Pete Maksimow had to run against the competition in his head - a familiar foe otherwise known as himself.
Hillary Allen had no idea she was blazing where no woman had gone before.
But both claimed new course records in the Cheyenne Mountain Trail Races at Cheyenne Mountain State Park.
Maksimow, who captured his third win in four starts in the 25K, had set the course record in 2012. But in the final strides on Saturday, with the finish line clock ticking down, he found just enough speed to eclipse his old mark by two seconds. His official finish time was 1 hour, 46 minutes, 3 seconds.
The 35-year-old Manitou Springs resident said it felt pretty good to beat his former self.
"Today I had a bit of a sprint with myself, my 2012 self," Maksimow said.
His training has been solid after two years of frustrating injuries. He thought something good might happen on the familiar singletrack that threads through the scruboak and pine trees at the foot of Cheyenne Mountain. Read the rest of the story here > http://bit.ly/1nwC6t6