All Discussions Tagged 'Colorado' - Pikes Peak Sports2024-03-29T02:04:57Zhttp://pikespeaksports.us/group/roadtrailrunning/forum/topic/listForTag?tag=Colorado&feed=yes&xn_auth=noBoston champ Rotich, CSU's Mock win Garden of the Gods 10-milertag:pikespeaksports.us,2018-06-10:5021591:Topic:8026322018-06-10T20:32:33.293ZTim Bergstenhttp://pikespeaksports.us/profile/TimBergsten
<p><span><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2656432800?profile=original" target="_self"><img class="align-right" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2656432800?profile=RESIZE_480x480" width="400"></img></a> <strong>From Pikes Peak Marathon, Inc. -</strong> Caroline Rotich enjoyed her somewhat lonely 10-mile run through one of country's most iconic parks Sunday morning as she cruised to a course record while winning the women's race in the 42nd Garden of the Gods 10-Mile Run.</span></p>
<p>The 34-year-old Kenyan attained her dual goals of winning and breaking the course…</p>
<p><span><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2656432800?profile=original" target="_self"><img width="400" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2656432800?profile=RESIZE_480x480" width="400" class="align-right"/></a><strong>From Pikes Peak Marathon, Inc. -</strong> Caroline Rotich enjoyed her somewhat lonely 10-mile run through one of country's most iconic parks Sunday morning as she cruised to a course record while winning the women's race in the 42nd Garden of the Gods 10-Mile Run.</span></p>
<p>The 34-year-old Kenyan attained her dual goals of winning and breaking the course record and did it largely by running alone. She tried to shadow some of the faster male runners but settled into her own pace shortly into the race.</p>
<p><strong>(Photos by Dionne Randolph)</strong></p>
<p><span>“We took off and it wasn’t long before I was mostly by myself,” Rotich said. “I could see some of the men ahead of me and wanted to catch them. I tried on the uphill portions but mostly ran by myself.”</span></p>
<p><span>Rotich, an internationally acclaimed runner who won the 2015 Boston Marathon, added the Garden of the Gods championship to a resume that includes victories in the Las Vegas Marathon and New York City Half Marathon.</span></p>
<p><span>She finished 11th overall, as Jerrell Mock, who recently concluded his outdoor track season at Colorado State University, won the men’s division in 51:17, 11 seconds ahead of Patrick Smyth of Santa Fe, N.M.</span><br/> <br/> <span>Rotich’s time of 57:36 eclipsed the women’s 10-mile course record by 67 seconds, which was set just a year ago by Elvin Kibert of Colorado Springs. Kibert was second behind Rotich, finishing in 1:01:14.</span><br/> <br/> <span>“I really wanted the course record, so I didn’t want to go out too fast because this course is so up and down,” Rotich said. “I like this type of course but it’s really hard on the legs going downhill. Where I lived in Kenya, there weren’t too many hills like this. It’s a really hard course, up and down throughout.</span><br/> <br/> <span>“I thought about trying to run with the lead (men) when we started out, but I knew I couldn’t or I would’ve died quickly. I wanted the course record, so I ran my own race.”</span><br/> <br/> <span><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2656433232?profile=original" target="_self"><img width="300" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2656433232?profile=RESIZE_320x320" width="300" class="align-left"/></a>Rotich, who lives in Santa Fe, visited friends in Colorado Springs last winter. She expects to return to defend her title, and said her ultimate goal remains qualifying for the Olympic Marathon.</span></p>
<p><span>“I loved running here, and I want to come back (to the Springs),” she said. “This was a fun day.”</span></p>
<p><span>Mock echoed that sentiment, especially since it helped to quell his disappointment at not qualifying for the NCAA Outdoor Track Championships that concluded Saturday in Eugene, Ore. He qualified for the NCAA Outdoor 10,000 meters as a junior, but battled injuries his senior season.</span></p>
<p><span>“This was my first road race,” said the CSU grad. “I wanted to get one in while I was feeling fit, and since this is the peak of road racing season, I might keep going and do some more before I take a break. I want to get into (half marathons), eventually.”</span></p>
<p><span>Mock attended high school in Logan, Utah, before relocating to Fort Collins for college. He didn’t know what to expect in Sunday’s race, and simply jumped out front with the leaders at the outset.</span></p>
<p><span>“I wasn’t sure who would be here, but I knew we’d have to average about a 5:05 pace to be up front,” he said.</span></p>
<p><span>Mock and Smyth, a seven-time All-American distance runner at Notre Dame, battled throughout the race. Smyth, 31, who is eight years older than Mock, was pushing the pace on the downhill portions of the course.</span></p>
<p><span>“We were 1-2 for a long time,” Mock said. “I started trying to squeeze the uphills to get away.”</span><br/> <br/> <span>Smyth said he “lost contact” with Mock at about the 6.5-mile mark “on one of the uphills.”</span></p>
<p><span>“On each downhill, I’d try to cinch it up,” he said. “(Mock) really hung tough.”</span></p>
<p><span>Mock said he “hit a bit of a wall” in miles 8 and 9 but regrouped for the final mile to finish fast. He needed every bit of that late speed to hold off Smyth, who said he runs for the Nike Trail Team and will compete in three weeks in the Marathon de Mont Blanc in France.</span></p>
<p><span>“I heard this was a great race and wanted to try it out, especially since it’s not far from Santa Fe,” Smyth said. “It’s more of a road race than trail but nothing is flat and it’s a good test.”</span><br/> <span>Smyth said he’ll return to the Springs in August to race in the Pikes Peak Marathon.</span></p>
<p><span>Finishing third overall was Tesfaalem Mehari, 21, of Colorado Springs in 52:19. He was followed by Alanya Weldemariam, 39, of the Springs in 52:34 and Gebrekidan Abadi, 33, of Aurora in 52:47.</span></p>
<p><span>Ben Payne, 36, of Colorado Springs, was sixth in 53:50. After finishing, he was greeted by his wife and 11-month-old son, Palmer.</span></p>
<p><span>“This is a fun race, and it’s just two miles from my house,” said Payne, who also ran the Pikes Peak Ascent last August. “I’ve been running more for fun than competition lately, so I had to let the leaders go pretty early. Pacing yourself is important in this race because you can get in trouble early if you go too hard. This is one of the hardest courses with the altitude and the constant up and downs.”</span></p> We've lost a friend, but his spark remainstag:pikespeaksports.us,2017-10-20:5021591:Topic:7862682017-10-20T00:26:15.071ZTim Bergstenhttp://pikespeaksports.us/profile/TimBergsten
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2656432316?profile=original" target="_self"><img class="align-center" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2656432316?profile=RESIZE_1024x1024" width="650"></img></a></p>
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2656432419?profile=original" target="_self"><img class="align-right" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2656432419?profile=RESIZE_320x320" width="300"></img></a> With their headlamps cutting a path on the trails in Bear Creek Park, some 70 runners made their way to a familiar hilltop where they gathered and waited for the sun.</p>
<p>They call themselves the “Sunrise Striders,” a group started about 14 years…</p>
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2656432316?profile=original" target="_self"><img width="650" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2656432316?profile=RESIZE_1024x1024" width="650" class="align-center"/></a></p>
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2656432419?profile=original" target="_self"><img width="300" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2656432419?profile=RESIZE_320x320" width="300" class="align-right"/></a>With their headlamps cutting a path on the trails in Bear Creek Park, some 70 runners made their way to a familiar hilltop where they gathered and waited for the sun.</p>
<p>They call themselves the “Sunrise Striders,” a group started about 14 years ago by their running friend Mike Shafai.</p>
<p>Thursday morning’s run was much different than any before. These runners, local folks, came to support and love each another in a time of great loss.</p>
<p>Shafai, a husband to Stephanie, a father to Alexandra, 18, and Benjamin, 15, and a friend to every runner who has tied a lace, passed away of unknown causes at his Manitou Springs home on Tuesday evening. He was 47.</p>
<p>Memorial services will be held at 11 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 26, at <span>Shove Memorial Chapel on the Colorado College Campus, 1010 N. Nevada Ave. The day will begin with a run at 6 a.m. starting at Memorial Park in Manitou Springs. There will also be a celebration gathering at 5 p.m. at The Plaza of the Rockies 111 S. Tejon St., Suite 200. </span>In lieu of flowers, Mike's family is encouraging donations to the Pikes Peak Road Runners, earmarked for the Clubhouse fund. To donate, go to <a target="_blank" href="https://runsignup.com/Race?raceId=53060">this RunSignUp page</a> and click the donate button.</p>
<p>He would have been there in the first light on Thursday, running along in his own unique gait, telling jokes, poking fun at anyone within earshot … and somehow striking a spark in everyone he met. An accomplished athlete and community guy, he helped multiple nonprofits and served on the Pikes Peak Road Runners’ board of directors for years. His accomplishments were many. But his work with the running community will long be remembered.</p>
