Derek Griffiths 1197 posts 0 comments

Participants, spectators and locals alike couldn't have asked for a better weekend for the Steamboat Marathon. Beginning Friday afternoon, the town of Steamboat began to buzz as visitors arrived and the town woke up from its winter slumber. Thousands of people converged on the town, with almost 1,500 taking part in the Steamboat Marathon races. The event hosted a full marathon, half marathon and 10K. Both the marathon and half marathon were a point-to-point, net-downhill course along the Elk River, and the 10K wound around the town, finishing at the city Courthouse.

Leo Manzano, the 2012 Olympic silver medalist is a fearsome kicker. Put Leo within the fight at the end of a mile or 1,500 meters, and you have a battle royale. We asked Leo to give RunBlogRun some tips for our high school readers on how to be better milers.  On April 19, Leo took third in the Boston Mile, and, then on Tuesday, April 22, he won the road mile at the Drake Relays.

There are two things you may be surprised to learn about Amanda Scott.  First, she didn't start her athletic career as a runner.  The Virginia Beach native and now Boulder resident grew up running around the soccer field.  Her love for running didn't come until her sophomore year of high school when she tried out for the cross country team.

Chances are you've heard of Colleen De Reuck.  A Boulderite for several decades and a familiar face on the podiums of top races across the world, De Reuck has certainly made a name for herself.  What's surprising is the dichotomy between her seemingly aggressive, confident racing style and her laid back, relaxed perspective on the sport.

Wendy Thomas had no idea she would become an elite runner. As a young mother of two boys, she simply wanted to lose a few pounds.

If you've ever seen Darcy Africa out on the trails - whether it's in a race or simply training in Boulder - you may find some of her training tactics hard to believe.

Anyone who has run a race with a lot of downhill (hello, Boston marathon) knows that running downhill can actually be more taxing than the grind up the hill. The inner quad (i.e. the vastus medialis, the muscle that is HUGE in cyclists) takes the brunt of downhill running, but the hips, ankles and low back are also affected. The eccentric contractions when running downhill are fighting the stretch from gravity; force on the legs is coming from two directions. Downhill running, whether it is extended amounts or just a quick burst down a steep hill, can cause lasting muscle damage.

One of the best parts about running is the diversity you'll find among a group of runners.  Whether it be their background, reason for running, or simply race goals, runners in general come from a variety of different places and experiences.  One of the best examples of this is Abby Depperschmidt.

Todd Straka is a machine.  The 46-year old father of two seems to always be on the go: from his nine to five job as a web designer and squeezing in mid-day training runs, to dabbling in music, snapping photos and writing a few words on the BoulderRunning website, this top Colorado runner can consistently be found grabbing podium spots at races across the state.