Kinzy heads list of super achievers
I What fun it is to follow area athletes and to be amazed at their achievements! Some reach lofty long-term accomplishments. Other set new personal records at an advancing age. Competitors with a wide spectrum of talent levels complete a half-Ironman. The adventurous attempt their first triathlons, possibly with the swim leg in the “scarier” open water instead of in the more comfortable confines of a pool.
Many are to be commended for what they are able to achieve in competition, and just a few are mentioned here today.
Carol Kinzy
Kinzy, 60, won her age division at the recent Hot to Trot 5K in a time of 22 minutes and 40 seconds. That’s no surprise since she has won her age division this year in every race she’s entered – the PCC/CSU-Pueblo Anniversary Run, each race in the Toyota Running Series, the Panther Run, the Spring Runoff and the American Discovery Trail (ADT) Half-Marathon.
What IS surprising is how fast she is running. The music teacher at Somerlid Elementary has discovered the fountain of youth and is setting personal records across the distance board. While most folks her of age have slowed down considerably, Carol is reversing the norm.
Her Hot to Trot time was a personal record and was a minute and 43 seconds faster than she ran it last year. She set another PR in the ADT with a time of 1:45 and broke her age division record in that race by 18 minutes. She was ninth overall in the Women’s Distance Festival in July. Her 10-mile time (1:23) in the Spring Runoff was her fastest 10-mile time ever. Her Garden of the Gods 10-Mile time of 1:24 was another PR
How is this possible?
“I don’t train fast but I run every day, and I’m really happy that I’ve been able to stay healthy,” Kinzy said recently.
There are other contributing factors. There are daily 5:15 a.m. seven-mile weekday runs with training partner Paula McCabe, and they have been doing their longer runs on weekends, preparing for the Denver Marathon on Oct. 19. Training with someone younger (McCabe is 36) doesn’t hurt the training pace. Being 10 pounds lighter than a couple of years ago contributes, too. So does a healthy veggie and high-fiber diet that she is serious about. Biking in the summer, in addition to her daily running, has built additional strength. It all helps.
“I love just being able to do this and I feel so lucky,” Kinzy admitted.
Stan Hren
Stan started running in college in the 1960s and decided to start keeping track of his races soon afterward. He did scores of races in the ‘70s, ‘80s and ‘90s, and in the recent Hot to Trot 5K on Sept. 21, this Pueblo West resident ran his 1,100th race. He says the 5K is his favorite distance, and he estimates that he’s run about 800 of them. But he’s also completed 34 marathons, lots of 10Ks and many half-marathons. While age and lack of training time are taking their toll on his speed, Stan is just happy whenever he gets the chance to run. “The gift of running is the most important thing,” he said.
Gwen West
A life-long swimmer, Gwen started getting in her laps with the “regulars” in the early morning at the Pueblo YMCA when she moved to Pueblo from Denver a couple of years ago. Since the “Y” maintains a mileage tally board for those interested, West decided to take part. The board rang up 1,000 miles for her a few weeks ago and she’s still doing about two or three miles worth of flip turns a day, four to six days a week. West, 53, grew up in California and Arizona and swam collegiately at Arizona State University and the University of Colorado in Boulder. She works in physical therapy at the Southern Colorado Clinic.
Pikes Peakers
Late-summer weather was not kind to area athletes. The Aspen Triathlon was canceled by a rainstorm and the Rattlesnake Triathlon was halted by lightning during the bike leg, meaning hours of training went down the tubes. In the Pikes Peak Ascent, miserable rain, hail and even snow caused more than half of the field to be turned around three miles from the top at A Frame, meaning they had to trudge down 10 miles in sloppy and miserable conditions. Worse yet, those who were turned back weren’t eligible for prizes in the overall Triple Crown of Running series, which also included the Garden of the Gods 10-Mile Run and the Summer Roundup 12K.
But two who were quick enough to get through before the runners were turned back were Brian Ropp, 44, of Pueblo and Emily Batson, 31, of Pueblo West, who finished in 3:17 and 3:38, respectively. Dr. Batson, a dentist, won her series age division and Ropp finished second in his bracket. They were part of 13 runners from the Pueblo/Canon City corridor that finished the Ascent. The weather was better the next day, and Puebloans who completed the round trip were Chris Roman, 40, in 7:10; Steve Lopez, 37, in 7:57; and Dave Diaz, 60, in 8:06.
Michael Orendorff
Michael Orendorff of Pueblo led a contingent of five who completed the 5430 Long Course Triathlon in Boulder as he took second in the 55-59 division with a time of 4:44. Earlier, he had taken second in his age division at the XTerra Mountain Regional Triathlon Championships in Ogden, Utah and third in his age in the USA Triathlon Age Group National Championships in Portland.
Half-Ironman finishers
Besides Orendorff, others completing the 5430 Long Course, all from Canon City, were Mark Reim, 41, in 5:17; Laurie Wertzbaugher, 50, in 6:48; Mary Reim, 44, in 7:06; and Maryvonne Mauprivez-Mack, 60, in 7:27. Meanwhile, Tom Ratzlaff, 48, of Pueblo West finished the Harvest Moon Half-Ironman in Aurora on Sept. 14 in 6:25.
Marathoners
Marv Bradley, 69, of Canon City completed the Clarence Demar Marathon in Deene, NH in 4:40 on Sept. 28, giving him a “true” marathon distance in each state for the second time. Marv has run three marathons and twice as many ultra-marathons this year and now needs to complete an ultra in only 16 more states to have done one in each state. He’s already planning to do the Leadville 100 next August at the age of 70.
Five area runners completed the American Discovery Trail Marathon on Labor Day – Pueblo West’s Ted Tewahade, 34, in 4:16 and Marti Marshall, 45, in 4:36; Rye’s John Castanha, 48, in 4:53; Canon City’s Paul Racine, 45, in 5:48; and Pueblo’s Jesse Ranney, 38, in 6:48.
Upcoming race
The late Dan Emmerson, a former academic and cross country standout at Canon City High School, will be remembered again in the second annual Danapalooza 5K run/walk this Saturday at the Ninth St. entrance to Canon’s river trail system. Proceeds from the run and other events that day (see website) will help fund a college scholarship for a graduating high school senior.
Run or walk, dinner and a movie
A unique event is scheduled for Oct. 15 at the Gold Dust Saloon. There will be a 3-mile fun run/walk starting at 5:30 p.m., and it will take in the Union Avenue Historic District, the river trail system and the Riverwalk. Participants can then dine at the Gold Dust, and a showing of the “Spirit of the Marathon” movie will follow at 7 p.m. The only charge for the entire evening will be the cost of the meal.
Race Calendar
• Saturday – Danapalooza ’08 5K run/walk, 9 a.m., Canon City River Walk (431-3472).
• Oct. 25 – Harvest Run (Prediction Series), 5M, 5 p.m., Lovell Park in Pueblo West (564-9303).
• Nov. 1 – Hustle for Russell, 5K run/walk, 1M walk & kids run, 9 a.m., Pleasant View Middle School, 23600 Everett Rd. (564-7813).
• Nov. 8 – Atalanta Women’s Run, 5K run/walk, 8 a.m., City Park (564-9303).
• Nov. 8 – Run 4 U.S., 4M, 1 pm, Fort Carson’s Turkey Creek Ranch (205-1741).
• Nov. 29 – Temple Canyon Run (Prediction Series race), 4M, 9 a.m., Canon City (784-6514).
• Dec. 6 – Rock Canyon Half-Marathon, 13.1M, 9 a.m., City Park in Pueblo (564-9303).
Send comments and fitness information to Gary Franchi via e-mail at [email protected].