Colorado cross country runners are set to make their marks nationally.
South’s Mohamud Ige and Smoky Hill’s Keara Sammons will lead two other locals into Saturday’s Foot Locker National Championships at Balboa Park in San Diego.
Both Ige, who was the state’s Class 4A champion, and Sammons, the 5A champion, won Midwest Regional titles Nov. 26 in Kenosha, Wis.
Ige ran 14 minutes, 58 seconds, and Sammons 17:26 over the 3.1-mile course. Each won by margins of three seconds.
“It’s not going to be easy, but I feel confident about San Diego now that I know what I’m dealing with,” Ige said.
A year ago, Ige finished 13th nationally; Sammons was 11th.
Two other runners qualified for Saturday’s race after finishing in the top 10 – Dan Roberts, who attends Crested Butte Community School and was sixth (16:09) in regionals, and Noah Hannon of Fort Collins, who was eighth (15:12) in regionals.
Coloradans have fared well nationally for the past 15 years. Most recently, Smoky Hill’s Katelyn Kaltenbach was national champion in 2003.
