Florida's elite competed at the 20th annual flrunners.com Invitational this weekend and did not disappoint.
The boys Race of Champions was the first race to go off on Saturday at Holloway Park and as the state's best athletes approached the mile mark, they were in an order that to some was unexpected.
St. Cloud's Zachary Cloud took the race out in a blistering 4:51 first mile, throwing the expected leaders -- Ethan Geiger and Jake Turner off their usual start to finish leads.
Gieger and Turner pulled away from the field towards the two mile mark and Geiger took the win in a new course record of 15:39.76 with Turner right behind in a new course PR of 15:47, Cloud being the final finisher sub 16 in a PR of 15:56.
Belen Jesuit's Diego Gomez and Adam Magoulas were the next two finishers to cross the line in 16:04 and 16:05. Gomez and Magoulas led the Belen boys in a dominating fashion, capturing their 8th Race of Champions title in an incredible 48 points over Robinson's 124.
This race indicates the shape the Belen boys are in at this point in the season more than any other race. With a 28 second 1-5 gab and a 16:18 average on the Holloway Park course, these guys are putting their focuses on a national qualifying performance and this weekend proved they are on the right track.
Their squad had nine boys sub 17 minutes -- only two of those nine are seniors. Expect to see them earn another team state title, but don't count out another individual state title for their team. Geiger has proven week after week this year to be the number one pick for the 3A individual title, but will Belen's focused efforts on nationals give them the strength to get in sub 15:40 shape by November and challenge Geiger?