After two narrow misses, Air Academy High School junior Katie Rainsberger captured the Class 4A State Cross Country Championship on Saturday at Bear Creek Park in Colorado Springs.
Rainsberger clocked 18 minutes, 50.3 seconds, the fastest time among all the girls at the state meet, and averaged 6:04 per mile on a hot and hilly course.
One of the top cross country runners in the U.S., Rainsberger finished second at the state meet as a freshman and sophomore to Niwot High School's Elise Cranny, a high school national champion now running at Stanford University.
In one of the most competitive races in recent memory, Cranny caught and passed Rainsberger in the last second to win in 2012. Rainsberger said she checks behind her now at the finish of every race.