The mountains were on fire behind Porter Middaugh.
Not literally.
The sun was pulling its rays back to the west, leaving the mountains in an orange glow as the Battle Mountain senior pumped his arms in fury towards the finish line Thursday evening at the Warrior Lincoln Park Classic (SWL Championships).
The crowd was well-aware of the clock as it ticked on.
All eyes bounced back and forth between Middaugh and those moving digits.
The course record would soon be long gone, but the question now was where would Middaugh stand in history following this performance?
The Battle Mountain senior clawed his way over the final strides, only once glancing at the clock which stood high to his left.
14:35…14:36…14:37…
And then–
Middaugh stretched his arms wide in victory.
14:38.7.
Click here to read the full story and see videos at Colorado MileSplit.