Colorado Springs, CO – Ryan Hafer has experienced his share of injuries, often due to overtraining. Months before last year’s Bolder Boulder a lower leg injury kept him from running for 12 weeks. Hafer found Dr. Jeff Mathews who “wouldn’t give up” on treating it, and Hafer made a slow comeback to the starting line at the 2010 Bolder Boulder. By the time he hit the finish line, he completed a months-long physical, mental and spiritual breakthrough.
Breakthrough at Bolder Boulder
Recollecting the race, Ryan says “I didn’t have any goals going into the race. I just figured I’d start out at 5 minute pace for the first mile and if I broke 32 minutes it would be a good race. I started out at 5 minute pace and kept going, catching probably 10 – 15 people over the course of the race. In the last mile I realized I was pretty far up there. Going into the stadium, I set my sights on Matt Levassiur (now a Boulder Running Company teammate) and finished strong. I didn’t know my time or place; it just felt like a good race. I was super excited when I found out. “
Twenty-four year old Hafer placed third in the competitive citizen’s race that day in 31:16 – a 5:01 pace.
“Through the experience, I learned a couple of things. First, I really do enjoy running, whether or not I’m in shape. Like so many competitive runners, I used to only be satisfied after a good race: a pretty ungrateful (attitude) and a waste of 99% of the time put in if it’s not even fun.”
“It was actually someone else who inspired me,” Ryan says.”After a not-so-great race, she asked why I was down about my time when she finished well behind me and had a blast. It got me thinking. “
“Every day now, whether it’s an easy run, a cold, windy long run, a slow workout, a fast workout, a good race, or a bad race, I enjoy it. The simple act of running is enough for me. It’s easy for guys/gals to lose sight of this in the intensely competitive college running scene. Or, maybe the love of running was never really there in the first place. I think that’s a large part of why so many post-collegiates stop running. “
“The second lesson I learned is that life without running…is still good! I realized running isn’t everything or even that important in the scheme of things. It’s just something I enjoy doing, along with (other interests and activities). It took the possibility of not being able to run anymore to realize (that) running was my god, not God. “
Speaking of God, Hafer is a man of faith, and it translates to his running and his life. “God has had, and continues to have, a huge impact in my life. I don’t know who I’d be without Him, but I’ve been through enough good and bad experiences to know that I couldn’t have handled it all by myself. “
Setting Another Record
The name “Ryan Hafer” may sound most familiar to those who follow mountain races. Hafer is the youngest male to ever win the Pikes Peak Ascent (2005) and has finished the Barr Trail Mountain Race on the heels of Matt Carpenter several times.
With Bolder Boulder 2010 freshly added to the running resume, Ryan entered the 2010 BTMR and came away with a victory and a course record. “I wasn’t thinking about a course record so that was a nice surprise.”
“ There’s more to the story though. The day before, I hiked Mt. Quandry in Breckenridge with friends, did a short run in Denver in 100 degree temperatures, ate appetizers at a party for dinner, drove home, and then went to sleep. From this, I learned it’s not necessary to have absolutely perfect preparation before a race. I had been putting in the work and was ready to roll.”
Lightly, Hafer adds, “I don’t think I’ll quite go to this extreme again but (it was a good way to learn) to find a balance.”
History – High School, College and More
Finding balance might be what led Ryan to focus on running in high school. Soccer was Ryan’s sport up until his sophomore year and running was something he did “while still playing soccer and to stay in shape. (I) officially joined the cross country and track teams my junior year.”
“ I was attracted to the fun, positive environment of the cross country team at Coronado (High School in Colorado Springs) and saw lots of opportunity to improve. I didn’t always like the hard workouts and races, but the coaches and friends on the team made it worth it. Not to mention, we got to run in awesome places like Garden of the Gods, Ute Valley, Section 16, the Incline, the Scar, and Cheyenne Canyon.”
Hafer graduated from Coronado in 2004 and four years later from Harvard, with an engineering degree, (he is currently pursuing a masters of engineering degree at UCCS). He enjoys techno music, an occasional rave, and snowboarding. He jokes about living in the ‘Bro-Mansion’; his Colorado Springs home that he shares with his runner-roommates Matt Williams, Sean Houseworth, and Tommy Neal.
Coming up Next
Ryan’s past races include a couple of record-breakers, mottled by long periods of injury. He’s hoping 2011 will be different.
“This winter was the first in the past 2 and a half years that I’ve been injury free, so I’m looking forward to starting off from a better place than last year.”
He won’t have the chance to run Bolder Boulder again this year (the timing conflicts with a friend’s wedding), but Ryan will be tackling a handful of road and rail races this summer as he gears up for another run up Pikes Peak (Ascent).
Keep the injuries at bay, and keep the joy, Ryan.
Ryan Hafer – Accomplishments and PRs
Course record at 2010 Barr Trail Mountain Race
3rd overall at 2010 Bolder Boulder 10k
1st overall at 2009 Big Sur International Marathon
1st overall at 2005 Pikes Peak Ascent and youngest male winner
Top-5 at 2003-2004 Colorado state cross-country and track 2mi
1 mi – 4:20
3 km – 8:26
5 km – 15:00
5 mi – 25:08
10 km – 31:16
Half Marathon – 1:10
Marathon – 2:32