The 2nd Annual Pumpkin Pie 10K and 5K kicked off Saturday morning under less than ideal conditions, however, the cold temperatures and snowy skies didn’t stop a record number of participants from braving the weather and taking part in what has become a pre-Thanksgiving race staple in Denver. Almost 3,500 runners and walkers converged on City Park where sweet slices of pumpkin pie awaited. The course around City Park was icy, slick and snow-packed, and the snow only fell harder as the day went on. Surprisingly, many speedsters posted some fast times under the challenging conditions.
In the men’s 10K race, out-of-towner Jonny Bernasky of Kansas grabbed the win in 34:15. 26-year old Luke Ott finished second in 35:14 with Alejandro Jimenez of Denver taking third in 37 minutes flat.
The women’s 10K saw 31-year old Holly Klamer take top honors in 41:57, with 22-year old Marie Schaller hot on her heels, finishing second in 42:19. Rounding out the podium in third was 25-year old Lindsey Knast.
The 5K race saw over double the number of participants, with the men’s winner coming in at 16:20. 21-year old Jackson Friesth grabbed the win with just 15 seconds to spare. Second place finisher Austin Cotant of Arvada crossed the line in second in 16:35. Squeaking in under 17 minutes was third place finisher Joey Bender of Aurora in 16:58.
In the women’s 5K, Parker’s Kala Jauquet sweeped the field in 20:03. The fight for second and third was between 28-year old Jessica Harper and 34-year old Molly Smith. Harper prevailed with a second place finishing time of 20:40, and Smith took third in 20:41.