<p>Two of Shafai’s closest friends, John Gardner and Tim Steffens, ran up the hill. They’d been by Shafai's side – or behind him, because Mike could run fast – since the first Striders’ runs. Gardner and Shafai worked as partners at The Pikes Peak Group at Morgan Stanley. They formed the perfect team for 10 years as co-race directors of the Winter Series runs.</p>
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2656432899?profile=original" target="_self"><img width="300" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2656432899?profile=RESIZE_320x320" width="300" class="align-left"/></a>Steffens has a different history, one of recovery and friendship that beautifully captures Shafai’s character.</p>
<p>“I clicked in with Mike in my early stages of being sober,” Steffens says. “He and John are a big part of my sobriety because of the examples they set. Mike trained me through my first marathon. He showed me how to live right, helped me to be a better person.”</p>
<p>His close friends say they learned the simple – but most important – lessons from Mike.</p>
<p>“He said to me once, there is only one thing you can control, and that’s your attitude,” Gardner says. “He always had a positive attitude. And I look at things now and think, he’s right.”</p>
<p>Shafai married Stephanie Wurtz on June 16, 2014. A perfect couple, they dared to live life, traveling, racing, training together. One was never far from the other. And anyone who has experienced the heart-thumping beat of love could see Mike’s absolute devotion to his wife.</p>
<p>Stephanie, who currently serves as president of the Pikes Peak Road Runners, claimed a Leadwoman title - a stunning feat of pure guts that mixed miles of running and mountain biking at high altitudes - and set the overall record of 43 hours, 17 minutes in 2016. Mike paced her through the night on the final leg of the series, the crushing Leadville 100. </p>
<p>He had finished multiple Ironman triathlons, and most recently ran the Pikes Peak Ascent and American Discovery Trail Half Marathon. The couple embodied the spirit of a healthful and active lifestyle.</p>
<p>Tonia Smith, a longtime local runner, wrote in a Facebook post: “He was so joyously in love with her and so proud of her achievements. It was a beautiful thing to see.”</p>
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2656432977?profile=original" target="_self"><img width="300" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2656432977?profile=RESIZE_320x320" width="300" class="align-right"/></a>Shafai dove into the running scene upon his arrival here in 2003. Many credit him – and his non-stop encouragement - for their successes on the roads and trails.</p>
<p>His death has rattled the run community. Gardner learned of his passing late Tuesday night. He called Steffens at 6 a.m. Wednesday. Those who knew quietly passed along the sad news.</p>
<p>Thursday's eastern sky opened the drapes to bright streaks of yellow and orange. Shafai’s friends kicked the gravel trail and their chatter increased with the light. Everyone there had a story to tell about Mike. Surrounded by familiar faces, Gardner shook his head in wonder.</p>
<p>“It has been a tremendous outpouring (of support),” he says. “He touched so many lives. I know so many people who would thank him for turning their lives around.”</p>
<p>John Sudduth found running at age 63. Then he found Mike Shafai and the Sunrise Striders.</p>
<p>“When I started running a few years ago, Mike and the Sunrise Striders were a real encouragement to me personally,” Sudduth says. “Mike and Stephanie among others would often cheer me on to keep it up during our runs together as well as the races. It met a lot to me as a new runner and still does. Mike's contagious, friendly demeanor encouraged all of us to do our best.”</p>
<p>John Keller watched Shafai work his magic over the years.</p>
<p>“It was how welcoming he was to everyone especially newcomers,” he says. “He made a point to introduce them and get them connected to the community. He always knew everyone by name right away. That’s a big deal for people new to the area, people who don’t know anyone. He’s such a great role model for the compassion he had for others. He genuinely loved people. And he was so full of life all the time.”</p>
<p>Richard Bennet fell in with the Striders, and changed his life.</p>
<p>“Little did I know, that my world would end up revolving around Mike Shafai and the world that he created,” Bennet writes. “All of my best friends and social circle have emerged from Mike and the Striders.” </p>
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2656433206?profile=original" target="_self"><img width="300" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2656433206?profile=RESIZE_320x320" width="300" class="align-left"/></a>There was never a situation in which Shafai passed up a joke. He wrote a hilarious training column in the Pikes Peak Road Runners’ newsletter “The Long Run,” creating the character “Coach Carmine.” His video productions following the Winter Series were funny and sometimes off the wall, with one including the throwing of food. At the start of the memorial run at Plaza of the Rockies, Gardner reminded everyone that Mike would want to see them laugh.</p>
<p>“I told them that I couldn’t believe what a big crowd had showed up, and that I could hear Mike saying, ‘yeah, you all show up on the easy day,’” Gardner said.</p>
<p>Tears fell and hugs were shared atop the hill in Bear Creek Park. As the sun nipped the horizon, the runners began to work their way back to the start. Their community had absorbed a crushing blow. It had lost a friend, perhaps its best friend. But the light poured in on what promised to be a gorgeous Colorado fall day. And the time for reaching out had begun. Reaching out to feel the spark that Mike Shafai had left for them.</p>
<p><strong>Reactions from the community</strong></p>
<p><em>"Always a smile and encouragement no matter what. Michael and I had a few heated conversations about business and the running community. But we always parted with smiles and the promise to have some adult beverages. He loved his running community! He did whatever it took to make it better. He took the Pikes Peak Road Runners into the 21st century. He will be missed by many. But I know he is giving Woody Noleen a bunch of grief in the afterlife."</em> - <strong>John O'Neill, The Colorado Running Company</strong></p>
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<p><em>"While running the Pikes Peak Ascent two months ago (today), Shafai was right behind me at the on the fourth switchback above Ruxton. It's a switchback that has had some work done on it and most people follow along the outer edge of the work where the path is pretty well defined. I was just ahead of Mike as we approached the turn. I went running through the rocks because I like hitting the tangents, and Mike yells out at me "I'm telling the race director you're cutting the course. You're gonna get DQ'd Everson." Even just two miles into the race, it's painful. Then I hear this and we just laugh. I don't think I ever saw this guy without a smile on his face."</em> <strong>- Mike Everson </strong></p>
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<p><span><span><em>"Mike was so genuinely good and generous. I was never the fasted runner at Sunrise Striders back when I ran with them, but Mike always made me feel welcome and made me feel as though I absolutely had reason to be there, even as a back of the pack runner. Speed didn't matter to him. Being out there mattered to him. Encouraging others to work hard, show up. Truly an inclusive, kind human being. The community has lost a gem. And although I haven't seen him since I left Colorado Springs 4 years ago, I was so deeply saddened yesterday when I heard the news. Thank you for honoring him with your words."</em> <strong>- Jessica Robb</strong></span></span></p>
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<p><em>"I first met Mike 11 years ago at the garden training runs. For the next 2 years, I ran with the fast trail group a couple of times in the summer. The following year, I broke my humorous and while pacing the halls of the hospital, I swore to myself that I would start running again consistently and join the Sunrise Striders. For the past nine years, I have joined Mike and our clan every Tuesday and Thursday in the rain, cold, snow, hail, wind and anything else nature could throw at us.</em></p>
<p><em>Little did I know, that my world would end up revolving around Mike Shafai and the world that he created. All of my best friends and social circle have emerged from Mike and the Striders. I have attended Rocktoberfest several times, countless other outings in the mountains, and now organize an annual hut trip similar to Rocktoberfest with fellow Striders. When I have interviewed prospective employers, I always tell them that I must be allowed to be a little late to work on Tuesdays and Thursdays because of the running group. I even realized last night that Mike occupies my bedroom when my wife got into bed wearing “the election” shirt that he made for Jenn Osler and Jeff Mohrmann taking over the Winter Series. Mike even taught me how to cook meat properly by checking firmness.</em></p>
<p><em>I even earned the nickname of “wrong way Richard” from Mike. I thought it was a little ridiculous at first, but I kept earning it by going the wrong damn way.</em></p>
<p><em>If you go into the Starbucks downtown and ask for a “runner’s coffee,” they will give you a grande in a venti cup drip coffee. Years ago, Mike coaxed them to accept the term “runners coffee” instead of the full description.</em></p>
<p><em>Mike’s influence on my life is immense. I struggle to put it in words."</em> <strong>- Richard Bennet</strong></p>
