May11 Written by:liz 5/11/2008 8:57 PM
A Race for Everyone
The Colorado Colfax Marathon is truly a race that everyone, regardless of athletic ability, can participate in. The shortest relay leg is 5K, or a little over three miles. Competitors in the marathon run the full gamut, from master’s runners and former college athletes, to everyday folks running their first marathon, half-marathon or walking a relay leg.
2007 Winners
Last year’s winner of the Women’s Division, Patty Rogers, finished the marathon in 3 hours, 9 minutes, 35 seconds. She’s a Lakewood mom, a former University of Colorado All-American, and she competed in the U.S. Olympic Trials in Boston on April 20, 2008, finishing the marathon in 2:45:34.
Watch for Justin Mock, 26, of Boulder, as he defends his 2007 title. He ran away with the men's marathon in 2:53:41. He’ll run three marathons in 28 days – Colfax on May 18, Steamboat Marathon on June 1, and the Estes Park Marathon on June 15.
Benson Cheruiyor and Naomi Wangui won the men’s and women’s half-marathon with times of 1:08:57.5 and 1:20:19.5, respectively.
Josh George and Amanda McGory won the men’s and women’s Wheelchair Marathon with times of 1:40:11.8 and 1:55:32.7, respectively.
The “Planned Pethood Posse” won the Men’s Open Relay with a time of 2:31:06, and “Boulder Fleet Feet” won the Women’s Open Relay with a time of 3:03:58.
Wheelchair Athletes
Elite racer Tyler Byers will race in his third Colfax Wheelchair Marathon after finishing second last year. He’ll compete in the Marathon at Beijing for the US 2008 Paralympic Team, after a great finish in the LA Marathon in March. He’ll compete for a spot on the Paralympic Track Team in June.
“I love coming to Denver,” Byers said. “I never know what to expect on this course.”
Watch for elite Master’s racer and member of the curling Paralympic team, Jacqui Kapinowski. In the past few weeks, she’s competed in the Boston Marathon, the Kentucky Derby Marathon, and now Colfax.
Remarkable Runners
There are so many amazing stories of the athletes participating in the Colorado Colfax Marathon that we’ve been spotlighting them in the Colfax Marathoners Blog. Check them all out at www.coloradocolfaxmarathon.org/colfaxmarathoners.
Get ready to be inspired!
Kerry Kuck gets a little help from his friends
Kerry Kuck started running when he was 13 to control his Type 1 Diabetes. Now 50, he can recall running at night to reduce high blood sugars. He’s always loved running, but never thought he could run more than a 10K, because long, high-intensity exercise can send blood sugars plummeting down to dangerously low levels. With the help of a new device called a Continuous Glucose Monitor, Kerry is attempting the Colfax half-marathon.
But the diabetes isn't Kuck's only challenge. He's also totally blind.
That's where the Achilles Track Club comes in. He’ll run with a volunteer from Achilles, tethered to Kuck to keep him safe and weave around obstacles.
"Running blind is the easy part," Kuck said. "It's running with Type 1 diabetes that's hard.”
Kuck has been training with runners from Achilles, Rocky Mountain Road Runners, Nick Sterner and members of one of our 41 charity partners, The AIR Foundation.
Nick Sterner never runs this race alone
Last year, with support from the Denver Rescue Mission and the Colfax Marathon Partnership, Sterner lead a team of 15 men battling homelessness and addiction to train for and complete the full or half marathon. Although few of the men had run even a mile before starting the program, each member of the team finished the race and the idea for the AIR Foundation was born.
Using the concept of Activity Inspired Rehabilitation, Nick - along with his son Shane Sterner - created the AIR Foundation, a non-profit organization. Their mission is “to defeat homelessness and addiction through programs that support and inspire rehabilitation through athletic accomplishment and a positive connection to the community.”
Over 40 runners from The Denver Rescue Mission and Urban Peak, ages 18 to 63, will join Sterner at the starting line of the third annual Colorado Colfax Marathon.
The AIR Foundation is free to participants and “runs” on the support of sponsors, volunteers and donors. To learn more or to get involved, visit www.theairfoundation.com.
Nigel Daniels and Denver Kids, Inc.
Nigel Daniels is a 15 year old sophomore at the Denver School of the Arts. He’s one of the students who has been counseled and mentored by charity partner Denver Kids, Inc., and he’s an accomplished young man.
His grandmother signed him up when he was just six years old, because his uncle was in the program and thriving. Mark Ballard became Nigel’s mentor, taking the boy on outings to the zoo and museum, on snowboarding trips, and helping him to explore the world and find his interests.
He’s majoring in theater set design at the Denver School of the Arts, and has aspirations to attend NYU.
Nigel and Mark are running together as part of a relay team raising funds for Denver Kids. Nearly 50 runners from Denver Kids will be on the course, and they’ve come close to meeting their goal of raising $10,000.
Keith Ashby and the American Transplant Foundation
Two years ago, on May 4, Keith Ashby underwent a kidney transplant. He’d been born with one kidney, and years of high blood pressure took their toll, causing his remaining kidney to fail.
Most people awaiting a kidney transplant go to family members first. But there’s a 6-point match system, and even blood siblings rarely match. Keith was on “The List” for only a few months, when his 26 year old stepson, Johnny, offered to see if he was a match. He was. A few weeks later, Keith’s wife waited while her husband and son were wheeled into surgery. Doctors were amazed at how closely the two matched. Keith is African-American. Johnny, now 28, is Caucasian.
The transplant operation was a success, and Keith is now 55 pounds lighter, has normal blood pressure, watches his diet, and works out every morning. He’s running on a relay team to benefit the American Transplant Foundation, whose mission matches his: to educate people on the dangers of living an unhealthy life, especially African-Americans, who make up 35 percent of patients in the U.S. awaiting a kidney transplant.
“Not too many people learn their purpose in life,” Keith said, “But this taught me mine, and that is to spread the word.”
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