INDEX:
Liberty Bell Invitational
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When: September 11
Where: Heritage -- Littleton, Colorado
Let's talk about fast races. Since 2010, the Liberty Bell Invitational has been the place to be in Colorado. While the terrain adds to those times -- it's road with a mixture of dirt-pack trails which culminates in a net downhill -- there's no doubt that athletes come to Heritage early on to let it rip.
A year ago, as this event was renamed the Heritage Distance Classic, both Parker Wolfe and Sydney Thorvaldson uncorked course records. In Wolfe's case, he set a new Colorado soil record in 14:30.
This year's version should be every bit as good.
In the boys varsity race, No. 2 ranked Cheyenne Mountain is expected to field a full varsity lineup, with the team's No. 1, Erik Le Roux, among the favorites to win. The No. 14 ranked athlete in the MileSplit50 will encounter the likes of Jackson Shorten, the Mountain View (CO) senior who enters the season ranked No. 21.
Other notable athletes to watch include Valor Christian's Ty Garrett and Drew Costelow, Longmont's Connor McCormick -- currently No. 1 in Colorado at 15:13 and Chaparral's Brennan Draper, a sophomore.
The girls varsity race will feature an incredible lineup including the likes of Cherry Creek's Riley Stewart, Air Academy's Bethany Michalak, Eagle Valley's Samantha Blair and Pomona's Emma Stuztman.
With both MileSplit50 No. 2 Cherry Creek -- the defending MileSplit50 Team of the Year -- and Air Academy fielding teams at the race, the team competition will be just as fierce.
A total of 20 girls enter the race with seed times under 18 minutes.
Course Records:
Boys: Parker Wolfe, Cherry Creek (CO), 14:30.10, 2020
Girls: Sydney Thorvaldson, Rawlins (WY), 16:19.00, 2020
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