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Colorado Running Hall of Fame Set to Induct 2009 Class

Submitted by DGriffiths on May 9, 2009 - 6:07am.
Date: 
05/09/2009 - 09:01

On May 13th, the Colorado Running Hall of Fame will be adding seven luminaries in Colorado running to its ranks as they enshrine the 2009 Class. Colorado has one of the highest concentrations of world and American record holders and Olympic and world championship medal winners. The Colfax Marathon Partnership, Inc. Board of Directors established the Colorado Running Hall of Fame (CRHF) in 2007 to recognize Colorado residents who have achieved national and international recognition on the long-distance running stage

The third annual induction ceremony and reception will be held on Wednesday evening, May 13, 2009 at the Denver Athletic Club. The event is open to the public, but space is limited. To RSVP or purchase tickets, please contact John Raveling at raveling45@aol.com.

Inductees are listed below with a brief summary of their achievements:

Alan Culpepper - Alan was a member of the 2004 Athens and 2000 Sydney Olympic Track and Field teams. Over the last decade as a professional, Alan has proven to be one of the most consistent and versatile distance runners in American history. Alan is a multiple time sub-four minute miler, with a personal best of 3:55 and is accomplished in distances ranging from 5k to the Marathon. In 2002 Alan ran his debut Marathon in a time of 2:09:41, which at that time was the American Debut Record. In only his second marathon Alan won the 2004 Olympic Marathon Trials and later that year went on to finish an impressive 12th place in the marathon at the Athens Olympic Games. Alan is the owner of Solepepper Sports in Louisville, Colorado.

Kim Jones - Throughout her career Kim Jones has been one of the most dominant distance runners in the world. She
has more high level placings in world class marathons than any other US female marathoner in history with 17 performances under 2:33. Kim was ranked 3rd in the World in the marathon (1989), was the 8th place finisher at the Stuttgart World Championships (1993) and was selected as a member of the Road Runners Club of America Hall of Fame. Kim lives in Ft. Collins, Colorado.

Rich Castro - Rich has been a huge part of Colorado Running for nearly forty years. Since graduating from the University of Colorado in the early 1970s, Rich has served as the Head Women’s Cross Country & Track Coach at the University of Colorado, founded the Boulder Road Runners, and has served on the Bolder Boulder advisory committee since 1979. Rich’s impact and influence has also extended beyond Colorado when he has trained such legendary runners as Mary Decker Slaney, Ellen Hart and former Oakland Raider and world class runner, Cliff Branch.

Maureen Custy-Roben - Maureen has made her mark in running both as an athlete and inspiration to others. In 1987 Maureen was the #1 ranked female American marathoner, in 1986 she represented the US at the Goodwill games in the Soviet Union and in 1988 set a women’s record in winning the San Diego Marathon. Since then she has helped motivate others and organize races including serving as the Team in Training coach in Denver for over 10 years, volunteering time and encouraging people who had never run before to complete a marathon. She has volunteered her time with school age children, teaching them the correct running techniques. Through her own business, Run-Strong, she has coached elite through novice runners for several years through her running groups, which meet on a weekly basis.

Stan Mavis - Stan Mavis made his mark in running first as a legendary runner and then as a leader in the running apparel and equipment business. Stan was a world-class runner at Michigan State, including clocking a remarkable 4:02.6 in the mile. After moving to Colorado, he moved up to longer distances and set an American Record 1:02:16 for the Half-Marathon in 1980. While in Colorado, he began managing the Frank Shorter Running stores in Boulder before branching out to serve in leadership for athletic brands like Brooks Sports, Pearl-Izumi and Sugoi Performance Apparel.

Benji Durden - Benji is a Boulder, Colorado based coach of elite runners who came to prominence as a distance runner in the early 1980s, at the height of the American running boom. Durden was a member of the titular 1980 Summer Olympics United States marathon team, placing second against what to that point was perhaps the deepest field of American marathoners ever assembled. With a personal record of 2:09:57, Durden recorded 25 sub-2:20 marathons in less than a decade. He ranked among the top ten US marathoners six straight years, reaching seventh in the world in 1982.

Creigh Kelley - Creigh Kelley is Race Director of the 2009 Denver Post Colorado Colfax Marathon. Kelley has been a competitor, agent, race director, national consultant, announcer, broadcaster and leader in the national and international running community for 30 years. As a race director, he has helped manage, produce and directly assist with over 1,000 recreation special events throughout the nation over the last 29 years, including the past four with the Colorado Colfax Marathon.