February, 2004 Fit to be Tied Column

From the Pueblo Chieftain
by Gary Franchi

Spring Runoff, Health Symposium Will Team For A Great Weekend

The annual fitness feast is on its way to Pueblo again.

The city’s biggest road race – The Pueblo Chieftain's Spring Runoff at Dutch Clark Stadium – is just a month away. The 26th annual version on Sunday, March 7, will again include three running distances (5K, 10K, 10M), a 2-mile walk, 1-mile fun run and a 50-yard toddlers race for kids.

Sharp long-sleeved T-shirts have been ordered, and gorgeous medals will be distributed as awards. A new twist this year will be the scrolling projection of all race results as they occur in a tent above the stadium seats. That feature was showcased successfully at the Rock Canyon Half-Marathon in December.

Participants will be able to pick up their race packets either on Saturday until 4:30 p.m. at The Chieftain or Sunday morning in the stadium parking lot. A separate tent will have race-day registration.

Both there is another half to the weekend’s doubleheader. The third annual “For the Health of It” symposium, conducted by the Southeastern Colorado Area Health Education Center, will take place on the two days prior to the Runoff.

The symposium, scheduled at Colorado State University-Pueblo’s Occhiato Center, will feature a kaleidoscope of excellent health and fitness experts. Its three separate categories – health, performance and fitness – offer a wealth of information geared for different tastes.

Both days of the symposium will begin with a keynote speaker discussing intriguing topics. On Friday, March 5, Loren Cordain will discuss his book, The Paleo Diet. On Saturday, Gloria Beim, an orthopedic surgeon, will talk about the prevention and treatment of sports and fitness injuries.

Target audiences for the symposium are varied and include coaches, medical professionals, teachers, athletes and people who are interested in learing more about training, getting healthier and being fitter.

Complete information – including agenda, speaker biographies, costs and more – is available on the SECAHEC web site: www.secahec.org.

Running

• Those who have an entry form for the Valentine’s Twosome race probably are aware that the date and the day don’t match. The race is Saturday at City Park, beginning at 9 a.m. This is a female/male tandem race, with each partner running one lap around City Park, or 1.6 miles each.
• The Southern Colorado Runners’ first Prediction Series race of the year will be the Spring Runoff Tuneup 10K on Feb. 22. It will start near the City Park’s swimming pool parking lot. This is a good chance for runners to get a preview of the Spring Runoff 10K course, although it won’t start and finish along the course.
• Five area runners are in the top three of their age divisions halfway through the Winter Series in the Colorado Springs area. Leading their age divisions are Rich Hadley of Florence and Warren Marshall of Cañon City. Matt Sherman of Pueblo West, and Julie Marshall and Natalia Pond of Cañon City are third in their age brackets. Pond is in the short-race division, while the others are doing the long-race series. The final two races are this Saturday and Feb. 28.

Marathoning

• In late January, a contingent of Puebloans made what has become an annual sojourn to Las Vegas to run the marathon and half-marathon. Marathon finishers, including their ages and finish times, were Dave Diaz (55, 3:40), Chief Reno (40, 3:46), Nick Leyva (50, 3:46), Jessie Quintana (60, 4:59), Gerald Puls (77, 7:05) and Joe Stommel (54, 3:43). The group had to battle stiff headwinds for a good part of the run. Diaz’s time qualified him for the Boston Marathon in April. This was Reno’s first marathon, and he was plagued by leg cramps starting at mile 17. Quintana finished second in her age division. Puls was running the marathon in Vegas for the eighth time and Stommel for the 18th time.
• Marv Bradley of Cañon City started 2004 the way he ended 2003 – by running a marathon. This one was the Hope Marathon by the Bay in Tampa, Fl., and he finished in 3:54.

Multi-sport

Pueblo’s Michael Orendorff, who finished second at the national age group triathlon championships this past fall in Shreveport, La, has made Inside Triathlon magazine’s All-America team for the 50-54 age division. Orendorff, 52, has qualified for and is training to compete in the world championships in Madeira, Portugal in May.

Ride the Rockies

The temperature may be a tad cool around here now, but cyclists must get in their entries for the 19th annual Ride the Rockies by Feb. 20. The tour will start in Boulder and finish in Idaho Springs this year, and riders will cover either 366 or 431 miles, depending on whether they take an optional loop ride on the scheduled rest day.

Upcoming Area Races

• Feb 14 – Valentine’s Twosome, 1.6M both partners, 9 a.m., City Park (947-3682).
• Feb 22 – Spring Runoff Tuneup (Prediction Series race), 10K, 9 a.m., 3912 Goodnight (564-0847).
• Mar 7 – Spring Runoff, 2M, 5K, 10K and 10M, 9 a.m., Dutch Clark Stadium (547-2777).
• Mar 21 – Ben & Matt’s Trail Mix (Prediction Series race), 10+M, 9 a.m., Nature Center (543-5151).
• Mar 28 – Survivor’s Run, 5K run/walk, 9 a.m., Mineral Palace Park (583-4420).

On the Net

• Southern Colorado Runners: www.socorunners.org
• Spring Runoff: www.chieftain.com/springrunoff
• SECAHEC: www.secahec.org
• Ride the Rockies: www.ridetherockies.com
• Winter Series: www.pprrun.org

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