The pessimists would have complained about the wind Saturday at the annual Runners Roost Invite at Mullen High School, while the optimists hoped it would calm down.
The realists — in the words of writer William Arthur Ward — adjusted their sails.
“It was really windy, so I had to really fight hard on this one,” said Sierra senior Samantha Thompson, who was named the standout female athlete at the multiclassification meet, which featured much of the state’s top talent.
Thompson won the 800 meters with a meet record of 2 minutes, 15.19 seconds and placed second in the 1,600, behind Highlands Ranch sophomore Eleanor Fulton.
Thompson used late surges in both races. She appeared ready to take Fulton in the 1,600 but Fulton found another gear and set a meet record of 4:57.08. In the 800, Thompson strode past Mullen’s Venessa Fabrizio in the final 100 meters.
“I was really proud of myself to come out here, do the best that I can and to really push myself,” Thompson said.
Conifer’s Emily Blok won the long jump with a personal best of 18 feet, in addition to winning the 100 and taking second in the 200. The UNLV-bound senior won the 100 just as the midday south wind got serious, and she survived two re-starts.
“It was hard,” Blok said. “Not that it was tiring, (just) trying to get it mentally.”
Wheat Ridge’s Annie Kunz won the 100 hurdles, changed shoes and ran off and placed second in the high jump — one inch below winner Amy Medina of Mountain View.
The Thompson Valley 1,600 relay squad set a meet record of 3:57.91.
The 3,200 was a trial as runners got pushed down the backstretch before making the turn into a wall of wind. Boulder’s Kelsey Lakowske took the event after reeling in Greeley West’s Ashlee Smalley, who opened up a big early lead.
“I was like, ‘Ahh, do I really want to win this? That’s pretty far,’ ” Lakowske said.
Mullen’s Andrew Berberick was named the top male competitor. The senior set a meet record in the 1,600 and won the 800. In the 1,600, Berberick chased Wheat Ridge’s Henry Cowhick before making his move in the last 400 meters.
“(Cowhick) always told me that his only way to win a race is to lead it the whole way,” Berberick said. “He’s just got talent and power and heart. Because of that, it helped us both.”
Fresh off winning the Class 4A state basketball title, Sierra’s Kelby Dias won the 110 hurdles in 14.42 and the long jump, as well as the 300.
“I just powered through them,” Dias said.
Smoky Hill pole vaulter Chase Cooper set a meet record with a height of 16 feet, 3 inches.
Dakota Ridge senior and Stanford-bound Evan Appel took the 3,200 with a time of 9:35.40 by outlasting Wheat Ridge’s Dart Schwaderer and Lyons’ Andrew Roberts.
“You have to choose your battles with Colorado weather,” Appel said.
