Northwest Montana cross country runners are putting in a lot of miles in order to run a little more over three more on Saturday, but the talent shouldn't rub off anywhere along I-90.
Glacier's boys and girls both project to finish third at the AA portion of the State Cross Country Championships at Billings' Amend Park; Flathead's boys are looking at a second straight top-five finish.
Meanwhile Polson's girls line up as the Class A favorite, with Columbia Falls' boys a solid bet to finish in the top three behind perennial powers Hardin and Corvallis.
Billings is hosting the championships for the first time since 1982; the 5,000-meter race was held at Lake Hills Golf Club back then. Amend Park is roughly 430 miles from Rebecca Farm, but Jesse Rumsey's Flathead runners are ready.
"The boys team is hoping to improve on their fifth-place finish from 2025 and get closer to the podium," Rumsey said. "They've had a great season of competition and training and are ready to show up."
Eight Braves are making the trip, led by seniors Chris Holland and Brodyn DeShaw. Rumsey is hopeful junior Carson Thorne can put together a great race after three weeks recovering from a calf injury. Sophomore Colt Gress and juniors Ty Vandervelden project to score; Holland, Thorne and DeShaw are serious threats to garner All-State (top 15) honors.
The Bravettes are in a tougher spot: junior Everett Holland is out with an injury, and she's been their top runner. That leaves junior Emery Eash to lead a squad that includes senior Akiyah Hardman and freshmen Finley Putzler, Maggie Williams and Rose Ford.
"Although they are a small team, they have promise for the future and are hoping to improve their personal records," Rumsey said.
For Glacier's girls, Ada Thiel and Lauren Bissen have the third- and fourth-fastest times in AA, behind Bozeman's Phoebe Maxner and Missoula Hellgate's Reed Stromberg. If Caitryn Vander Vloedt, Jamie Murphy, Hailey Faila and Anika Ackerly can group up, a podium finish is well within reach for the Pack.
Gabe Ackerly leads a more balanced Wolfpack boys team; he and Max Mangold are the best bets for a top-15 finish; Nathan Turner, Charlie Zlogar and Duncan Young are all in the top-30 range.
The boys are hunting their first trophy since finishing second in 2017. The girls are seeking their first trophy; they've finished fourth three times.
The Class A girls race has a couple major subplots: Polson's Morgan Delaney and Billings Central sophomore Addison Kegel have a showdown; and the Lady Pirates are chasing their program's first state cross country title since 1994.
Kegel, the defending state champion, Morgan Delaney and Polson's Quinn Delaney have all run under 18 minutes; Libby junior Capri Farmer has the No. 4 time.
Sara Dumouchel, an eighth grader, gives the Lady Pirates three solid top-10 runners, which should help to hold off Hardin and Miles City for the team title.
Of interest on the boys side is Polson's Jackson Bontadelli, who will play a home semifinal soccer game Friday against Billings Central, then run at Amend Park the next day. Bontadelli's best time, 15:48.4, is second in Class A only to Hardin's Ben Bird (15.25.6).
Individually, Libby senior Cody Watson has the fourth-best time (16:08.4) and Browning senior Koen Calf Robe has the 11th-best.
Columbia Falls sophomores Connor Jordan and Eamon Schule project to finish just outside the top 15, but don't count them out; meanwhile the Wildcats, including senior Brayden Swope and junior Gabe Coburn, are solidly in the trophy hunt.
If Plains had the numbers to go with juniors Josh Hermyn and Cord Greer, both of them top-four runners, the Horsemen could take the State B title.
Poplar, Harlem and Boulder project to finish 1-2-3 in the boys team race; Boulder is the decided favorite for the girls title, followed by Townsend and Big Timber.