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<p><em>"It is a sad day...Mike Shafai will be missed by everyone. I knew him from all the wonderful Winter Series, the banquets and awards, etc. I was always looking forward to read his FB comments about the state of the trails the days prior to the race, he had such a witty and intelligent sense of humor! My deepest condolences to Mike's friends, family and the entire running community. Thank you Mike Shafai. You, your sense of humor and your dedication will be greatly missed. I dedicate you my next 47 miles running, one for every year you made a difference in this planet!"</em> <strong>- Marisa Bcn</strong></p>
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<div class="_h8t"><div class="_5wd9 direction_ltr"><div class="_5wde _n4o"><div class="_5w1r _3_om _5wdf"><div class="_4gx_"><div class="_d97"><span class="_5yl5"><em>"I just wanted to add to your piece on Mike. I was working with him on a project for PPRR called Sparking Life. The goal was to create a space for addicts in recovery to become part of a healthy community and share our joy of running to help them stay sober. We recently completed our manual and were about to really get this rolling. Of course, Mike approached this with his typical passion, but this project was different than all the other volunteerism he did. This was an act of service he was very passionate about and something he talked about as one of the things that would define his efforts in retirement. I will work with the PPRR board to sustain this project. For context, I've been running with Mike and the Striders pretty much every week for the last 1 1/2 years."</em> <strong>- Trent Claypool</strong></span></div>
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<div class="_d97"><span class="_5yl5"><em>"After the Boston Bombing of the marathon in 2013 he spearheaded the organizing of a community run on a very short timeline, including speakers of those who had been there (myself included!) and a 5K memorial run that brought out several hundred of the local community of runners."</em> <strong>- Steve Bremner</strong></span></div>
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<div class="_d97" style="text-align: left;"><em><span class="_5yl5">"For anyone that knows Mike, I didn’t know him well, but he encouraged me when I ran into him on some Garden Runs when I first moved here four years ago and was struggling to breathe, much less run. He encouraged me to get involved in PPRR, and to come out to a couple of races even though I was a “recreational runner from the beach” and that wasn’t going to “get me up the Colorado hills without some practice”. He would see me around the park and say “you’re walking, greenie” in a teasing way. <br/> <br/> Well during this run, I was having trouble with my light...first, it wouldn’t turn on, forcing me to try to keep up with the faster than me groups...then, every time I tried to walk, it turned to the red setting, but when I started running again, it would come back on, regular strength. When I turned around a little early, it went out completely, but randomly came back on when I hit the bridge to Memorial Park (in the red mode).<br/> <br/> The funny thing is, it has worked fine since. If that wasn’t Mike with one final prank, I don’t know what would be!"</span></em> <span class="_5yl5"><strong>- Dianna Piteo</strong></span></div>
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</div> Rosco's Coffee House: Run with the burros, drink the good stufftag:pikespeaksports.us,2017-08-29:5021591:Topic:7781202017-08-29T00:24:42.699ZTim Bergstenhttp://pikespeaksports.us/profile/TimBergsten
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2656432610?profile=original" target="_self"><img class="align-center" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2656432610?profile=RESIZE_1024x1024" width="650"></img></a></p>
<p style="text-align: right;"><strong><span class="font-size-1">Photos provided by Kevin Shaw</span></strong></p>
<p><strong>By Kevin Shaw</strong></p>
<p>I was returning home after riding my bike over on the west side and had just started the turn from Bijou onto Walnut street when I spotted a guy walking a very large donkey down the street. I hadn’t been in the Springs…</p>
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2656432610?profile=original" target="_self"><img width="650" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2656432610?profile=RESIZE_1024x1024" width="650" class="align-center"/></a></p>
<p style="text-align: right;"><strong><span class="font-size-1">Photos provided by Kevin Shaw</span></strong></p>
<p><strong>By Kevin Shaw</strong></p>
<p>I was returning home after riding my bike over on the west side and had just started the turn from Bijou onto Walnut street when I spotted a guy walking a very large donkey down the street. I hadn’t been in the Springs for very long and my first though was to snap a photo and send it to friends. However, by the time I got my phone out from my jersey pocket they were now standing at the corner next to a newly opened coffee shop that I had been meaning to visit.</p>
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2656432647?profile=original" target="_self"><img width="350" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2656432647?profile=RESIZE_480x480" width="350" class="align-left"/></a>I turned my bike around and peddled over. I asked if I could pet his donkey, and he said of course. I asked him the donkey’s name to which he gave me a funny look, pointed at a “ginormous” sign on the coffee shop that said “Rosco’s Coffee House” sporting a very large photo of the very donkey I was facing (yeah sometimes I’m not the quickest guy on the corner). It turned out I was talking to Tony White, owner of Rosco’s Coffee House. We chatted for a time, talking about running, biking and swimming as well as the Colorado Summer Heritage Sport called Pack Burro Racing, burro being the Spanish word for donkey.</p>
<p>Fast forward about six months and I began my journey of training for my fist pack burro race. For those who aren’t aware, pack burro racing is trail running with a donkey. Riding the donkey is not allowed but as the joke goes, the donkey may ride you! Basically, you team up with the donkey who must have a pack saddle that carries a pick, shovel and gold pan and must weigh at least 33 pounds. The sport is a Colorado tradition having been in existence for at least 69 years. Race distances range from around six to 29 miles and all happen in and around historic mining towns (think Fairplay, Leadville, Buena Vista).</p>
<p>As it turns out, Tony owned not one, but two donkeys, and was willing to loan one to me. He introduced me to Mordecai, or "Mordy," and went about teaching me how to run with a donkey or “go donkin’ as Tony likes to say. I like to say that Mordy is my “borrowed burro”, he is a standard sized donkey who has two claims to fame. Mordy was the Mascot for the Democratic National Convention in 2008 and also has his name on a plaque in Fairplay as the World Champion in 2006. In other words, Mordy knew what he was doing. I did not. Thankfully, Mordy was really training me!</p>
<p>Rosco and Mordy are stabled in Manitou and along with Cash, owned by Mike Vann. We regularly run on weekday evenings. One day after bringing my friend <a href="https://www.facebook.com/dionne.randolph">Dionne Randolph</a> along for a run, we started talking about forming a weekend running group. Although there is such a rich running community here, I felt there was a bit of a hole for the weekend runner who didn’t necessarily want to run up the Incline or Barr Trail.</p>
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2656433378?profile=original" target="_self"><img width="300" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2656433378?profile=RESIZE_320x320" width="300" class="align-left"/></a>We envisioned a club that would meet in rain, snow, or the heat of summer. We focus our Saturday run around a 10-mile route on the Santa Fe Trail which is easily shortened or lengthened depending on the need of any individual. We also have group trail runs that vary in location and we strive to bring the donkeys out around once a month depending on both weather (we don’t run the donkeys if it's icy) and the summer burro racing season.</p>
<p>Tony offered his shop as a meeting place and we struck a deal that if folks ran with the group five times and visited the shop for coffee after each of those runs, Tony would give club members a 10% discount in the shop and provide a free running shirt. </p>
<p>(For more info, check out <a href="https://www.roscosrunners.com/">https://www.roscosrunners.com/</a>, or e-mail E-mail Roscosrunners@gmail.com)</p>
<p>What does the Rosco's Runners Club do for members besides offer a place to gather for the ritual of the weekend long run and some fun socialization? By bringing the donkeys out in public we interact with people on the trails, they ask us questions and we can clarify some of the misconceptions about these animals such as donkeys aren’t stubborn, they are merely cautious. </p>
<p>Running with these wonderful animals is also a gift on a much deeper level, and oddly enough a more human level. When running with a donkey, one must be unplugged from technology and in tune with the environment and the donkey's reaction to the environment which puts us in tune with nature. The donkey is the conduit to that connection. </p>
<p>More importantly to me is that learning and mastering donkey running requires kindness, empathy and patience. The donkey just isn't gonna do what it is afraid to do. To teach someone else how to run with a donkey provides a conduit for human-donkey empathy to human-human empathy and deepens our relationships as humans. The donkey is the intermediary. Besides, running with the animals is just plain fun. There is the old adage that a runner never regrets going out for a run and doing so with some friends, three of whom are real asses, (Rosco/Mordy/Cash) amplifies that by 1,000 percent. </p>
<p>So even if there is just that one compassionate and joyful moment, the world is perhaps just a little better place. Who knew an odd, often miss understood, and sometime maligned, pointy large eared donkey could affect such change (perhaps that's rhetorical).</p>
