Anniversary Run /Walk part of full day of festivities

Anniversary Run /Walk part of full day of festivities

A diamond anniversary should be something special, and the celebration marking the founding of Pueblo’s two colleges is shaping up to be just that.

Pueblo Community College and Colorado State University-Pueblo have a shared history that began on July 13, 1933 with the signing of the articles of incorporation as Southern Colorado Junior College. They are teaming to stage an all-day festival on the PCC Campus on that same date next month.

The kickoff to the festivities will be the 75th Anniversary Run/Walk that will begin at 7:30 a.m. on PCC’s Orman Ave. campus near the Mike Davis Academic Building. To keep the “75” theme, the run distance will be 7.5 kilometers or 4.66 miles (the walk will be two miles).

The run course is a racer’s delight – flat and fast, starting and finishing on Orman, taking Dittmer to City Park and making two loops of the park before heading back to the campus via Cleveland St. Walkers will also take Dittmer to City Park and will circle the fountain before returning to PCC via Cleveland.

All participants will be treated to a T-shirt, souvenir item, post-race refreshments, free massage and a free pancake breakfast. In addition, there will be age-group awards as well as special hand-made awards made by Don and Lois Pfost for the overall top male and female runners under 40 years old and top male and female masters runners (over 40).

Then, those who stick around the PCC campus can enjoy a full day of outdoor and indoor activities such as a health fair, car show, Texas Roadhouse barbecue lunch, historical events and display, art show and wine-sampling reception, musical entertainment from various performers throughout the day, and a variety of games such as a football accuracy toss, climbing wall, tennis, Frisbee golf, etc. The day will conclude with a 5 p.m. performance by the Pueblo Municipal Band in outdoor amphitheater.

Registration is now under way, and entry forms are available on the Southern Colorado Runners website while hard copy forms are available at the Pueblo YMCA, Gold Dust Saloon and Almighty Muscle in Pueblo. Those registering before July 5 can enter for $17.50, with SCR members and staff, faculty, students and families of PCC and CSU-P getting a discount ($15) if they register by the early deadline.

Running

A summer-time female-only race will again take place on Saturday when the annual Women’s Distance Festival, a 5K run and walk will be held at City Park near the pavilion. Despite offering the normal fevered competition, the WDF aims to encourage women of all ages and abilities to run or walk to enhance their physical fitness. A true bonanza this year is that all participants will receive a lightweight windbreaker bearing a cool logo designed by talented Pueblo artist Kathy Godec. Race starting times are 7:15 a.m. for the walkers and 7:30 for the runners, and race-day registration is just $18.

Among the slew of area runners in the Garden of the Gods 10-Mile Run earlier this month were several outstanding performances across the age spectrum. The first local finisher was Justin Ricks, 28, of Pueblo West whose speedy 1:00:55 time was good for 15th overall among the 1,460 finishers. Pueblo West High teens Michael Cernoia and Mike Schmidt were 23rd and 25th overall among the 839 male finishers with times of 1:02:55 and 1:03:49, respectively, and Cyclone teammate Anna Marshall, 16, was third in her age division with a sparkling 1:19:37. The outstanding 1:24:33 clocking by Carol Kinzy, 60, of Pueblo smashed her age division course record by nearly nine minutes, and Puebloans Robin Krueger, 39, and Peggy Oreskovich, 45, finished in 1:17:53 and 1:24:20, respectively. The Garden is part of the Triple Crown of Running that also includes the Summer Roundup in July and the Pikes Peak Ascent or the ascent leg of the Pikes Peak Marathon in August.

Marathon

Two Pueblo-area runners completed the Colorado Colfax Marathon in Denver last month. Puebloan Robert Santoyo, 46, finished in 4:32 while Patricia Cisneros, 45, of Pueblo West crossed in 5:38. There were six Puebloans in the half-marathon, with John Roldan, 40, leading the way with a time of 1:39.

Triathalon

Former Puebloan Blake Ottersberg, now 26, living in Boulder and working as a sales rep for Inside Triathlon magazine, is rounding into top multi-sport competitive form since returning to some serious training. Last month, he placed second overall in the low-key Littlefoot sprint triathlon in Morrison and sixth overall among the elite males in the Summer Open Spring in Longmont. Blake’s target race this year is the USA Triathlon Age-Group National Championships that will be held Sept. 20 in Portland, Oregon.

Steve and Jennifer Lopez, proprietors of the Almighty Muscle multi-sport retail store in Pueblo, are working with several others on plans for what could be a doozy of a point-to-point-to-point triathlon here next summer. If things come to fruition, the triathlon would start with a 500-meter swim in Lake Pueblo, a 17-mile bike from there to CSU-Pueblo followed by a run of approximately 5 miles to the Riverwalk. A late July or early August date is being explored that would not conflict with other major Colorado triathlons. If you’d like to be part of the planning group or just want to know what’s going on with it, attend a planning meeting at 6 p.m. July 16 at the Almighty Muscle store at 517 W. Fifth St. In case you have seen the big “For Lease” sign on the front window of the store, be aware that the store has been moved two doors down to the east.

Contact Information

Note that I have changed my e-mail address to garyf@bresnan.net, so please send information and comments to me at that address. If you’ve tried to contact me during the past three weeks and haven’t heard back from me, please resend to me at this new e-mail address.

Race Calendar

• Saturday – Women’s Distance Festival , 5K run/walk, 7:15 a.m. walk, 7:30 a.m. run, City Park (564-1443).
• July 13 – PCC/CSU-Pueblo 75th Anniversary Run, 7.5K run/2M walk, 8 a.m., Pueblo Community College (549-3222).
• Aug. 2 – Moonlight Madness (Prediction Series race), 5M, 7:30 p.m. 5395 Verde Rd. (564-1443).
• Aug. 23 – Tunnel Drive Run (Prediction Series race), 5M, 7:30 a.m., Canon City (784-6514).
• Sept. 7 – South shore Adventure Run (Prediction Series race), 8.3M, South Shore of Pueblo Reservoir (543-2052).
• Sept. 21 – Hot to Trot, 5K run, 2M walk and Kiddie K, 8 a.m., 217. South Union Ave. (251-3189).

Websites:

• Southern Colorado Runners: www.socorunners.org/

Send comments and fitness information to Gary Franchi via e-mail at garyf@bresnan.net.