Former Rye athlete gains world duathlon berth

Fit to be Tied Column
June 1, 2006
From the Pueblo Chieftain
by Gary Franchi

Former Rye athlete gains world duathlon berth

A little slip of the pen actually worked to Josh Reineke’s advantage recently.

Reineke, 27, and a 1998 graduate of Rye High School, was filling out his entry form to compete in the New England Regional Championships triathlon race in upstate New York last year and checked the wrong box, putting his check mark in the “duathlon” square instead. But he wasn’t complaining after winning his age division in his first-ever duathlon and in what was a qualifier for the USA Duathlon National Championships.

Reineke took advantage of the opportunity to compete at the national meet May 7 in Mason, OH. There, he qualified for the International Triathlon Union Short Course Duathlon World Championships that will be held July 29 in Corner Book, Newfoundland, Canada.

Josh’s time at nationals was 2 hours and 27 minutes over a course that included a 10K (6.2 miles) run, 25.2-mile bike (longer than the standard 24.8 course) and a 5K run. He noted that his split times were slower than usual because this was his first race since suffering a biking accident during a triathlon eight months ago.

A three-sport (football, basketball and track) performer at Rye High, Reineke had both the short-distance track ability and academic record that attracted a number of colleges. Always a serious student, he chose Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, because of its scholastics, and he is now studying for his doctorate there.

Once his undergraduate track eligibility expired, Josh began competing in triathlons two years ago for the health benefits of training, although he admits that swimming is a relatively weak leg for him. But with a workout regimen that includes training between two and six hours a day, his strong bike and run legs have helped him win his age division in several triathlons, and he has completed events ranging from sprint distance to half-Ironman.

Like all athletes, Reineke has time and health situations to work around in order to compete at a high level.

For one, he’s beginning work on his thesis in Brown’s Department of Molecular Pharmacology, Physiology & Biotechnology. Second, he has a wife of three years and a 16-month-old daughter. Since last year, he also has battled ulcerative colitis, a condition that requires medication and a strict diet that hampers his heavy training needs.

He’s hoping the Team USA nutritionists and coaches will help him overcome the health situation and do his best at the world championships next month.

Marathons

Two Puebloans and a former Puebloan were among the field of 22,157 finishers in the recent Boston Marathon. Ben Valdez overcame an energy-zapping illness to finish in 4:08. Diane Lopez ran a steady race and finished in 4:12. And former Puebloan Marijane Martinez, now living in Las Vegas, completed her second Boston Marathon in 4:19.

Linda Strange, 35, of Rye battled painful leg cramps while completing the Rome Marathon in 4:40. She has already set her sights on running the Chicago Marathon in under 4 hours next year. This year’s Chicago Marathon, set for Oct. 22, reached its 40,000 limit last month.

Vicki Meier, 37, of Cañon City led three area runners in the Colorado Marathon held May 7 in Fort Collins. Meier’s 3:40 time was good for a third place in her age division. Puebloans Joe Stommel and Rusty Smith finished in 4:03 and 4:55, respectively.

The inaugural Colorado Colfax Marathon on May 22 had two area runners among its 801 finishers. Marv Bradley, 67, of Cañon City won his age division with a time of 3:50, while Chery Cook-McCoy, 61, took second in her bracket in 5:51.

Running

Trail running lovers were in their glory May 6 when the annual Collegiate Peaks 25-mile and 50-mile races were held in Buena Vista. Two area women – Susan Gebhart of Penrose and Cheri Bashor of Pueblo West – placed in the 50-59 age division of the 50-miler, Gebhart taking second in 10:35 and Bashor third in 11:10. Former Puebloan Paul Koch, 38, of Colorado Springs was the overall winner in the 25-mile race with a time of 3:01. Other 25-mile race finishers were Cañon City residents Roy Hughes (4:21), Ed Shute (4:24) and Marcia Hughes (4:42), while David Law of Florence ran it in 6:23.

Leading the contingent of 137 Pueblo finishers at the Bolder Boulder on Memorial Day was Dick LeDoux, 49, in 36:54. The top female finisher from Pueblo was Lindsey Schryer, 23, in 44:01. Superb performances were turned in by Dave Diaz, who ran a 42:55 to place third out of 217 male 57-year-olds in the field, and Kevin Hughes, a 6-year-old who ran 1:00:03 to take third among 96 male entries in his age bracket.

Coach honored

George Dallam, assistant professor of Exercise Science and Health Promotion at Colorado State University-Pueblo, received huge recognition recently when he was named the 2005 National Coach of the Year by the USA Triathlon Coaching Commission. Dallam coaches a small group of elite triathletes including two-time U.S. Olympian Hunter Kemper, who held the ITU’s No. 1 World Cup ranking throughout 2005. George has now been nominated for the U.S. Olympic Committee Coach of the Year award.

Upcoming Pueblo-area races

• Saturday – Run for Rio, 5K run/walk, 8 a.m., Rye High School (719-859-5136).
• Saturday – Spirit Fest on the Riverwalk, 5K, 8 a.m., HARP-South Main (671-5451).
• June 10 – Little Run on the Prairie, 5K run & 2K walk, 8:30 a.m., Lovell Park in Pueblo West (289-1411).
• June 24 – Belmont Butt Buster (Prediction Series), 5M, 8 a.m., 1318 Horseshoe Dr. (544-1029).
• July 8 – Women’s Distance Festival, 5K run/walk, walk 7:15 a.m., run 7:30 a.m., City Park (676-7343).
• July 22 – Moonlight Madness (Prediction Series), 5M, 7:30 p.m., 3685 Verde Rd. (676-7343).

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