Run With the Bulls will have huge inaugural field
For an inaugural race, this Sunday’s Run With the Bulls will be an epic ride.
Part of the Wild Wild West Fest sponsored by the Professional Bull Riders, the 5-kilometer running race and 2-mile walk will probably have in the ballpark of 150 entries. The race is piggybacking on the success of the fall Hot to Trot race, using basically the same course that will include portions of the Riverwalk and river trail system but starting and finishing near the PBR building on Union Avenue.
Race time is 8:45 a.m. for the walkers and 9 o’clock for runners, and there will be a Kiddie K race for toddlers at 8:30 a.m. The race will be produced by the Southern Colorado Runners (SCR).
Race Director Ruth McDonald is trying to make this a race to remember. The awards for all age division winners will be unique bull statues. Race T-shirts will have an appropriate snorting bull on the front, the WWWF logo on the back and a PBR logo on the sleeve
Race-day registration will be held from 7:30 to 8:30 a.m. Sunday, awards will be given out on the Riverwalk, and after the race there will be a barbecue lunch at the Gold Dust Saloon for participants beginning at 11 a.m.
You can pre-register at the Gold Dust through Saturday. More information is available on the SCR website.
Running
Pueblo West couple Justin and Denise Ricks are organizing a weekly group run under the name Steel City Striders for anyone interested. For now, the Striders will meet at 7 a.m. on Saturdays at the Pueblo City Park swimming pool parking lot. Track or hill workouts will be considered in the future.
Justin is no ordinary runner. When he races, he either wins overall honors or places near the top of the list. For instance, he recently won the local Cinco de Mayo 10K in 33:18, and he recently set a new course record while winning the Greenland 25K Trail Run in 1:36:27. He also holds the Greenland 50K course record with a time of 3:23:11 set in 2008.
A Colorado Springs native and Wasson High graduate, he has lived here for four years and is a district manager for Rent-a-Center. Sponsored by Pearl Izumi, he considers himself an ultra-distance runner, and he has trained in the Springs area with the Incline Club that includes elite high-altitude runners. Ricks has been helping coach Pueblo West High School runners, and several of them are expected to participate in the Saturday group runs.
The focus of the Striders’ workouts, however, would be to enable different ability levels to participate. To learn more, go to Rick’s blog site at http://steelcitystriders.blogspot.com/.
Marathon
What a fantastic East Coast trip it was last month for Canon City runners who carried the banner for southern Colorado in the Boston Marathon with exceptional finish times! Leading the way was 35-year-old District Attorney Thom LeDoux in 3 hours and 23 minutes. Others were Brian VanIwarden, 29, in 3:25; Marcy Epperson, 36, in 3:37; and Julie and Warren Marshall, both 60, in 4:11 and 4:49, respectively. VanIwarden’s brother Jeff, 28, who now lives in Aurora, was part of the group and ran a 3:29. Two other Canon City High School graduates joined them and led the contingent – Jon Moore, 28, now living in Virginia, ran a 2:52 while Chris McIntyre, 29, of Colorado Springs finished in 3:09.
Carol Kinzy continues to amaze. The 61-year-old Pueblo distance runner was the overall female grand masters champion in the Colorado Marathon in Fort Collins last month with a superb 3:44 time, meaning that she was faster than all females 50 years of age and older.
Ultra running
Justin Ricks wasn’t the only area runner in the Greenland Trail Races as four others were among 93 finishers in the 50K division. Others to complete the 31 miles were John Castanha, 49, of Rye in 5:39 and three Pueblo West women – Kim Arline, 42, and Kim Dodds, 43, finished together in 6:06 and Marti Marshall, 46, recorded a 6:46 time. In early April, all three ladies and good friend Terri Tibbs, also of Pueblo West, ran the Moab Marathon in post- blizzard conditions.
Multisport
Charlie Gray, 55, is definitely making his mark in running and multi-sport circles since moving to Pueblo from Kansas a year ago because of a job relocation. His latest accomplishment was winning his age division and finishing 41st overall in the Barkin’ Dog Duathlon at Cherry Creek State Park on May 9. His time of 1:26:10 was forged on splits of 17:46 for the first 5K run, 48:34 for the 30K bike and 18:32 for the second 5K run.
Cycling
Downtown Westcliffe will host the Bike With Pike Adventure century ride to Colorado City and back on Sept. 12, and those wanting to chew off a little bit less of a bite can choose the 69-mile distance or the abbreviated 8-mile family ride. It’s nice to have a ride in this region since the Red Canyon Century Ride is not being held this year in Canon City. http://www.bikewithpike.org/
Gov. Bill Ritter has signed into law a bill that requires drivers to give cyclists at least three feet of space when passing them. In addition, persons throwing objects at a cyclist now face fines and a possible jail sentence of three to 12 months.
Race Calendar
• Sunday – Run With the Bulls, 5K run, 2M fun walk, Kiddie K (2 blocks), 8:45 a.m. kids run, 9 a.m. run/walk, Union Avenue at Riverwalk (251-3189).
• June 6 – Run for Rio, 5K run/walk, 8 a.m., Rye High School ([email protected]).
• June 13 – Spirit Fest, 5K run/walk, 8 a.m., Riverwalk ([email protected]).
• June 20 – Diabetes Prevent-a-thon 5K, 8 a.m., PCC campus ([email protected]).
• June 27 – Women’s Distance Festival, 5K run/walk, 7 a.m., Pueblo City Park ([email protected]).
• July 4 – Liberty Point 5K run/walk, 7:30 a.m., Purcell Blvd. & Joe Martinez Blvd. In Pueblo West ([email protected]).
• Aug. 1 – Moonlight Madness (predicted time run), 5M, 7:30 p.m., 5395 Verde Rd. ([email protected]).
Send comments and fitness information to Gary Franchi via e-mail at [email protected].