PHOTO: Colorado Running Company runner Alex Nichols makes the final turn and heads for the finish line.

PHOTO: Ashlee Nelson of Colorado Springs won the women's race in 54:10.

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There's nothing like a little rest to make a runner feel like a champion.
A week ago, the Colorado Running Company's Alex Nichols suffered through the Vail Hill Climb.
"It was one of the worst races of my life," said Nichols, 25, of Colorado Springs.
But he took a break from his tough training routine this week. On Sunday, he ran as if he had rockets on his shoes. Nichols crushed the men's field in the Summer Roundup Trail Run, cruising to victory in 45 minutes, 34 seconds.
"I came in (to the Roundup) rested," Nichols said. "I had a full week to recover. Hopefully I'll keep the momentum going."
The Roundup course climbs about 1,000 feet from Bear Creek Park, topping out at after a tough climb on High Drive. It's all uphill on the way out, and a screaming descent coming back. Women's race winner Ashlee Nelson said she doesn't like running downhill, so she hammered the climbing portion, then held on to win in 54:10.
"High Drive is always tough," Nelson said. "I prefer climbing. I sometimes get passed going downhill, so I climb hard."
The men's field was packed with strong competition. Michael Selig, 32, of Lakewood placed second in 47:33, followed by Keagan Vargo (17, Parker, 48:00), Daniel Castaneda (Colorado Spring, 48:03), and Matthew Gallaher (Denver, 48:23).
Gerald Romero, two-time defending Triple Crown champion, placed sixth in 48:39. Nichols currently holds the lead in the Triple Crown standings after two races. See the link below for more info.
Nichols ran with Tommy Manning, one of the top mountain runners in the country for about a mile, then surged to the lead.
"I felt like I could take the lead, so I did," Nichols said.
He was about 30-seconds ahead of the field at the 3.7-mile turnaround. It was as close as anyone would get to him.
I was still slightly worried," Nichols said. "You never want to get too comfortable, so I tried to keep running hard.
Nichols won the Roundup in 2005. His time on Sunday set a new age-group record. The old mark was held by Daryn Parker (47:14, 2007).Selic and Vargo also set age-group marks.
Cynthia Arnold of Glenwood Springs captured second place in the women's race with a time of 55:50. Sheila Geere of Colorado SPrings was third (45-49 age-group record, 56:20), followed by Rochelle Persson (fourth, Colorado Springs, 56:48) and Shannon Merideth (fifth, Colorado Springs, 58:55).