<p>We hope that folks come on out and run with us. We keep an eye on each other and our trail runs are “leave no @ss behind” events where we meet at every intersection and the top of hills. We love to be social and have adopted fellow Rosco’s Runner May Hui’s motto: “If there is no selfie, it didn’t happen.” We communicate primarily via a closed Facebook group, but if you’re not on Facebook, no problem, we can accommodate you via e-mail. We meet at Rosco’s on Saturday and different trailheads on Sunday, runs start promptly at 7 a.m. in warm months, 8 a.m. in cold months. One exception is on the first day of the month we meet at 7:15 for the Neilson’s Challenge, as our group has many folks on different Brewer’s Cup Teams. We warm up together with an easy run to the park, then it’s good-hearted competition time followed by a cool down back to the coffee house.</p> Incline to close Aug. 19 for Pikes Peak Marathon & Ascent, reopen after renovations completedtag:pikespeaksports.us,2017-08-09:5021591:Topic:7752952017-08-09T16:55:24.193ZTim Bergstenhttp://pikespeaksports.us/profile/TimBergsten
<p align="center" style="text-align: left;"><strong><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2656431993?profile=original" target="_self"><img class="align-right" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2656431993?profile=RESIZE_480x480" width="350"></img></a> From the City of Colorado Springs, Aug. 9</strong> - The City of Colorado Springs, in conjunction with the City of Manitou Springs, will start phase 3 improvements to the Mt. Manitou Incline (Incline) on <b>August 21</b>. The Incline will close for the Pikes Peak Ascent Marathon on August 19 and 20 and will remain closed for…</p>
<p align="center" style="text-align: left;"><strong><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2656431993?profile=original" target="_self"><img width="350" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2656431993?profile=RESIZE_480x480" width="350" class="align-right"/></a>From the City of Colorado Springs, Aug. 9</strong> - The City of Colorado Springs, in conjunction with the City of Manitou Springs, will start phase 3 improvements to the Mt. Manitou Incline (Incline) on <b>August 21</b>. The Incline will close for the Pikes Peak Ascent Marathon on August 19 and 20 and will remain closed for the repairs and renovations which are set to begin on Monday, August 21. Construction is anticipated to last for four months and will take place between Tie 2137 and Tie 2741. For more information on the construction project, visit <a href="http://www.coloradosprings.gov/incline">www.coloradosprings.gov/incline</a>.</p>
<p>The Incline project has four major goals: improved safety, enhanced user experience, long-term sustainability of the trail and increased accessibility. Work will include repairing and replacing damaged retaining walls, cleaning up the exposed rebar and loose debris, adding additional drainage structures, anchoring the existing ties, and stabilizing the surrounding slopes. Currently, there are several failed drainage structures. During construction, the failed infrastructure will be removed and new drainage structures will be installed. The increase in drainage structures will greatly help reduce the velocity of water, a critical factor in reducing erosion and ensuring the long-term sustainability of the Incline. </p>
<p><b>Funding</b></p>
<p>The project cost is estimated to be $2 million. Funding is made possible by a Community Development Block Grant – Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) Program. The grant money allocated is provided as reimbursement for documented eligible costs. The City of Colorado Springs is responsible for the general oversight, trail enhancements, general maintenance of the Incline and to apply for grants to fund improvements, per the Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) with Manitou Springs.</p>
<p>For more information on the construction project, visit <a href="http://www.coloradosprings.gov/incline">www.coloradosprings.gov/incline</a>.</p> Colorado Running Company to open second store in Manitou Springstag:pikespeaksports.us,2017-07-03:5021591:Topic:7701692017-07-03T20:20:45.793ZTim Bergstenhttp://pikespeaksports.us/profile/TimBergsten
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2656432981?profile=original" target="_self"><img class="align-left" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2656432981?profile=RESIZE_320x320" width="250"></img></a> The electric buffer whirled on the hardwood floors in the storefront window at the Manitou Arts Center as Jeff Tarbert held on and made his plans.</p>
<p>The owner of the <a href="http://corunco.com/" target="_blank">Colorado Running Company</a>, Tarbert is a sharp businessman. It’s a requirement in the quirky and fast-moving world of running specialty stores. When he found…</p>
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2656432981?profile=original" target="_self"><img width="250" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2656432981?profile=RESIZE_320x320" width="250" class="align-left"/></a>The electric buffer whirled on the hardwood floors in the storefront window at the Manitou Arts Center as Jeff Tarbert held on and made his plans.</p>
<p>The owner of the <a href="http://corunco.com/" target="_blank">Colorado Running Company</a>, Tarbert is a sharp businessman. It’s a requirement in the quirky and fast-moving world of running specialty stores. When he found the space available at 513 Manitou Ave., he didn’t hesitate to jump in.</p>
<p>Hitting the kill switch on the buffer, he described his vision for CRC's new store.</p>
<p><a href="http://corunco.com/" target="_blank"><img width="150" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2653383898?profile=RESIZE_180x180" width="150" class="align-right"/></a>"We support the mountain running community, so I had to figure a way in my mind to support that base of customers we have and excite new people,” Tarbert said. “And the best way I could figure out to do it was to come up with retail space in Manitou. And this is it.”</p>
<p>Colorado Running Company manager John O’Neil said the Manitou store could open as early as this weekend. (UPDATE: The store opened on July 15) Tarbert said he doesn’t know if he’ll keep it open year-round, but does plan to capture the business of Incline climbers, as well as the runners who ply the local trails each day.</p>
<p>“It’ll be kind of a pop-up store for now,” he says.</p>
<p>Customers will find Colorado Running Company’s braded gear, plus Colorado-themed items, as well as anything a hiker or runner may need, including nutritional products, hydration packs and other accessories including shoes, though he doesn’t have plans for a “full-blown shoe-fitting process.” CRC is also looking at renting running shoes to Incline users, or anyone who wants to try the latest in running footwear.</p>
<p>The store will be staffed with local runners who know the local trails and the rigors of the Incline.</p>
<p>The original Colorado Running Company opened in 2000 on N. Tejon St. It moved to the University Center Colorado (UVC) shopping center in 2014. The Manitou location is really in the experimental stages.</p>
<p>“We only have a one-year lease, so we have a year to figure it out.”</p>
<p>The new store should also generate new interest in running among residents and visitors who have never given it a second thought. The Manitou Arts Center houses a gallery and artist studios and hosts multiple events each month. Tarbert has already stirred up interest among the artists who see opportunity in runner T-shirt designs, as well as the chance to artistically explore the beauty and grace found in trail and mountain running.</p>
<p> “The whole idea is to increase the awareness of mountain and trail running like we do at the existing store,” he says.</p>
<p>The lease includes the use of the Manitou Arts Center parking lot on two weekeds. Tarbert said he's looking at hosting running expo-type events, perhaps this summer. </p> Garden of the Gods bear becomes international media darlingtag:pikespeaksports.us,2017-06-19:5021591:Topic:7671462017-06-19T12:51:06.494ZTim Bergstenhttp://pikespeaksports.us/profile/TimBergsten
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2656432566?profile=original" target="_self"><img class="align-left" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2656432566?profile=RESIZE_320x320" width="300"></img></a> Everyone else ran 10 miles or 10K. The now famous Garden of the Gods bear ran about 60 feet and this is just a sampling of the media storm it created.</p>
<p>Race officials are now in contract talks with the bear. It's rumored that any deal will include appearance fees for promotional events, and a guaranteed surprise for runners on race day.</p>
<p>Special thanks to Don…</p>
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2656432566?profile=original" target="_self"><img width="300" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2656432566?profile=RESIZE_320x320" width="300" class="align-left"/></a>Everyone else ran 10 miles or 10K. The now famous Garden of the Gods bear ran about 60 feet and this is just a sampling of the media storm it created.</p>
<p>Race officials are now in contract talks with the bear. It's rumored that any deal will include appearance fees for promotional events, and a guaranteed surprise for runners on race day.</p>
<p>Special thanks to Don Sanborn for capturing the photos and gathering the links.</p>
<p><b>Newspapers</b></p>
<p>The Gazette: <a href="http://gazette.com/bear-crosses-through-garden-of-the-gods-10-mile-run/article/1604953" target="_blank">http://gazette.com/bear-crosses-through-garden-of-the-gods-10-mile-run/article/1604953</a></p>
<p></p>
<p>The Kansas City Star: <a href="http://www.kansascity.com/news/nation-world/article155656024.html" target="_blank">http://www.kansascity.com/news/nation-world/article155656024.html</a></p>
