Colorado Runner

A scenic course and excellent fall weather drew 1,700 runners to Moab’s The Other Half (Half Marathon) on Sunday. Joshua Steffen of Salt Lake was the men’s overall winner, finishing in 1:13:51. Mark Pokora was second in 1:18:53. Master’s course record-holder Bernie Boettcher (pictured) took third place in 1:18:58. Stephanie Meredith of Colorado Springs was the women’s champion, finishing in 1:27:33. Denver’s Kari-Anne Samuelson was second in 1:28:14 and Laura Eakin was third finishing in 1:30:51. Next year’s event is scheduled for October 21. Full race results Photo, courtesy Doug Philipp

Youth phenoms Tyler and Tabor Scholl were at it again last weekend at the LaSportiva Berry Picker Trail Race in Vail. 10-year-old Tyler handed some pretty good trail runners a sizable defeat, running 33:53 and winning by over a minute. Josh Smith was second in 35:00 and trail vet Bernie Boettcher of Silt was third in 36:13. Tyler’s 14-year-old sister Tabor was even more dominate, finishing 21st overall in 42:41 and leading the ladies race by nearly five minutes! Heidi Vosbeck of Glenwood was second in 47:09 and Morgan Hebbe of Fairfax, VA was third in 49:38.

Bernie Boettcher of Silt repeated in winning the 2nd Annual Half & Half 10K Mountain Challenge on Saturday August 27th in a time of 44:53.  Second place male was Michael Scanlon in 47:47.  Third was Steve Miller in 49:49. On the women’s side Janice Penrose of San Diego won with an impressive time and new course record of 49:54.  Second was Jennifer Burn in 53:01.  Third was Wendy Lyall in 55:01.  The top three men and woman split a total prize purse of $650. This 6.2 mile loop course started/finished in Base Village and combined half road racing and half [...]

Carbondale’s Ashley Arnold took fourth place overall in the hill Hogback hustle 5K in New Castle on July 9th. She beat her sister her sister, Glenwood’s Lauren Arnold, by 21 seconds and New Castle’s Kelley Cullen by 38 seconds, crossing the line in a very quick 18:19. Rifle’s Dustin Ross, who currently runs track and cross country at Augusta State College in Georgia, held off Silt’s Bernie Boettcher for the win. Ross ran 17:35 to Boettcher’s 18:00. Mike Schneiter was third in 18:14. The Hogback Hustle, which drew upwards of 100 runners and walkers this year, was the fifth race [...]

Bernie Boettcher ran away from Josh Hejtmanek to win the Strawberry Shortcut 10K, while Hope Krause cruised to the female title. Boettcher’s winning time was 34:51 while Krause ran 38:55 and finished sixth overall. A total of 566 runners finished the 5K and 10K run around Glenwood Springs on June 19th. Dewayne Miner (16:27) and Madi Spence (20:59) won the 5K.

Bernie Boettcher (Silt, CO) and Amelia Ortiz (Eagle, CO) ran to victory at the Beaver Creek Summer Solstice 10K Trail Race on June 18. Boettcher’s winning time of 47:07 was only four seconds faster than second place John Klish of Eagle. Ortiz outpaced her mother, Anita, by nearly a minute, crossing the 52:26. Anita finished second in 53:10. Sergio Nevarez of Cabondale (31:42) and Linda Andros-Clay of Edwards (32:05) won the 5K.

Nearly 600 runners take off up the ski slopes of Snowmass Mountain in the Vasque Golden Leaf Half Marathon. Run up and over the mountain to Aspen, this trail half marathon is named in honor of the changing aspen tress along the course. Climbing 1,000 feet in the first mile and a half, runners battle high altitude, single track trails and rolling hills.

After a two-year hiatus, the Teva Vail HalfMarathon was back on the Back Bowls of Vail Mountain for part of the route and the course change was a welcome addition for runners. “We were fortunate this year to get approval to use the Back Bowls from the USDA Forest Service and Vail Resorts. Combine these portions of the course with the popular trails on the front side of Vail Mountain and we had a spectacular course in terms of variety. Being at the height of the wildflower season guaranteed the runners fantastic scenery throughout the race,” said race director Joel [...]

One of the most popular races in the Teva Vail Mountain Trail Running series, the Teva Vail HillClimb, celebrates its 31st running on Sunday, July 8. The event’s popularity stems from the proximity to Independence Day and the challenge of the course. With many out-of-towners enjoying a long weekend in Vail, the race field is stacked with locals and tourists who look forward to the oxygen-deficient 7.5-mile climb to the summit of Vail Mountain. Between 300 to 400 competitors are expected. The 2,400 foot climb from Vail Village is highlighted by the festive finish line at Eagle’s Nest which is [...]

Many competitors at this year’s Teva First Bank of Vail 10 at 10 (10Km at 10,000 feet) trail race remarked about the warm temperatures and bright sunshine at the summit of Vail Mountain where the race was held. “I was surprised how warm it was for the 9:00 start. At 10,000 feet you often think of cool and crisp conditions,” said J’ne Day Lucore of Denver who finished second in the 40-49 age group. The 10 at 10 on Sunday, June 24, was the first race in the Teva Vail Mountain Trail Running Series which celebrates its 10th running this [...]

Bernie lives in Silt, CO and below is his account of his experience in Keswick, England for the World Masters Mountain Running Championships. British “fell running” is super-classic. They have literally been doing this for centuries. “Fell” is what they call the hills and mountains, which is an appropriate name for this great sport, as they don’t exactly do “trail running.” They literally run up, down and over their mountains it seems pretty impressive.  I ended up 20th in the Masters 40 – 44 at Worlds. I was the 25th runner to the top of the hill, and had the [...]