Y-Bi Kicks Off Multisport Season

April, 2002 Fit to be Tied Column

From the Pueblo Chieftain
by Gary Franchi

Y-Bi Kicks Off Multisport Season

The long wait is over for multisport athletes.

It’s spring and temperatures are warming. Daylight Saving Time has finally arrived, meaning you can get in some decent training in the evening again, especially if you don’t mind wind. But, most important, another great season of duathlons and triathlons is about to begin.

While Pueblo is hardly a hotbed of multisport competition compared to other areas of the state, it has its moments. And three of those moments are right around the corner.

The first is the annual Y-Bi Classic Duathlon that will be held Sunday, April 21, in Pueblo West. This event always attracts participants from throughout the state who want an early gauge of their fitness levels.

In past years, the better cyclists have always had the upper hand in the Y-Bi because of the bike/run format of the event. Because the race allows drafting, good cyclists have been able to ride in packs, sharing the load.

No more. The Y-Bi has gone to the more typical run/bike/run format, with the distances 2.5 miles on the first run followed by an 11.2-mike bike and finishing with a 3-mile run. That means most of the cyclists should be spread out by the time they hop on their saddles.

The pre-registration deadline for the Y-Bi, which is conducted by the Pueblo YMCA, is Saturday. The pre-registration fee is $24, with a $4 discount off that for YMCA and members of the Southern Colorado Runners, an organization that helps produce the race. After Saturday, the fee is $30 for all entrants.

Ben Valdez of the YMCA could still use some volunteer assistance with the race’s production. If you can help, please call him at at the”Y” at 543-5151.

The X Challenge

Also upcoming is an adventure race of sorts at the University of Southern Colorado. This is the USC X Challenge scheduled for Saturday, April 27.

The X Challenge is a team competition consisting of a climbing wall relay, run/pook kayak relay, mountain bike relay and an eight-event ropes course competition. Teams are to be comprised of four adults (over 18 years of age) and must include at least one member of both genders.

While a first-time race, this has been an “in-house” event in the past, but George Dallam of the Department of Exercise Science, Health Promotion and Recreation at USC decided to open it up to the community this year. The field is limited to the first 16 teams that enter by April 26, and the team entry fee is $50 or $30 for USC (students, staff, faculty) teams.

For information, call Dallam at 549-2619.

YMCA’s Ordinary Mortals Triathlon

The finale of the multisport threesome is the YMCA’s Ordinary Mortals Triathlon that will take place the weekend of May 18-19 at the Pueblo Regional Center in Pueblo West. With triathlons all the rage for several years now, the Ordinary Mortals has been so popular that it usually filled its limit a month or two in advance.

Hence, Race Director Valdez went to a two-day format last year, with separate days for females and males. Both days still filled, and the 216-triathlete fields are likely to do so again next month since there already were 150 females and 90 males entered by last week. Interesting is that about 80 percent of them have registered online through www.active.com.

The beauty of the Ordinary Mortals is that its “human” distances of a 525-meter swim, 12-mile bike and 3-mile run makes it attractive to regular folks like you and I in addition to elite athletes.

The sheet numbers that are needed to produce such a three-discipline event means that Valdez could use volunteer help here, too. Please call him at the number listed above.

Running Notes:
Cinco de Mayo

Joining the Colorado State Fair’s rockin’ Cinco de Mayo holiday celebration on Sunday, May 5, will be the annual 10K road race that this year will benefit Project Respect, a program that helps at-risk students succeed academically and socially. Causes do not get much better than that!

The race, which also will include a 1.8-mile walk this year, recognizes the late Rose Samora-Rodriguez, who continues to be remembered, following her death from cancer in 1995, for her commitment to friendship, family values and human rights. It also will showcase once again a contingent of top runners from Chihuahua, Mexico, who earn the trip here through their race performances in their homeland.

Note that the starting time has been moved earlier to 8 a.m. this year.

Pikes Peak Ascent

If you wanted to run the Pikes Peak Ascent this August, I hope you have registered already. If not, you are out of luck, because the field has been filled. The Triple Crown of Running also notes that the Pikes Peak Marathon the day after the Ascent is already 77 percent filled. You can register for it online at www.pikespeakmarathon.org.

Bolder Boulder

The Bolder Boulder 10K on Memorial Day has come up with a novel means for runners to qualify for one of the first 17 waves. While proof of running a 10K race (or an extrapolated time for a different distance race) is normally required, the Bolder Boulder has two treadmills in its store in the Crossroads Mall in Boulder and will guarantee a spot in one of those waves to anyone who can run two miles on a treadmill in a time of 18 minutes and 10 seconds, or less. If you’re going to be in Boulder sometime beforehand, you can take the test for $5.

5430 Ironman Triathlon

The 5430 Ironman Triathlon has made it easier for common folks to be a part of the Ironman distance “scene” without having to resort to total masochism by doing the entire Ironman. The 5430, scheduled for Aug. 25 at the Boulder Reservoir, has added a half-Ironman to go with the Ironman and relay team divisions. The half-Ironman consists of a 1.2-mile swim, 56-mile bike and 13.1-mile run. For information, call (303) 402-9004 or go to www.5430tri.com.

Upcoming Pueblo Races

* April 20 – Run for the Summit, 5K, Pueblo West
* April 21 – Y-Bi Classic Duathlon, 2.5M run, 11.2M bike, 3M run, Pueblo West, 9 a.m., 543-5151.
* April 27 – USC X Challenge, team event challenge, USC, 8 a.m., 549-2619 or 549-2084.
* May 5 – Cinco de Mayo Run for the Rose, 10K run and 1.8M walk, Colorado State Fairgrounds, 8 a.m., 584-3231.
* May 18 – Ordinary Mortals Triathlon, women-only race, 525-meter swim, 12-mile bike, 3-mile run, Pueblo Regional Center in Pueblo West, 7 a.m., 543-5151.
* May 19 – Ordinary Mortals Triathlon, men-only race, 525-meter swim, 12-mile bike, 3-mile run, Pueblo Regional Center in Pueblo West, 7 a.m., 543-5151.
* May 25 – Custer 2020 Run in the Valley, 5K run and 1M walk, Westcliffe, 8 a.m., 1-877-793-3170.

Please send comments and fitness information to Gary Franchi via e-mail at [email protected].

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