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Steamboat Springs — High school track and field practice officially started in early March, but for some Steamboat Springs runners, that first official practice was just another day.

It might have been a high-intensity day, or it might have been an easy, 40-minute jog. At this point, the days all tend to blend together for a group of distance runners with state aspirations.

Charlie Stoddard, John Cutter, Tyler Hutson, Buddy Kinder, Gus Allen and Brittany Long have been training with distance coach Greg Long since the end of December.

"For most of the guys, they're doing really well because they trained all winter," said Brittany Long, who wasn't able to train as hard as she wanted because of injury. "It's been the training and staying healthy."

The work is more than paying off.

At each meet this year, the Steamboat distance crew has been near the top of the standings. Whether it's the 800-, 1,600- or 3,200-meter runs, a Steamboat name - or three - is at the top.

All of the runners attribute a large part of their success to Greg Long. Long, an accomplished runner himself, has devised workouts to get the distance runners ready to peak at the regional tournament, May 9 and 10 in Grand Junction.

"Greg really gets all of us working together," Cutter said. "We've been running since December, and he got us ready so we didn't come in cold. It's so important. Speed work takes about four weeks, but to get that base, it takes months of training. But once you have that base, it's easy to get that speed."

Greg Long has designed the training to challenge the runners, working multiple hard days in with several easier and lighter workouts. Some of the harder workouts have included running Buffalo Pass in less than 30 minutes, or 5-kilometer days - essentially 5,000 meters of speed work.

"What Greg always says is, 'You have to get miles on your legs, then you can do your speed work,'" Hutson said. "Once that happens, the speed work will come pretty fast."

While Greg Long's workouts aren't short on challenges, Hutson and Cutter said they also include lots of fun. On a 40-minute run Wednesday, the distance runners turned the workout into a game with a tennis ball.

It's the intense nature of the workouts mixed with the fun that has made for a good portion of the team's success.

"If you work hard in anything, it carries over," Brittany Long said. "My dad knows what he's talking about and so does coach (Luke) DeWolfe. All our coaches do. Since we can goof around with our coaches, that helps a lot, too."

With regionals less than three weeks away, the distance team will start to taper off its workouts to be at full strength for the state-qualifying event. The ultimate goal will be to qualify as many runners as possible. That's been the team's goal for six months.

"The long-distance crew, there is definitely a camaraderie there since we've been running with each other for months," Cutter said. "This past season, we've been able to go out and not only work our butts off but have a good time.

"Greg isn't just a coach either, he's our friend, too," Cutter continued. "We're able to have a good time while we make our bodies suffer."

- To reach Luke Graham, call 871-4229

or e-mail lgraham@steamboatpilot.com