A Run Through Time Preview: The Table is Set

Salida beckons! It's that time of year to kick off the Colorado any weather marathon racing season. Here's a look at the boys who hope to have a bit of SPRING (pun intended) in their stride. Alphabetically:

Josh Arthur- Dooper gave me some insider secrets on this guy. Crushed it at Collegiate Peaks 25 last year. Will he be the King this year?

R Bur- After missing Salida for the first time ever last year he's hoping to run back in time and reclaim his title from 2008. Coming off a PR at Moab he returns to his childhood training ground looking to light up Tenderfoot "S" Mountain; the first summit of his life over 30 years ago.

Nick A. Ragua- Fresh off the Fire and Water win a few weeks ago, he's itching to defend the crown. Will his winners tan shine through on Saturday or will he simply hold up the white flag? Despite the Grand Slam this is undoubtedly his focus race.

Bill Fanselow- don't know his current fitness level but he always shows up ready to race. Methodical, he will calculate his way to the front.

Travis Macy- Clark informed me of this contender. One to watch.

Aaron Marks- probably the first time he's been in the odds. However, he's been experimenting with a number of changes in his training regimen. At 5 AM each morning he's doing some intensive visualization training. No longer going by Slow Aaron, he's rebranding his blog and taking on the new moniker, Moderate Marks. Look for him in a Favre jersey, Oscar the Grouch beanie and pink calf warmers.

Sean Meissner- not sure if he's back to the US yet. International racing in Nicaragua and Copper Canyon the past few weeks. The cooler temps may be a welcome relief from the heat. How will he handle the snow after all the strolls in the sand?

Timmy Parr- recent additon to the Parr household. Will 2013 see his 4th W at Salida? Baby wants a win.

Nick Pedatella- on the list but not sure if he's running. This race is a bit short for his skillset. Will this race be the eventual tie breaker as he goes head to head with Big Nick during the Grand Slam?

Marco Peinado- I want to see him knock one out of the park. Not sure of his current stats. Batter up.

Jesse Rickert- a Gunnison legend. Parr should have the lowdown on him. Has he been doing laps on Signal Peak? If yes, look out.

Jacob Tiernan- Zeke's brother? If so, I will throw him in the mix. We'll call him the darkhorse. Giddy up.

Brendan Trimboli- after a HUGE PR at Moab he should have a ton of confidence coming into Salida. He's starting to dial it in. Look for another solid performance as he steps up his game.

This edition should see it all! Mud, snow, slush... looks like manpris weather. Let the games begin. And finally, a new rendition of one of your Top 40 Country favorites: "I was gonna keep it real like chill and only jog a mile or two...but it turned into an Ultra when I started running with you...more hits later...for now enjoy the speculation.