed by Noah Lockman who had the rebound effort of the weekend. Lockman had a rough go in Delta but reset himself for Salida and posted a PR time.
“Noah pulled it together overnight and threw down for a PR,” says Bart. “That’s the kind of momentum we really need right now.”
Eli took it up a notch in Salida to set his second consecutive PR in two days with Stai setting a PR as well and Jayden Beyer slowly but surely nursing his knee back to health and running smart instead of full send.
“He’s kind of a full-throttle guy and I was proud he pulled out,” says Bart. “We got regionals and state coming up and we need everybody healthy. Overall, it was a great weekend.”
The team will lose a couple runners to a school trip over the October Break but will take who they have to Grand Junction on Friday, October 9 and keep progressing for the post season races.
“I’m really excited coming off this weekend,” says Spedden. “We’re set up to go into league well and then onto regionals. Depending how that goes we will see what happens at states.”