<p></p>
<p>The Sacramento Bee: <a href="http://www.sacbee.com/latest-news/article155613739.html" target="_blank">http://www.sacbee.com/latest-news/article155613739.html</a></p>
<p></p>
<p>The Denver Post: <a href="http://www.denverpost.com/2017/06/12/bear-colorado-race/" target="_blank">http://www.denverpost.com/2017/06/12/bear-colorado-race/</a></p>
<p></p>
<p>Miami Herald: <a href="http://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/article155613739.html" target="_blank">http://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/article155613739.html</a></p>
<p></p>
<p>The Wichita Eagle: <a href="http://www.kansas.com/news/nation-world/article155613739.html" target="_blank">http://www.kansas.com/news/nation-world/article155613739.html</a></p>
<p></p>
<p>The Telegraph (Macon, GA): <a href="http://www.macon.com/news/nation-world/article155613739.html" target="_blank">http://www.macon.com/news/nation-world/article155613739.html</a></p>
<p></p>
<p>The Olympian (Olympia, WA): <a href="http://www.theolympian.com/news/nation-world/article155613739.html" target="_blank">http://www.theolympian.com/news/nation-world/article155613739.html</a></p>
<p></p>
<p>The News Tribune (Tacoma, WA): <a href="http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/nation-world/article155613739.html" target="_blank">http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/nation-world/article155613739.html</a></p>
<p></p>
<p>SunHerald (Gulfport, MS): <a href="http://www.sunherald.com/news/nation-world/article155613739.html" target="_blank">http://www.sunherald.com/news/nation-world/article155613739.html</a></p>
<p></p>
<p>USA Today: <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2017/06/13/bear-crosses-road-during-colorado-race/391679001/" target="_blank">https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2017/06/13/bear-crosses-road-during-colorado-race/391679001/</a></p>
<p></p>
<p>The Coloradoan (Ft. Collins, CO): <a href="http://www.coloradoan.com/story/news/local/colorado/2017/06/12/bear-crosses-through-colorado-race/388096001/" target="_blank">http://www.coloradoan.com/story/news/local/colorado/2017/06/12/bear-crosses-through-colorado-race/388096001/</a></p>
<p></p>
<p>MLive (Michigan): <a href="http://www.mlive.com/news/us-world/index.ssf/2017/06/bear_startles_runners_on_color.html" target="_blank">http://www.mlive.com/news/us-world/index.ssf/2017/06/bear_startles_runners_on_color.html</a></p>
<p></p>
<p>Napa Valley Register: <a href="http://napavalleyregister.com/news/weird-news/that-s-no-normal-runner-bear-crosses-through-colorado-race/article_61c3245f-1cad-5c6c-9f1b-837e893d7da5.html" target="_blank">http://napavalleyregister.com/news/weird-news/that-s-no-normal-runner-bear-crosses-through-colorado-race/article_61c3245f-1cad-5c6c-9f1b-837e893d7da5.html</a></p>
<p></p>
<p>Prescott Daily Courier: <a href="https://www.dcourier.com/news/2017/jun/14/s-no-normal-runner-bear-crosses-through-colorado-r/" target="_blank">https://www.dcourier.com/news/2017/jun/14/s-no-normal-runner-bear-crosses-through-colorado-r/</a></p>
<p></p>
<p>Herald-Tribune (Sarasota): <a href="http://www.heraldtribune.com/zz/news/20170612/light-lunch-bear-crosses-through-colorado-race" target="_blank">http://www.heraldtribune.com/zz/news/20170612/light-lunch-bear-crosses-through-colorado-race</a></p>
<p></p>
<p>The Journal (Cortez, CO): <a href="https://the-journal.com/articles/53006" target="_blank">https://the-journal.com/articles/53006</a></p>
<p></p>
<p>The Lawton Constitution (SW OK): <a href="http://swoknews.com/area/bear-takes-lead-colo-foot-race" target="_blank">http://swoknews.com/area/bear-takes-lead-colo-foot-race</a></p>
<p></p>
<p>Droitwich Spa Advertiser (England and Wales): <a href="http://www.droitwichadvertiser.co.uk/NEWS/15341705.National_news__Bear_crosses_through_Colorado_race/" target="_blank">http://www.droitwichadvertiser.co.uk/NEWS/15341705.National_news__Bear_crosses_through_Colorado_race/</a></p>
<p></p>
<p>The Durango Herald: <a href="https://durangoherald.com/articles/165271" target="_blank">https://durangoherald.com/articles/165271</a></p>
<p></p>
<p>Springfield News-Sun: <a href="http://www.springfieldnewssun.com/news/national/bear-joins-colorado-race-surprises-runners/udeFFf5ahlYETuerokJdnJ/" target="_blank">http://www.springfieldnewssun.com/news/national/bear-joins-colorado-race-surprises-runners/udeFFf5ahlYETuerokJdnJ/</a></p>
<p></p>
<p>Daily Herald (Illinois): <a href="http://www.dailyherald.com/article/20170611/news/306119890" target="_blank">http://www.dailyherald.com/article/20170611/news/306119890</a></p>
<p></p>
<p>Pueblo Pulp: <a href="http://pueblopulp.com/colorado-bear-enters-garden-gods-race-didnt-win/" target="_blank">http://pueblopulp.com/colorado-bear-enters-garden-gods-race-didnt-win/</a></p>
<p></p>
<p>The Pueblo Chieftain: <a href="http://www.chieftain.com/news/that-s-no-normal-runner-bear-crosses-through-colorado-race/article_4808e1bb-4e91-55f3-9114-d1bc0a1fb47c.html" target="_blank">http://www.chieftain.com/news/that-s-no-normal-runner-bear-crosses-through-colorado-race/article_4808e1bb-4e91-55f3-9114-d1bc0a1fb47c.html</a></p>
<p></p>
<p>Journal Star (Peoria, IL): <a href="http://www.pjstar.com/zz/news/20170612/light-lunch-bear-crosses-through-colorado-race" target="_blank">http://www.pjstar.com/zz/news/20170612/light-lunch-bear-crosses-through-colorado-race</a></p>
<p></p>
<p>Huffington Post: <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/bear-scares-runners_us_593fd2fde4b0e84514ee2a14" target="_blank">http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/bear-scares-runners_us_593fd2fde4b0e84514ee2a14</a></p>
<p></p>
<p> </p>
<p><b>Magazines</b></p>
<p>People.com: <a href="http://people.com/pets/bear-steals-chickens-job-crosses-road-during-colorado-race/" target="_blank">http://people.com/pets/bear-steals-chickens-job-crosses-road-during-colorado-race/</a></p>
<p></p>
<p>Canadian Running: <a href="http://runningmagazine.ca/garden-of-the-gods-10-mile-run-bear/" target="_blank">http://runningmagazine.ca/garden-of-the-gods-10-mile-run-bear/</a></p>
<p></p>
<p>Runner’s World: <a href="http://www.runnersworld.com/general-interest/6-times-when-animals-completely-disrupted-races" target="_blank">http://www.runnersworld.com/general-interest/6-times-when-animals-completely-disrupted-races</a></p>
<p></p>
<p> </p>
<p><b>Local TV Stations</b></p>
<p>*CBS Denver: <a href="http://denver.cbslocal.com/2017/06/11/bear-race-garden-gods/" target="_blank">http://denver.cbslocal.com/2017/06/11/bear-race-garden-gods/</a></p>
<p></p>
<p>9News Denver: <a href="http://www.9news.com/travel/destinations/colorado-adventures/thats-no-normal-runner-bear-crosses-through-colorado-race/447865130" target="_blank">http://www.9news.com/travel/destinations/colorado-adventures/thats-no-normal-runner-bear-crosses-through-colorado-race/447865130</a></p>
<p></p>
<p>ABC 13 (Houston, TX): <a href="http://abc13.com/news/bear-scares-runners-during-colorado-race/2086858/" target="_blank">http://abc13.com/news/bear-scares-runners-during-colorado-race/2086858/</a></p>
<p></p>
<p>WSOCTV (North Carolina): <a href="http://www.wsoctv.com/news/water-cooler/bear-joins-colorado-race-surprises-runners/532504825" target="_blank">http://www.wsoctv.com/news/water-cooler/bear-joins-colorado-race-surprises-runners/532504825</a></p>
<p></p>
<p>KIRO 7 (Seattle, WA): <a href="http://www.kiro7.com/news/trending-now/bear-joins-colorado-race-surprises-runners/532504579" target="_blank">http://www.kiro7.com/news/trending-now/bear-joins-colorado-race-surprises-runners/532504579</a></p>
<p></p>
<p>Fox 9 (Eden Prairie, MN): <a href="http://www.fox9.com/news/260428995-story" target="_blank">http://www.fox9.com/news/260428995-story</a></p>
<p></p>
<p>Fox 21 News: <a href="http://fox21news.com/2017/06/12/bear-runs-through-race-at-garden-of-the-gods/" target="_blank">http://fox21news.com/2017/06/12/bear-runs-through-race-at-garden-of-the-gods/</a></p>
<p></p>
<p>Fox 5 San Diego: <a href="http://fox5sandiego.com/2017/06/11/bear-surprises-runners-during-colorado-race/" target="_blank">http://fox5sandiego.com/2017/06/11/bear-surprises-runners-during-colorado-race/</a></p>
<p></p>
<p>WGN 9 (Chicago): <a href="http://wgntv.com/2017/06/12/bear-joins-race-through-colorado-park/" target="_blank">http://wgntv.com/2017/06/12/bear-joins-race-through-colorado-park/</a></p>
<p></p>
<p>KTVQ (Billings, MT): <a href="http://www.ktvq.com/story/35642031/bear-startles-colorado-runners" target="_blank">http://www.ktvq.com/story/35642031/bear-startles-colorado-runners</a></p>
<p></p>
<p>WBTV (Charlotte, NC): <a href="http://www.wbtv.com/story/35639338/thats-no-normal-runner-bear-crosses-through-colorado-race" target="_blank">http://www.wbtv.com/story/35639338/thats-no-normal-runner-bear-crosses-through-colorado-race</a></p>
<p></p>
<p>Fox 8 (High Point, NC): <a href="http://myfox8.com/2017/06/12/bear-joins-race-through-colorado-park/" target="_blank">http://myfox8.com/2017/06/12/bear-joins-race-through-colorado-park/</a></p>
<p></p>
<p>KFOR (Oklahoma City, OK): <a href="http://kfor.com/2017/06/12/bear-joins-race-through-colorado-park/" target="_blank">http://kfor.com/2017/06/12/bear-joins-race-through-colorado-park/</a></p>
<p></p>
<p>Fox 13 (Salt Lake City, UT): <a href="http://fox13now.com/2017/06/12/bear-joins-race-through-colorado-park/" target="_blank">http://fox13now.com/2017/06/12/bear-joins-race-through-colorado-park/</a></p>
<p></p>
<p>Fox 8 (Cleveland, OH): <a href="http://fox8.com/2017/06/12/bear-joins-race-through-colorado-park/" target="_blank">http://fox8.com/2017/06/12/bear-joins-race-through-colorado-park/</a></p>
<p></p>
<p>News 3 (Memphis, TN): <a href="http://wreg.com/2017/06/12/bear-joins-race-through-colorado-park/" target="_blank">http://wreg.com/2017/06/12/bear-joins-race-through-colorado-park/</a></p>
<p></p>
