LONGMONT >> A week after not competing at the Arcadia Invitational, one of the top track meets in the country, Niwot freshman phenom Addison Ritzenhein was excited to get back on the track. Her performance in the 1,600-meter run at Saturday’s Boulder County Invite once again showed the state she is one of the top distance runners, despite her youth.

With the outdoor season just starting, Ritzenhein had not run a competitive mile much before Saturday. The state leader in the two-mile — with a time of 10 minutes, 39.25 seconds — did not disappoint and showed why she could be a top-3 distance runner in both events at state. Her mile time Saturday was 5:00.76.

“It was a lot of work,” Ritzenhein said. “It was kind of just a surprise and a little bit of a rust buster since I couldn’t race in Arcadia. I haven’t raced in a long time, so it felt really good to get back on track.”

Not many people would call an almost sub-5-minute 1,600 a “rust-buster,” but that is the high standard Ritzenhein holds herself to. After a stellar cross-country season that saw her run a 17:38.4 5K, Ritzenhein put in work throughout the offseason to be recognized as one of the best distance runners in the state.

“A lot more training just trying to feel it out,” Ritzenhein said. “I did a lot of core and extra things that hopefully help my times.”

As the outdoor track season continues, she hopes to break 4:55 in the 1,600 and 10 minutes in the 3,200.

Wind is not a friend

Peak to Peak junior Kourtney Rathke came into the meet looking to possibly break the Colorado pole vaulting record of 13 feet, 9 inches, but the conditions proved that feat to be a little ambitious.

Rathke had to settle for a third-place finish and a mark of 12-2, while Broomfield junior Lilly Nichols won the event with a mark of 12-8, despite the headwind that drastically alters a vaulter’s performance.

“I really like a headwind which is not common,” Nichols said with a chuckle. “Today, there was a headwind, so that was nice. I just got into my own head, and that kind of took a better performance away.”

Nichols may like the headwind, but it did not allow optimal vaulting conditions, and every vaulter seemed to have a mediocre morning. Transitioning from indoor to outdoor also factors heavily into the early meets as the competitors have to adjust to the weather and other elements that don’t exist indoors.

“It was a mediocre day,” Silver Creek senior and second-place finisher Megan Kelleghan said. “Only our second outdoor meet in Colorado, and the wind was going from a headwind to absolutely nothing, so it was kind of like standing at the back of the runway waiting to see what the wind will do next. Colorado can make it difficult with how cold it can be, and the wind changing so quickly. It is definitely a little challenging.”

Kelleghan finished with the same mark as Nichols, but it took more attempts, thus the second-place finish. Although this meet might not have been the best showcase, the Boulder area boasts six of the top eight pole vaulters in the state, including Nichols, Rathke, and Kelleghan.

Spike sharpens spike

The boys’ 400-meter dash may have been the most exciting race of the afternoon.

Erie’s Ashton Whisler and Niwot’s Ben Classen came into the race ranked as the No. 3 and No. 2 in the state, respectively, by posted times. Both held season-best personal records under 49 seconds, and the race did not disappoint.

Classen and Whisler were battling through the first 200 meters, and Whisler’s kick in the last 80 meters gave him the top spot. Classen finished just behind his Erie rival with a time of 48.98, giving him two sub-49-second times this season. Whisler may have gotten him this time, but Classen appreciates the competition.

“I just didn’t have enough in the tank,” a gassed Classen said. “Ashton and I train often during the indoor season because we are on the same club team. It is always nice to compete with somebody with the same skill level as me.”

As one of the top sprinters in the state, Classen knows there is pressure on him to succeed, but that only motivates him to perform better.

“I think the pressure definitely helps me,” Classen said. “I love to compete, and I like when people have expectations on me. It pushes me every race.”

With several meets to go in the outdoor season, Classen hopes to break 48 or even 47 seconds in the 400 while also working on the speed in the shorter sprinting events.