25th Spring Runoff was blessed in many ways

by Gary Franchi | Mar 01, 2003

March, 2003 Fit to be Tied Column

From the Pueblo Chieftain
by Gary Franchi

25th Spring Runoff was blessed in many ways

While it would have been blessed with much milder weather had it been one day later, the 25th annual Spring Runoff held Sunday was a memorable one with many blessings to count. Here are just a few:

  • There were close to 450 competitors in the five divisions, including the 1-mile fun run.
  • Being in the “banana belt,” Pueblo lucked out weather-wise as surrounding communities to the north, west and south were hit with some substantial snowfall the previous night.
  • The race included two Olympic Marathon Trials qualifiers – Alamosa’s Peter de la Cerda and Colorado Springs’ Maddy Tormoen, who won their respective 10-mile divisions.
  • Both the results and award ceremonies went quickly and without a hitch.
  • Having one of the original founders of the race – Mike Spence of Colorado Springs –on hand as the official starter was a nice touch.
  • Dutch Clark Stadium is just an excellent venue, and being able to finish on the track is a real treat for participants.

I could go on and on. But probably no one was more pleased than Race Director Terry Cathcart that the day went so smoothly.

“I was happy that the sun came out when it did,” Cathcart said Monday after digesting the previous day’s events. The sunshine that poked through just prior to the race dried up the slick spots on the track and improved the footing along the course.

Here’s predicting the 26th annual Runoff will be even better.

Bolder Boulder

Runoff participants can use their Spring Runoff times to be seeded in the Bolder Boulder 10K that will also celebrate its 25th anniversary on Memorial Day. Boulder requires qualifying times for its first 25 waves, and any time less than 62 minutes in Sunday’s 10K will get you seeded. What’s more, you also can use your 5K or 10-mile time as a qualifier if it “extrapolates” to a seeding time. Don’t think it’s too early to start thinking about Boulder, either. I’ve heard that motel space is drying up rapidly.

For information, go to www.bolderboulder.com.

Triple Crown of Running

Slots are being snapped up fast for the Pikes Peak Ascent and Pikes Peak Marathon, which are held back-to-back in August as part of the Triple Crown of Running. The marathon is already 43 percent full while the two waves of the Ascent are both more than two-thirds full. To register, access the Triple Crown web site at www.pikespeakmarathon.org. The other Triple Crown legs – the Garden of the Gods 10-Mile Run in June and Summer Roundup Trail 12K in July – have no restrictions on numbers.

Multi-sport

While serious cyclists bike all winter, many others will be getting the cobwebs off their bikes soon to start training outside for the upcoming duathlon/triathlon and leisure riding season. The local multi-sport race season will begin with the annual Y-Bi Classic Duathlon on April 13. That’s a week earlier than last year to avoid conflicting with Easter (April 20). The venue remains in Pueblo West, and the run/bike/run format has been retained. For information, call Ben Valdez at the YMCA, (719)543-5151.

Runners clinic

Runner looking for ways to improve their performance (and who isn’t?) can attend a free clinic to be conducted at 7 p.m. Wednesday, April 9, by Joe Alvarez and Chad Clark in the Pueblo Community College cafeteria. Joe is a certified personal trainer while Chad is a physical therapist. Both are becoming well known in fitness circles here through their work both one-on-one and with groups. Their focus will be, naturally, on performance enhancement through injury prevention, nutrition, flexibility, etc., and they will do some structural analyses of runners.

Swimming

One of the best-kept secrets in Pueblo is the Pueblo Masters Swim Club, an organization that gives swimmers and swimmer wannabes the rare opportunity to learn stroke technique while getting in impact-free workouts. The Masters are under the guidance of Coach Melissa Kralik, a former standout swimmer at East High and the University of Northern Colorado.

The Masters can swim as many as four times a week – at 5:30 p.m. on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays at East High and at 7:30 a.m. at County High. The swimmer age range is from college to mid-50s, and the ability range is just as wide. Swimmers can enhance their freestyle stroke for triathlons and work on alternate strokes, too. For information about the Masters and on contact people, go to the organization’s web site at home.comcast.net/~puebloswimmasters.

Ride the Rockies

This year’s Ride the Rockies bicycle tour, a week-long legs and lungs challenger, will travel from Cortez to Copper Mountain June 15-21 and cover 404 miles. The 2,000 cyclists selected from the 4,000-plus entries will be notified by March 21.

Upcoming Area Races

• March 15 – St. Pat’s Day Run, 5K, 10 a.m., Old Colorado City (719-635-8803).
• March 23 – Ben & Matt’s Trail Mix (Prediction Series race), 10+M, 9 a.m., Nature Center (543-5151).
• April 5 – Ramsgate 8 (Prediction Series race), 8K, 8 a.m., 8 Ramsgate (544-9633).
• April 12 – Tortoise & Hare Predict, 5K, 9 a.m., South Monument Valley Park, Colorado Springs (719-260-8993).
• April 13 – Y-Bi Classic Duathlon, 2.5M run, 11.2M bike, 2.5M run, 9 a.m., Pueblo West (543-5151).
• April 19 – Awareness Run, 5K, 8 a.m., Mineral Palace Park (584-4917).
• April 26 – Tarantula & Yappy Dog Run (Prediction Series race), 8.3M, South Mesa Elementary School (543-6982).

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

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