Fit to be Tied Column
March 5, 2009From the Pueblo Chieftain
by Gary Franchi
At the Spring Runoff, it's all in the family
It doesn’t take long to figure out that The Pueblo Chieftain-sponsored
Spring Runoff is a fitness oasis for families. A quick look at the various
race categories on the registration form tells you this.
There’s a toddlers’ race, a quarter-track sprint and fade
for the little spitfires 6 years old and under for whom pacing is a foreign
word. There’s a 1.6-mile walk that allows every age of family member
– from the young ones being accompanied by mommy and daddy to grandma
and grandpa and every age in between. And, of course, there are the competitive
races, which include 5-kilometer (3.1 miles), 10K and 10-mile distances
for the serious spirits. After all the smoke has cleared, there’s
even a “Funner to be a Runner” one-mile youth race for newcomers
wanting to experience their maiden racing excursion.
They’ll be out there en masse at Dutch Clark Stadium this Sunday
for the 31st annual version of the Runoff that will begin with the toddlers’
race at 8:45 a.m. down on the track. The other categories will follow
with a 9 a.m. shotgun start in the parking lot. Wrapping it up will be
the one-mile race at 10:45 a.m.
While the race field had already swelled to 600+ runners by Wednesday
morning, registration is ongoing and will continue until 8:15 a.m. on
race-day morning. It seems inevitable that last year’s record turnout
of 698 registered entries will be shattered, and a good reason is the
race’s “family” aspect that sees couples, families and
even organizations sign up and run or walk.
Marshall plan
One such couple is Julie and Warren Marshall, two former Puebloans who
worked in the city’s District Attorney office in the 1970s before
moving to Canon City where she is a district court judge and he is an
attorney. The 60-year-olds have a combined running log of approximately
70 years and have only missed a half-dozen or so Spring Runoffs between
them.
“The Runoff is a tradition for us and we wouldn’t miss it,”
said Warren, who has fond memories of the inaugural race that took place
at the Pueblo Mall in blizzard conditions. He also recalls ducking between
the rail cars when a train had stopped on the course in one of the first
Runoffs.
For years, the Marshalls did the 10K regularly, but they caught a serious
marathon bug in 2000 after their two daughters had grown and long-distance
training time became more available. Hence, they have done the 10-mile
race the past few years and will run that distance on Sunday.
That will help them prepare for running the next month’s Boston
Marathon, which they qualified for last February in the Myrtle Beach Marathon
in South Carolina. It will be the 30th marathon for both of them and they
have covered 24 states in their quest to run a marathon in every state.
But they haven’t forgotten where the racing careers really began.
“It really started with the Spring Runoff,” Warren pointed
out. “We’ve just always enjoyed it.”
Hughes clan
Ken Hughes has been running since he was a 10-year-old lad growing up
in Rye, but the on-and-off consistency of his training has become “on”
again the past few years now that his family is involved, too. Now 38
and living in Colorado City, Ken will be accompanied by his wife, Melanie,
and their two young children in Sunday’s Runoff.
Young Kevin did his first race at the age of 5 and, despite being just
9 now, is getting so proficient that he’s beginning to leave dad
in his wake.
“Trying to keep up with him is getting tough,” the father
admitted, noting than Kevin has beaten him in the last four races they’ve
entered together, the first being a 7.5-mile Bear Creek trail race. Considering
that Kevin has placed first, second and fourth in his age division of
the Bolder Boulder the past three years, that’s probably not surprising.
This year, they’ll be joined by 6-year-old daughter Kira, who will
be running just her second race, the first being the Hot to Trot 5K this
past September.
Melanie, a Pueblo native, will be running the 5K with Kira this Sunday,
while Ken will be trying to keep up with Kevin in the 10K category.
How could family time get any better?
Yes, they can
An organization that exemplifies what it stands for is Family Care Specialists
in Pueblo. Always emphasizing the benefits of good health, Dr. Nancy Moya
likes to get her staff involved in various wellness activities.
This year, she’s paid the entry fee for a dozen of her employees
to participate in either the 5K or the walk, and they’ve contributed
to the cause by getting another half-dozen of their children registered,
too. Ironically, although she walked the 5K distance with staff last year,
Dr. Moya won’t be with the group Sunday because of another commitment.
It’ll be the third consecutive year that some of the Family Care
Specialists staff has participated, and their ranks have grown from the
eight that participated in last year’s Runoff. They also will do
the Spank Blasing run/walk at CSU-Pueblo next month.
Moya supports Pueblo’s running scene further by donating bottled
water for the Southern Colorado Runners’ two annual women’s
races – the Women’s Distance Festival and the Atalanta 5K,
both run/walk events.
Runoff notes
• Those who registered early and want to avoid the Sunday morning
rush can pick up their race packets Friday and Saturday at The Pueblo
Chieftain building, located at 825 W. 6th Street across from the Midtown
Shopping Center. Pickup hours are 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 Friday and 8:30 a.m.
to 2 pm Saturday.
• Packet pickup on race day will take place in the concession stand
on the opposite or east side of Dutch Clark Stadium. The starting line
will be in its traditional spot in the parking lot on the west side of
the stadium.
• Runoff participants are urged to pin their bib numbers on the
front of their upper body so they can be identified when nearing the finish
line. Also, pins should not go through the tear-off tags at the bottom
of their bib numbers.
• Race-day registration will be held from 7 to 8:15 a.m. Sunday.
The race-day fee is $30.
Send comments and fitness information to Gary Franchi via e-mail at garyf@bresnan.net.
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