The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
“That is just the grit this team is showing”
by Than Acuff
Six athletes from the Crested Butte Titans cross-country team headed to Grand Junction to toe the line against over 200 runners from 35 teams, most of which are far bigger than Crested Butte, in the Warrior Invitational on Friday, October 9.
“There are kids there throwing down some impressive times,” says head coach Bart Spedden. “I think it’s really good for our kids to see that exists.”
While the Titans results may have been swallowed up by the huge field, success was found in the details as three of the six Titans continued their trajectory posting personal record (PR) times in the five-kilometer distance.
“That is just the grit this team is showing,” says Spedden. “By the time they’re on the start line, they all have these mechanisms for showing up.”
Dari Spedden was the lone Titan girl lining up for Crested Butte against the 200+ field of runners. Spedden was on a PR pace through the opening mile but as the race continued, she felt a pang as one of her ribs “slipped out of place” during the second mile. Despite the discomfort, Spedden continued and while the mid-race malaise slowed her down, it didn’t stop her as she crossed the line just 11 seconds off her PR.
“The first mile she was cooking,” says Bart. “By the second mile you could see she was in a ton of pain. She just had to deal with it and sucked it up.”
Micah Hansen led the way for the boys’ team in Grand Junction. While the engine and strength have always been there, the next step was honing his technique and Hansen showed signs of putting it all together to slash 23 seconds off his previous PR.
“You could see him driving with his knees and kicking a bit harder as his gait smoothed out and let him float over the ground,” says Bart.
The boys’ team saw the return of Jayden Beyer into the fold as he continues to test his knee pacing his effort through the last couple of weeks. In Grand Junction, Beyer continued to remain conservative through the first mile while helping to pace his teammates but with no knee discomfort, he used the opportunity to start pushing things and gained speed throughout the race putting in a kick at the end and appears ready to open it up just in time for the final stretch of the regular season.
“He told me what his strategy was before the race and he followed it to a T,” says Bart. “Jayden has put on an absolute masterclass in how to return from a long-term injury. Now he is confident he can run full bore.”
One Titan suffered at the throes of breathing issues but Eli Hansen and Eero Stai remained on their meteoric pace throughout the season. Eli ran his way to a new PR time for the third race in a row while Stai posted a PR time for the second race in a row.
“Eli continues his insane trajectory,” says Bart. “For a freshman, showing that kind of consistency takes a tremendous amount of maturity. Eero is also on an amazing path, earning a back-to-back PR by shaving a stunning 19 seconds off his time. He is the most consistent runner on the team, hasn’t gotten sick and hasn’t gotten injured, and consistency pays off.”
Six Titans will now head to their league meet in Monte Vista on Friday, October 16 and then the team looks to be back to full strength after the break for the regional meet Friday, October 23 in Mancos.