<p>WQAD 8 (Moline, IL): <a href="http://wqad.com/2017/06/12/bear-joins-race-through-colorado-park/" target="_blank">http://wqad.com/2017/06/12/bear-joins-race-through-colorado-park/</a></p>
<p></p>
<p>Fox 61 (Hartford, CT): <a href="http://fox61.com/2017/06/12/bear-joins-race-through-colorado-park/" target="_blank">http://fox61.com/2017/06/12/bear-joins-race-through-colorado-park/</a></p>
<p></p>
<p>CBS 6 (Richmond, VA): <a href="http://wtvr.com/2017/06/12/bear-joins-race-through-colorado-park/" target="_blank">http://wtvr.com/2017/06/12/bear-joins-race-through-colorado-park/</a></p>
<p></p>
<p>Fox 6 (Milwaukee, WI): <a href="http://fox6now.com/2017/06/12/bear-joins-race-through-colorado-park/" target="_blank">http://fox6now.com/2017/06/12/bear-joins-race-through-colorado-park/</a></p>
<p></p>
<p>Q13 Fox (Seattle, WA): <a href="http://q13fox.com/2017/06/12/bear-joins-race-through-colorado-park/" target="_blank">http://q13fox.com/2017/06/12/bear-joins-race-through-colorado-park/</a></p>
<p></p>
<p>PHL 17 (Philadelphia, PA): <a href="http://phl17.com/2017/06/12/bear-joins-race-through-colorado-park/" target="_blank">http://phl17.com/2017/06/12/bear-joins-race-through-colorado-park/</a></p>
<p></p>
<p>Fox 2 (St. Louis, MO): <a href="http://fox2now.com/2017/06/12/bear-joins-race-through-colorado-park/" target="_blank">http://fox2now.com/2017/06/12/bear-joins-race-through-colorado-park/</a></p>
<p></p>
<p>Fox 43 (York, PA): <a href="http://fox43.com/2017/06/12/bear-joins-race-through-colorado-park/" target="_blank">http://fox43.com/2017/06/12/bear-joins-race-through-colorado-park/</a></p>
<p></p>
<p>KTLA 5: <a href="http://ktla.com/2017/06/12/bear-joins-race-through-colorado-park/" target="_blank">http://ktla.com/2017/06/12/bear-joins-race-through-colorado-park/</a></p>
<p></p>
<p>Fox 17 (West Michigan): <a href="http://fox17online.com/2017/06/12/bear-joins-race-through-colorado-park/" target="_blank">http://fox17online.com/2017/06/12/bear-joins-race-through-colorado-park/</a></p>
<p></p>
<p>Fox 40 (Sacramento, Stockton, Modesto): <a href="http://fox40.com/2017/06/12/bear-joins-race-through-colorado-park/" target="_blank">http://fox40.com/2017/06/12/bear-joins-race-through-colorado-park/</a></p>
<p></p>
<p>Fox 4 KC: <a href="http://fox4kc.com/2017/06/12/bear-joins-race-through-colorado-park/" target="_blank">http://fox4kc.com/2017/06/12/bear-joins-race-through-colorado-park/</a></p>
<p></p>
<p>7 KBZK (Bozeman, MT): <a href="http://www.kbzk.com/story/35642530/bear-startles-colorado-runners" target="_blank">http://www.kbzk.com/story/35642530/bear-startles-colorado-runners</a></p>
<p></p>
<p>CW 39 (Houston, TX): <a href="http://cw39.com/2017/06/12/bear-joins-race-through-colorado-park/" target="_blank">http://cw39.com/2017/06/12/bear-joins-race-through-colorado-park/</a></p>
<p></p>
<p>4 KXLF (Butte, MT): <a href="http://www.kxlf.com/story/35642530/bear-startles-colorado-runners" target="_blank">http://www.kxlf.com/story/35642530/bear-startles-colorado-runners</a></p>
<p></p>
<p>KPLR 11 (St. Louis, MO): <a href="http://kplr11.com/2017/06/12/bear-joins-race-through-colorado-park/" target="_blank">http://kplr11.com/2017/06/12/bear-joins-race-through-colorado-park/</a></p>
<p></p>
<p>NBC4 (LA): <a href="http://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/weird/Bear-Colorado-Race-428045133.html" target="_blank">http://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/weird/Bear-Colorado-Race-428045133.html</a></p>
<p></p>
<p> </p>
<p></p>
<p><b>National TV Networks</b></p>
<p>The Weather Channel: <a href="https://weather.com/science/nature/news/colorago-garden-of-gods-bear-race" target="_blank">https://weather.com/science/nature/news/colorago-garden-of-gods-bear-race</a></p>
<p></p>
<p>ABC News: <a href="http://abcnews.go.com/Weird/wireStory/normal-runner-bear-crosses-colorado-race-47974269" target="_blank">http://abcnews.go.com/Weird/wireStory/normal-runner-bear-crosses-colorado-race-47974269</a></p>
<p></p>
<p> </p>
<p><b>International News</b></p>
<p>Daily Mail (UK): <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/pa/article-4595072/That-s-no-normal-runner-Bear-crosses-Colorado-race.html" target="_blank">http://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/pa/article-4595072/That-s-no-normal-runner-Bear-crosses-Colorado-race.html</a></p>
<p></p>
<p>Belfast Telegraph: <a href="http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/world-news/thats-no-normal-runner-bear-crosses-through-colorado-race-35815346.html" target="_blank">http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/world-news/thats-no-normal-runner-bear-crosses-through-colorado-race-35815346.html</a></p>
<p></p>
<p>Halesowen News (UK): <a href="http://www.halesowennews.co.uk/news/15341705.National_news__Bear_crosses_through_Colorado_race/" target="_blank">http://www.halesowennews.co.uk/news/15341705.National_news__Bear_crosses_through_Colorado_race/</a></p>
<p></p>
<p>L!FE (Russian?): <a href="https://life.ru/t/%D0%BD%D0%BE%D0%B2%D0%BE%D1%81%D1%82%D0%B8/1016437/miedvied_napughal_uchastnikov_zabiegha_v_kolorado-springhs" target="_blank">https://life.ru/t/%D0%BD%D0%BE%D0%B2%D0%BE%D1%81%D1%82%D0%B8/1016437/miedvied_napughal_uchastnikov_zabiegha_v_kolorado-springhs</a></p>
<p></p>
<p>Independent (Ireland): <a href="http://www.independent.ie/world-news/thats-no-normal-runner-bear-crosses-through-colorado-race-35815344.html" target="_blank">http://www.independent.ie/world-news/thats-no-normal-runner-bear-crosses-through-colorado-race-35815344.html</a></p>
<p></p>
<p>Telegraph & Argus (UK): <a href="http://www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/news/national/15341702.That___s_no_normal_runner__Bear_crosses_through_Colorado_race/" target="_blank">http://www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/news/national/15341702.That___s_no_normal_runner__Bear_crosses_through_Colorado_race/</a></p>
<p></p>
<p> Evening Express (UK): <a href="https://www.eveningexpress.co.uk/pipe/news/international/thats-no-normal-runner-bear-crosses-through-colorado-race/" target="_blank">https://www.eveningexpress.co.uk/pipe/news/international/thats-no-normal-runner-bear-crosses-through-colorado-race/</a></p>
<p></p>
<p>Emirates247 (Dubai): <a href="http://www.emirates247.com/offbeat/that-s-no-normal-runner-bear-crosses-through-colorado-race-2017-06-12-1.654413" target="_blank">http://www.emirates247.com/offbeat/that-s-no-normal-runner-bear-crosses-through-colorado-race-2017-06-12-1.654413</a></p>
<p></p>
<p> ITV news: <a href="http://www.itv.com/news/2017-06-12/thats-no-normal-runner-bear-crashes-us-race/" target="_blank">http://www.itv.com/news/2017-06-12/thats-no-normal-runner-bear-crashes-us-race/</a></p>
<p></p>
<p> Kidsweek (Danish?): <a href="http://www.kidsweek.nl/dieren/beer-jaagt-hardlopers-stuipen-op-t-lijf" target="_blank">http://www.kidsweek.nl/dieren/beer-jaagt-hardlopers-stuipen-op-t-lijf</a></p>
<p></p>
<p> Haller Kreisblatt (German): <a href="http://www.haller-kreisblatt.de/ueberregional/aus_aller_welt/21819615_Achtung-Baer.html" target="_blank">http://www.haller-kreisblatt.de/ueberregional/aus_aller_welt/21819615_Achtung-Baer.html</a></p>
<p></p>
<p> </p>
<p><b>Blogs/General Internet:</b></p>
<p>MSN.com: <a href="http://www.msn.com/en-us/lifestyle/whats-hot/omg-this-bear-interrupted-a-10-mile-race-to-cross-the-road/ar-BBCGOvA?li=BBnbfcL" target="_blank">http://www.msn.com/en-us/lifestyle/whats-hot/omg-this-bear-interrupted-a-10-mile-race-to-cross-the-road/ar-BBCGOvA?li=BBnbfcL</a></p>
<p></p>
<p>Wide Open Spaces: <a href="http://www.wideopenspaces.com/heard-one-bear-ran-10-mile-race-colorado/" target="_blank">http://www.wideopenspaces.com/heard-one-bear-ran-10-mile-race-colorado/</a></p>
<p></p>
<p>GrindTV: <a href="http://www.grindtv.com/wildlife/bear-disrupts-runner-race-colorado-photos/" target="_blank">http://www.grindtv.com/wildlife/bear-disrupts-runner-race-colorado-photos/</a></p>
<p></p>
<p>ARRL- The National Association for Amateur Radio: <a href="http://www.arrl.org/news/bear-is-unwanted-volunteer-as-ares-team-supports-colorado-road-race" target="_blank">http://www.arrl.org/news/bear-is-unwanted-volunteer-as-ares-team-supports-colorado-road-race</a></p>
<p></p>
<p> Outdoorhub.com: <a href="https://www.outdoorhub.com/news/2017/06/12/bear-gives-runners-extra-pep-step-10-mile-race/" target="_blank">https://www.outdoorhub.com/news/2017/06/12/bear-gives-runners-extra-pep-step-10-mile-race/</a></p>
<p></p>
<p> NewsExplored.com: <a href="http://newsexplored.co.uk/bear-surprises-runners-during-colorado-race/" target="_blank">http://newsexplored.co.uk/bear-surprises-runners-during-colorado-race/</a></p>
<p></p>
<p> Competitor.com: <a href="http://running.competitor.com/2017/06/news/black-bear-startles-runners-joins-10-miler-colorado_165133" target="_blank">http://running.competitor.com/2017/06/news/black-bear-startles-runners-joins-10-miler-colorado_165133</a></p>
<p></p>
<p> Aol. News: <a href="https://www.aol.com/article/news/2017/06/12/bear-surprises-runners-during-colorado-race/22138389/" target="_blank">https://www.aol.com/article/news/2017/06/12/bear-surprises-runners-during-colorado-race/22138389/</a></p>
<p></p>
<p> </p>
<p></p>
<p><b>Radio</b></p>
<p> 101.9 King FM: <a href="http://kingfm.com/bear-runs-onto-colorado-race-course/" target="_blank">http://kingfm.com/bear-runs-onto-colorado-race-course/</a></p>
<p></p>
<p> 94.3 X Front Range Alternative: <a href="http://thexfrontrange.com/a-bear-crosses-through-a-co-foot-race/" target="_blank">http://thexfrontrange.com/a-bear-crosses-through-a-co-foot-race/</a></p>
<p></p>
<p> KTAR News (Phoenix, AZ): <a href="https://ktar.com/story/1617228/thats-no-normal-runner-bear-crosses-through-colorado-race/" target="_blank">https://ktar.com/story/1617228/thats-no-normal-runner-bear-crosses-through-colorado-race/</a></p>
<p></p>
<p> </p> Course changes, big party planned for 41st Garden of the Gods 10 Mile Run and 10Ktag:pikespeaksports.us,2017-05-11:5021591:Topic:7619232017-05-11T17:23:14.783ZTim Bergstenhttp://pikespeaksports.us/profile/TimBergsten
