Shannon Payne, 26, turned in a solid 8K to place 14th at the USA Cross Country Championships on Saturday in St. Louis, Mo.
Payne, who works at the Boulder Running Company in Colorado Springs and runs for the BRC/Adidas team, clocked 28 minutes, 31.2 seconds for an average of 5:45 per mile. The 8K converts to 4.97 miles.
She was one of four Colorado women - including two form the Pikes Peak Region - to place in the top 20 and was only 1:41 off the winning pace of Sarah Hall (Flagstaff, Ariz.) who clocked 26:50.1.
Fresh off a personal best 2:37 marathon at the U.S. Olympic Trials in Houston, Army Cpt. Kelly Calway of Manitou Springs, finished 19th in 28:59.6.
Calway was the January Runners Roost Runner of the Month (http://www.pikespeaksports.us/group/roadtrailrunning/forum/topics/runners-roost-runner-of-the-month-kelly-calway-ran-happy-in-houst).
Laura Thweatt , 23, of Boulder, was the fastest of the Colorado women, finishing fifth in 27:27.5.