I had the great opportunity of going up to Boulder yesterday to photograph the Cross Country National Championship races with a media credential for Colorado Runner Magazine.  It was a good workout for me, as I logged over 10 miles sprinting all over the golf course to keep up with the runners.

It was great to bump into GZ and get caught up on the status of the Grumpy Old Man contingent.  Those moments are always good for some laughs.

I was cold enough at the beginning to have numb fingers for a while, but it soon turned into an outrageously nice day and I spent the bulk of the time in shorts and a T-shirt.  Much better than when I shot this same race last year (Part 1, Part 2).

I got to have a front row seat to some incredible performances.  I was shaking my head at how easy it looked for the leaders, while the rest were turning themselves inside out.  I always admire how much some runners can suffer and still keep cranking.

The masters Women kicked things off:

Followed by a large group of Grumpy Old Men:

Then an 11 year old leading the high school girls race:

And a kid from Vista running well over half of the boys race with one shoe to finish 3rd:

The junior races were a blast to watch as some hard-fought battles took place as runners tried to earn a trip to China for the World Championship races later this year:

Then the big girls and boys took off to show who’s boss:

The racing photography season has officially started, and I’m looking forward to a great 2015!

The entire gallery can be found here.