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2656434394?profile=original" target="_self"><img class="align-center" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2656434394?profile=RESIZE_1024x1024" width="600"></img></a></p>
<p style="text-align: right;"><strong>(Photo by Sean Holveck)</strong></p>
<p><strong>From Pikes Peak Marathon, Inc.</strong></p>
<p>MANITOU SPRINGS, Colo. – A favorite local running race that meanders through one of the country’s most iconic landmarks will feature a new course and a new post-race celebration in 2017.</p>
<p>The Garden of the Gods 10 Mile Run and 10K,…</p>
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2656434394?profile=original" target="_self"><img width="600" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2656434394?profile=RESIZE_1024x1024" width="600" class="align-center"/></a></p>
<p style="text-align: right;"><strong>(Photo by Sean Holveck)</strong></p>
<p><strong>From Pikes Peak Marathon, Inc.</strong></p>
<p>MANITOU SPRINGS, Colo. – A favorite local running race that meanders through one of the country’s most iconic landmarks will feature a new course and a new post-race celebration in 2017.</p>
<p>The Garden of the Gods 10 Mile Run and 10K, set for 7 a.m. June 11, will now begin on Gateway Rd. near the Garden of the Gods Visitor Center. The race courses circle through the towering red pinnacles and finish on the beautiful grounds of Rock Ledge Ranch, just in time for the start of the new Garden of the Gods Run Fest, featuring live music, food, beer and activities for adults and kids.</p>
<p>For online race registration and more information visit <a href="http://gardentenmile.com/">http://gardentenmile.com/</a>. The Run Fest will begin at 8 a.m. and is free to all.</p>
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2656436375?profile=original" target="_self"><img width="300" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2656436375?profile=RESIZE_320x320" width="300" class="align-left"/></a>Race organizers created the new course layout and after party as a way to showcase the best of the Garden of the Gods, including historic Rock Ledge Ranch. The Run Fest will bring running organizations and the outdoor community together in an effort to increase recognition and support for the <a href="http://www.gardenofthegodsfoundation.com/">Garden of the Gods Foundation</a>, a nonprofit dedicated to enhancing and protecting the park. The Garden of the Gods was donated to the city in 1909.</p>
<p>“We want to create a way for the race organization and our runners to provide financial assistance to the Garden of the Gods park and also show our appreciation for such a beautiful race venue,” says Ron Ilgen, President of Pikes Peak Marathon, Inc.</p>
<p>This year will mark the 41<sup>st</sup> running of the event, one of the most challenging road races in the country. Runners jokingly refer to the 10-miler as the “toughest half marathon they’ve ever run.” And the scenery is impossible to ignore. In fact, the Garden of the Gods has been recognized by travel website <a href="http://www.imfromdenver.com/this-colorado-park-was-named-the-most-beautiful-park-in-the-us/?utm_campaign=shareaholic&utm_medium=facebook&utm_source=socialnetwork">TripAdvisor</a> as the No. 1 Park in the Country, and it recently was mentioned among such attractions as the Grand Canyon and Havasu Falls in Arizona.</p>
<p>It makes sense for the historic running race and the Garden of the Gods Foundation to form a partnership.</p>
<p>“We're very excited that this longtime event is stepping in to give something back to the park we love,” says Jan Martin, Garden of the Gods Foundation trustee. “It’ll help bring awareness to the years of service devoted to the park by the Garden of the Gods Foundation.”</p>
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2656438400?profile=original" target="_self"><img width="300" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2656438400?profile=RESIZE_320x320" width="300" class="align-right"/></a>Runners in the 10-mile and 10K races will experience the best of the Garden of the Gods. The courses are contained within park boundaries, and the finish in Rock Ledge Ranch will provide the perfect ending as participants pass farm animals and barns before landing at the Run Fest. The final half mile of the races will be run on gravel roads and a short trail section.</p>
<p>The Garden of the Gods 10-Mile Run is the first leg in the Triple Crown of Running series, which continues on July 9 with the Summer Roundup Trail Run (<a href="http://summerroundup.com/">http://summerroundup.com/</a>) and culminates with the 62<sup>nd</sup> Running of the Pikes Peak Ascent and Marathon on Aug. 19-20 (<a href="http://www.pikespeakmarathon.org/">http://www.pikespeakmarathon.org/</a>.)</p> 37th at Boston: The story behind Stephen VanGampleare's marathon PRtag:pikespeaksports.us,2017-05-09:5021591:Topic:7615892017-05-09T22:18:57.431ZTim Bergstenhttp://pikespeaksports.us/profile/TimBergsten
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2656432558?profile=original" target="_self"><img class="align-right" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2656432558?profile=RESIZE_480x480" width="350"></img></a> Stephen VanGampleare had heard all the talk about the hills at the Boston Marathon. One of them is called “Heartbreak Hill,” a rise in the road at about Mile 20 where exhausted runners often come undone.</p>
<p>But the 26-year-old runner from Colorado Springs had a much different experience there. In fact, he increased his pace as the course tilted up on an unseasonably warm…</p>
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2656432558?profile=original" target="_self"><img width="350" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2656432558?profile=RESIZE_480x480" width="350" class="align-right"/></a>Stephen VanGampleare had heard all the talk about the hills at the Boston Marathon. One of them is called “Heartbreak Hill,” a rise in the road at about Mile 20 where exhausted runners often come undone.</p>
<p>But the 26-year-old runner from Colorado Springs had a much different experience there. In fact, he increased his pace as the course tilted up on an unseasonably warm 75-degree day and then galloped on to finish 37<sup>th</sup> with a time of 2 hours, 25 minutes, 35 seconds. He'd beaten his former best by almost six minutes.</p>
<p>“I thought to myself if we’re in the uphill part now, and I’m getting faster, then this should be a pretty good result,” he says.</p>
<p>The warm temperatures led the news stories following the marathon's 131<sup>st</sup> running. But like the hills he flew over, the weather didn’t bother VanGampleare, either. He had trained through the Colorado winter, then shrugged off a hot sun that dished out plenty of suffering to many others.</p>
<p> “I would have liked it to have been cooler, but at the same time I can’t say that I would race better than I did if it had been 45 and cloudy,” he says.</p>
<p>A St. Mary’s High School graduate, VanGampleare ran competitively for two years at Creighton University, where he earned a degree in exercise science. He recently earned a second degree at UCCS in mechanical engineering. These days, his running is strictly his own. Self-trained, he had some tall goals in mind when he arrived in Boston.</p>
<p>“The plan was to shoot for 5:35 (pace per mile) before the hills, then hoping to hold on the best I could and come in under 2:28,” he says. “I thought the perfect day would be 2:26.”</p>
<p>VanGampleare showed impressive speed in early February when he set the course record (1:11:01) at the Super Half Marathon, in Colorado Springs. He then won the Pikes Peak Road Runners’ Winter Series (short course). His conditioning was on point.</p>
<p>Quiet and unassuming, he can settle his nerves before a big race. But this was Boston. Months of training had been aimed at the moment, at the gloried starting line in Hopkinton.</p>
<p>“There’s just kind of a little second guessing once in a while,” he says. “Am I ready to go out and run the time I was shooting for? This time I felt pretty confident that I could get close to what I wanted.”</p>
<p>When he engaged the initial hills he began to drop those around him. “I still was not feeling like I was running as fast as I wanted to,” he says. “But I looked at my watch and my pace had picked up a bit.”</p>
<p>With three miles to go he realized his day had become better than perfect. He’d break 2:26 if he could maintain the pace. And then the crowds grew larger and louder and he found a kick.</p>
<p>“It’s kind of fun coming around the last couple of corners and there are thousands of people going crazy,” he says. “That’s always good motivation for a nice sprint to the finish.”</p>
<p>The heart of his training included more miles at goal marathon pace. “I think it helped a lot,” he says.</p>
<p>His running routine included one run a week that began with a three-mile warmup, then 10 miles at marathon pace, then three to cool down. He hit a weekly total of 107 miles one month before Boston, then backed off. He ran about 50 miles in his final week of training. Days before the race he did two five-mile runs and then a 30-minute shakeout the day before the marathon.</p>
<p>He was a little shocked at his final time. He hadn’t trained on hills in Colorado Springs, logging much of his mileage on the Pikes Peak Greenway Trail where he was “just trying to go fast.”</p>
<p>Or, go faster than he thought he could go.</p> Bad break was no match for Jaclyn Roberson's Boston Marathon dreamstag:pikespeaksports.us,2017-04-16:5021591:Topic:7612182017-04-16T03:32:17.723ZTim Bergstenhttp://pikespeaksports.us/profile/TimBergsten
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2656433051?profile=original" target="_self"><img class="align-right" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2656433051?profile=RESIZE_480x480" width="350"></img></a> Jaclyn Roberson’s journey to the Boston Marathon starting line began with a rolled ankle and a set of crutches.</p>
