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VIDEO: Start of Winter Series II Short-Course race
VIDEO: Start of Winter Series II Lon-Course race
VIDEO: Interview with Stephanie Meredith, women's long-course winner

Katie Rainsberger isn't going to let a little thing like age get in the way of her running.

Rainsberger is 13 years old and she is only two good races away from winning the Pikes Peak Road Runners' Winter Series Short-Course title.

Running on the mostly flat Pikes Peak Greenway Trail, Rainsberger held off Rochelle Persson - no easy task - on Saturday to win the second race in the four-race series.

"I came here to try to win," Rainsberger said. "Rochelle is awesome. I was trying to pace off of her. I tried to shake her a couple of times, but couldn't do it. So I stayed with her to the bridge (with about 1/2 mile to run) and just took off."

Rainsberger hit the finish line at the El Pomar Youth Sports Complex in 25:04, crushing the age-group record by four minutes. Persson, 44, the recently crowned 2012 Colorado State Masters Champion, finished in 25:23 to set a new age-group (40-44) course record.

Rainsberger may have an advantage. Her mother, Lisa Rainsberger, is her coach and the 1985 Boston Marathon champion. In fact, she is the only U.S. woman to win at Boston since then.

"I really look up to her," Katie Rainsberger said. "I see that she has won at Boston and my goal is to do that, and make the Olympic team, so she is my inspiration."

James Burns, 23, of Colorado Springs, won the men's short-course  race in 20 minutes, 33 seconds. Burns set a new age-group (20-24)  course record, eclipsing the old mark of 20:48 set last year by John Mickowski.

In the long-course, 8-mile run, Ryan Hafer, 25, of Colorado Springs, blasted the field for the second-consecutive time. Hafer, set a new overall course record of 45:42.
Tommy Manning, 35, of Colorado Springs, was second in 46:14, breaking the 35-39 age-group record by nearly four minutes.

In the women's race Stephanie Meredith, 29, of Colorado Springs, won in 53:32. Meredith, who runs for Runners' Roost, is the defending long-course champion and in good position to repeat.

The third race in the series is slated for Feb. 11 on the Santa Fe Trail near Monument. Click here for more info.

Short Course Series Standings
(after two of four races)
Women
1. Katie Rainsberger, 13, CS, 47:16
2. Rochelle Persson, 44, CS, 48:15
3. Ruth Waller, 27, Loveland, 49:21
4. Chantae Steele, 10, CS, 49:22
5. Kayli Tabares, 12, CS, 50:32
Men
1. Logan Wealing, 30, CS, 39:32
2. Pat McGuire, 29, CS, 40:16
3. Michael Weiss, 30, CS, 40:35
4. Mike Claflin, 17, CS, 41:01
5. Quin Ralston, 18, CS, 41:54
Long-course Series Standings
Women
1. Stephanie Meredith, 29, CS, 1:47:37
2. Regina Hammond, 37, CS, 1:55:48
3. Jaclyn Roberson, 31, CS, 1:57:12
4. Laura Anderson, 33, CS, 1:57:52
5. Chrissy Steigerwald, 42, CS, 1:58:14
Men
1. Ryan Hafer, 25, CS, 1:24:44
2. Scott Spillman, 25, CS, 1:32:42
3. Andy Boyle, 15, CS, 1:35:02
4. Neal Oseland, 42, CS, 1:35:30
5. Chris McIntyre, 31, Canon City, 1:37:44