The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
Two-week training block on tap
[ by Than Acuff ]For the first and only time this season, the Crested Butte Titans cross-country team was able to race in the Gunnison Valley as they headed to Gunnison for the Mountaineer Cowboy meet on Saturday, September 19 posting a couple of top 10 results.
The Titans team had a strong showing the week prior at the largest meet they will encounter all season and kept the pace going at the smaller Gunnison competition. Regardless of the size, the coaches set out the plan as always for the athletes.
“The plan was to get out in a good position and to trust their legs and trust their training,” says assistant coach Colton Stice.
While their leader Jayden Beyer was able to race last week, the coaches decided to rest him in Gunnison as his recurring knee injury flared up leaving it to Micah Hansen to lead the boys’ side. Hansen stepped up to the challenge to post a personal record time and place 14th.
“He just keeps knocking time off,” says Stice.
Noah Lockman toed the line for his first race of the season and crossed in 28th place while Eli Hansen and Eero Stai rounded out the Titans effort.
“It was a rust-buster for Noah and we’re very happy with his effort,” says Stice. “Eli and Eero looked good, and you can see their progression and they’re getting more confidence in themselves.”
Betsy McMahon was the standout for the Titan girls in just her third race as a high school athlete. While McMahon continues to tweak her plan with each race figuring out proper fueling and pace, she still ran her way to a fifth-place finish.
“Betsy is still learning and in Gunnison she may have gone out a touch too fast,” says Stice. “But you can see her confidence growing each race.”
Teammate Dari Spedden provides a great one-two punch for the Titan girls as she cracked the top 10 to come in ninth place.
“Those two are working together in practices and Dari has been having great weeks of training,” says Stice. “She just keeps stacking good workouts on top of good workouts.
Meanwhile, much like Beyer, Ali Johnson sat the race out as the coaches focus on getting them ready for the next race.
“We want them feeling as close to 100% when we head to Delta,” says Stice.
Fortunately, the race in Delta is not until Friday, October 2 and part of the annual “double” for the Titans as they head to Salida the next day for another race. Until then, the coaches will put the athletes through harder workouts this week and then turn the focus to speed the next week to prepare.
“This will be a heavier workout week as we will try to simulate the regional and state courses,” says Stice. “The second week we will lighten the load with faster workouts to get the legs moving for the faster course in Delta.”
