Don’t fall asleep.

Claire Guiberson thought heavily on those three words as she cruised into the second mile of the Dave Sanders Invitational Friday afternoon.

Indeed, the second mile of the course was the most quiet, as it looped around Johnson Reservoir, far from energetic spectators, and far from the finish line.

But the Mountain Vista senior had been here before, and knew that if she could remain alert – and awake – the race could be hers.

“My coach used to call the loop around the lap the Fall Asleep (loop),” Guiberson explained. “He was like, ‘if you don’t fall asleep and your competition does, you have an advantage,’ so I just tried to stay awake.”

And there were plenty of rewards for staying awake.

Guiberson telescoped away with a dominating victory. The Mountain Vista senior cruised across the line without a competitor in sight and crashed into the thick grass at Clement Park.

Sitting down after enduring all the joy and woe of 3.1 miles was well deserved — she did just torch the previous course record by under 30 seconds, clocking 17 minutes, 31 seconds on a course that rarely sees sub-18 clockings.

“This was my breakout race my sophomore year,” Guiberson explained afterwards. “So I just wanted to enjoy my time on the course, which would be my last time.”

Enjoy she did — Guiberson ran away from a stellar field, as per the usual with weekends in Colorado this fall.

In Colorado, every weekend provides another elite field for someone to prove themselves against.

And this time Guiberson took down some familiar names with some lofty resumes of their own.

Regis Jesuit freshman McKenna Groen continued to impress in her first high school season, finishing second here in 18:14. Likewise, The Classical Academy’s Vivian Jack proved that she’ll be a force to be reckoned with in the Class 3A championship in November, as she finished third in 18:26, which was just ahead of Cherokee Trail freshman Maddy Lange, who was fourth in 18:33.

Jack’s impressive finish led the TCA girls to the team victory, tallying 88 points. Cheyenne Central out of Wyoming took second with 103, while Chaparral took third with 130.

While the girls race was loaded with familiar names we’ve seen every week, the boys race saw a rising star who’s officially streaking.

Jackson Ferguson picked up his second consecutive victory and his first big win of the season in the boys Division 1 race.

The Golden sophomore ran away from a field of upperclassmen to put his stamp on the race, and put the state on alert that he is a name to remember in the coming weeks, months, and years.

Ferguson took the title, clocking 15:44 — a 13-second victory.

“The stars aligned, I felt really good,” he said. “We’ve been preparing for this race for a couple of weeks. I thought I had a great mindset and preparation leading up to it. And it was good competition all around.”

Coming in second was Vista Peak’s Brandon Pearcy, who dipped under 16 minutes, clocking 15:57. Hot on his heels was Ponderosa’s Rylan Preble, who took third in 16:00.

The team race was tight, and it was Cherokee Trail who prevailed, tallying 114 points. Golden took second with 126, which was just ahead of Legend’s 128.

Colorado’s best were spread across the country this week, with national caliber meets in Oregon and Arizona.

Run Around The Country

Nike Portland XC Invitational (Oregon): Emry Schwalm and the Heritage swept the girls championship division. Schwalm ran away with the individual race, clocking 16:56. Her victory led Heritage to the team title, tallying 120 points.

Desert Twilight (Arizona): Colorado came. Saw. And Conquered.

Coronado’s Oliver Horton torched a blistering 14:23 to win the Sweepstakes race in the second-fastest time run in the country. As impressive as his performance was, so was Niwot’s team title — the US No. 1 Cougars tallied 48 points for a 140-point victory, led by Quinn Sullivan and Hunter Robbie, who went 3-4, running 14:42, and 14:45. Coronado took second with 188 points to give Colorado the 1-2 finish in the team race.

Likewise, Niwot’s Addy Ritzenhein once again claimed the girls Sweepstakes title, clocking 17:00, leading the Niwot girls to an impressive team title of their own, giving Colorado a complete sweep of the Sweepstakes races. The US No. 3 Niwot girls tallied 51 points for a 53-point victory.

Run Around Colorado

Loveland Sweetheart Invitational: Loveland’s Brynn Torres ran away with a 20-second victory, clocking 18:30 for the win. Loveland Classical’s Antheney Herre took the boys race in 16:11.

Platte Valley Invitational: Eaton’s Delaney Reuter continued her rampage on the course this fall with another dominating victory, running 17:43.

Andy Meyers Invitational: Riverdale Ridge’s Payton Meineke ran an impressive 16:16 for three miles to win the girls race, while teammate Anselmo Tolentino won the boys race in 15:11.

Northwest Open Space 5k PR Challenge: Broomfield freshman Savannah Fernandez won with a personal best of 18:19. Broomfield teammate Olivia Olson took second in 18:25. Broomfield’s Case Thompson took the boys race in 15:46.0, which was just ahead of Monarch’s Ty Johnson, who was a stride back in 15:46.6.