<p>She and husband Duane traveled to the Colorado Marathon last May with the matching goals of notching qualifying times for Boston. It was their day, the first big step toward that magic line drawn across the road in a place called Hopkinton, where they had…</p>
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2656433051?profile=original" target="_self"><img width="350" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2656433051?profile=RESIZE_480x480" width="350" class="align-right"/></a>Jaclyn Roberson’s journey to the Boston Marathon starting line began with a rolled ankle and a set of crutches.</p>
<p>She and husband Duane traveled to the Colorado Marathon last May with the matching goals of notching qualifying times for Boston. It was their day, the first big step toward that magic line drawn across the road in a place called Hopkinton, where they had plans to celebrate their 10<sup>th</sup> anniversary.</p>
<p>A wet snow fell in Poudre Canyon as the race began and Jaclyn settled into a manageable pace. Experience told her there was no sense in sprinting off the line in a marathon. And then the day turned bad with the nauseating crunching sound, felt as much as heard, of her left ankle flopping on its side, followed by a lightning bolt of pain. She had run with a twisted ankle before.She knew the risks as she calculated her options on the side of the road. Without knowing the severity of her injury,she chose to forge on.</p>
<p>“It was snowing and I didn’t want to sit in the middle of the canyon, so I decided to keep running, to see how far I could go,” she says.</p>
<p>At Mile 4, the ankle began to swell. She kept running. At the halfway point, she was only slightly slower than her goal pace. By Mile 20, her foot had given up. “It wasn’t moving well,” she says.</p>
<p>Nothing more than willpower drove her the last six miles. She crossed the finish line in Fort Collins and hobbled around to find help. “I couldn’t walk anymore,” she said.</p>
<p>She found a ride in a wheelchair, picked up her crutches at Walmart, and didn’t walk again on her injured ankle for about seven weeks.</p>
<p>Spiral fracture of the fibula. Those were the doctor’s words. To everyone else it's a broken leg. “I just started crying,” Jaclyn says. “Did I do this to myself? I just ran 24 miles on it.” Her doctor insisted the damage had been done when her ankle rolled.</p>
<p>“Runners are crazy people,” she says. “It was my first attempt at qualifying,”</p>
<p>A 36-year-old science teacher at Manitou High School, Jaclyn will line up on Monday, with Duane, to run in the Boston Marathon. She had finished the Colorado Marathon in 3 hours, 36 minutes, about four minutes better than the qualifying standard. Some 45 others from the Pikes Peak region will also run at Boston, a race that began in 1897 and is now one of the world's most prestigious sports events, annually drawing more than 30,000 runners.</p>
<p>“This was our idea for our anniversary,” Jaclyn says. “We decided to do it in 2015. Duane had always wanted to run it. Back when I was a slower runner, I thought this would be way out of reach for me."</p>
<p>She tossed the crutches aside in June, walked in a boot for a couple of weeks, and then made her first ginger steps toward marathon shape. “In mid-July I was able to kind of start running, but it really wasn’t happening,” Jaclyn says. “It was August before I could really do any running.”</p>
<p>Slowly, she increased her mileage. In January she enlisted the help of John O’Neill, manager at the Colorado Running Company, who coached her into shape.</p>
<p>She said her workouts have included repeats on Rampart Range Road, as well as a little something O’Neill cooked up … four times around the (2-Mile) Nielson Challenge course as a speed workout.</p>
<p>“He gives me things that are hard, that kick my butt, but are still pretty laid back,” she says.</p>
<p>There is nothing easy about training for a 26.2-mile race, especially for teachers. She arrives at the high school at 7 a.m. She also coaches cross country in the fall and track in the springtime. The days are long, which means she sometimes crawls out of bed at 4 a.m. to train. Duane also takes the early shift as they mix their running/work schedules while raising two young children.</p>
<p>She admits the Boston Marathon is a little intimidating.</p>
<p>“The marathon, for me, I feel like it’s a little outside my comfort zone,” she says. “I know I overthink things. John brings me back to reality when he reminds me that running is supposed to be fun.”</p>
<p>The real fun begins at 8 a.m. MDT Monday with the start of the elite runners, followed by the main field. Duane will also start at 8 a.m., with Jaclyn beginning at 8:50. For more information, including how to watch the Boston Marathon online, visit <a href="http://www.baa.org/">http://www.baa.org/</a>.</p> 18-time Pikes Peak Marathon finisher Phil Foster remembered as family man, friend of the running communitytag:pikespeaksports.us,2016-12-19:5021591:Topic:7418602016-12-19T04:50:08.156ZTim Bergstenhttp://pikespeaksports.us/profile/TimBergsten
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2656432576?profile=original" target="_self"><img class="align-right" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2656432576?profile=RESIZE_320x320" width="280"></img></a> Sharon Greenbaum will remember her father, Phil Foster, as a “smart and good-hearted rebel,” a dedicated family man, a volunteer for the Pikes Peak Road Runners, and a stubborn runner who competed in the Pikes Peak Marathon until old age forced him to the sidelines.</p>
<p>Born and raised in Colorado Springs, Phil Foster died on Dec. 5. He was 82. Family and friends gathered…</p>
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2656432576?profile=original" target="_self"><img width="280" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2656432576?profile=RESIZE_320x320" width="280" class="align-right"/></a>Sharon Greenbaum will remember her father, Phil Foster, as a “smart and good-hearted rebel,” a dedicated family man, a volunteer for the Pikes Peak Road Runners, and a stubborn runner who competed in the Pikes Peak Marathon until old age forced him to the sidelines.</p>
<p>Born and raised in Colorado Springs, Phil Foster died on Dec. 5. He was 82. Family and friends gathered on Friday to pay their respects and tell stories about a longtime member of the running community.</p>
<p>Foster completed the Pikes Peak Marathon 18 times and ran the Ascent once in a 26-year span, including a streak of seven-consecutive marathons. At age 72, he finished his last marathon (2006) in 9 hours, 58 minutes 29 seconds, just under the 10-hour time limit.</p>
<p>Foster loved Pikes Peak, his fellow runners and even the wildlife, which seemed to be fond of him as well.</p>
<p>“One time a marmot got in the back of his truck and he made all the way home before he knew,” Sharon said. “He’d driven to the top of Pikes Peak. We still don’t know how it happened, but Dad drove back and let it go.”</p>
<p>Foster attended Colorado Springs High School and developed a knack for mechanical work, which led him to a 12-year career in the Air Force. He served as a navigator during the Korean War.</p>
<p>“After the Air Force, he bought a four-passenger plane and built another one in the garage,” Sharon said. “He was always working with his hands. He managed a Sears catalog department for a while, but white-collar jobs were not for my dad. He eventually made his living buying old houses and fixing them up and renting, or selling them.”</p>
<p>Foster is survived by his wife of 58 years, Julie; three children and four grandchildren.</p>
<p>Foster loved sports and he always provided support for Sharon. In fact, it was Sharon who introduced Foster to the idea of running.</p>
<p>“I started running because I got cut from all of the other sports teams,” Sharon says. “I wasn’t old enough to drive, yet, so I asked Dad to take be to the Nielson Challenge (a Pikes Peak Road Runner event then known as the 2-Mile Challenge.) I think he thought that as long as he was driving me there he’d run, too.”</p>
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2656432804?profile=original" target="_self"><img width="300" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2656432804?profile=RESIZE_320x320" width="300" class="align-left"/></a>Foster was a founder of the Pikes Peaak Road Runners' long-running Winter Series. He also served as an assistant girls track coach at Air Academy High School, where he coached Sharon.</p>
<p><em><strong>< Foster, white cap, front row, and the Air Academy girls track team</strong></em></p>
<p>“He had a tremendous mind for it (coaching),” said Randy Barringer, a longtime high school track coach who hired Foster. “I knew about his work with the distance runners. There was nothing he wouldn’t do for you. None of the high schools had a clock for cross country meets, so we’d call the Pikes Peak Road Runners, and it was usually Phil who would come down and time the meets."</p>
<p>Foster was never fast, but he was tough. He once fell and knocked himself unconscious on the descent during the Pikes Peak Marathon. Sharon said he didn’t regain consciousness until the next day. But that didn’t stop him. He continued to run, and loved doing training runs to the top of Pikes Peak and back with his kids.</p>
<p>He was diagnosed with skin cancer before his last run on Pikes Peak and the disease gradually spread over the years. “The doctors told us they would not be able to keep up with cutting out the cancers as quickly as it was spreading, so we kind of knew it was going to be hard,” Sharon said.</p>
<p>He died at the Center at Centennial rehabilitation facility. Sharon said her father was scheduled to return home for hospice care, but passed away four days before being discharged.</p>
<p>“I think he knew it was just time,” she said.</p>