For now, at least, ground zero for high school distance in the Rocky Mountain region lies somewhere along the Wasatch Front.
When it came to the distance events at this weekend's Simplot Games, Utah dominated.
Take Brad Nye's 4:12.39 to win the 1600. Or, the 1-2-3 finish by Natalie Shields, Sara Feeny, and Summer Harper in the 3200. Or Jamie Stokes giving Utah a sweep of the 1600s in 5:00.11.
Where Utah didn't win the distance events, they still took home high places. Ellie Child and Shea Martinez went 3-4 in the 800. Tanner Smith raised a few eyebrows with a 4th in the 800. Haven Shelton and Laura Young added a third and a fifth, respectively, in the 1600. And Brayden Cromar, Ben Saarel, and Conner Mantz went 5-6-7 in the 3200. Not a bad weekend outing at all.
Adding an exclamation point to it all was the Davis win in the boys 4x800.
The rest of the region has some catching up to do.
Riverton's Cole Lambourne conquered the 400 mountain, though his time of 49.55 reflects the fact that the Holt Arena 200-meter oval may not be quite as accommodating to high-end 400s as the spacious turns of the Olympic Ice Oval in Kearns.
Elsewhere, notable results for the Utah contingent included a second and a sixth for Audrey Muir and Taylir Garrison in the high jump, a sixth for Blake Adams in the 400, and several relay places.
The competitive outdoor season opens for Utah high school track and field programs in two weeks.