Boulder – No Deena, no problem.
The U.S. women’s team in the Bolder Boulder’s International Team Challenge seemingly took a hard hit with the loss of Deena Kastor, a three-time winner and Olympic bronze medalist in the marathon who was forced to withdraw with a foot injury, but Kastor’s replacement was more than up to the challenge.
On a chilly, overcast day conducive to fast times that delighted recreational runners and elites alike, Durango product Elva Dryer stepped into the vacancy left by America’s best female distance runner and made the most of it Monday, winning the individual title and leading the U.S. women to their third team victory in four years.
“Wins at this level are few and far between,” said Dryer, a two-time Olympian who is having a great season at age 33. “It was just really special to be given the opportunity to run a race like this, being a Colorado girl.”
Dryer, the daughter of Mexican immigrants, attended Durango High School and Western State. Now a resident of Albuquerque, she was the top American in the 10,000 at the Athens Olympics last summer, finishing 19th.
“I know my family is watching at home on TV,” said Dryer, whose maiden name was Martinez. “This was for all the friends and the family and all the people who have supported me through the years. I’m just real proud to be able to be doing what I’m doing.”
The Ethiopians easily claimed their first men’s team title, led by Gudisa Shentama (first, 29 minutes, 21 seconds) and Mohammed Awol (second, 29:27).
With a blanket of fog spilling over the Flatirons, Dryer seized the lead midway through the race and pulled away in convincing fashion, finishing in 32 minutes, 51 seconds, for the fastest women’s time since 1999. Pennsylvanian Jen Rhines, who has trained this spring at altitude at Mammoth Lakes, Calif., finished third (33:28); Boulder’s Colleen De Reuck was fourth (33:40).
“It was a tremendous run for Elva, but I wasn’t surprised,” Rhines said. “She’s in great shape and she’s having a great year. She took the risk to go out hard and it paid off. She looked great the whole way.”
Ethiopia’s Merima Hashim, who ran 32:14 Sunday in a meet in Palo Alto, Calif., finished second in 33:17.
Japan’s Masako Chiba spurted into the lead from the gun, but the rest of the pack sensed her pace – just more than three minutes for the first kilometer – was suicidal at altitude. When she unraveled, Hashim and Dryer ran together in the lead until Dryer made her move on mile 4.
“I was proud of the way she raced,” said coach and husband, Russ Dryer. “Sometimes she tends to lay back and rely on her kick. Today she got after it and she mixed it up with some of the best runners in the world. Coming out of Western State and Durango High School, this is big.”
Dryer had planned to run in the same meet as Hashim until she was asked to replace Kastor.
“For Elva to step up at the last minute and change her plans was very kind of her,” De Reuck said.
Dryer, who took five seconds off her personal best in the 10,000 earlier this spring by running 31:21 on the track at Palo Alto, will turn 34 in September. Why is she running better than ever in her mid-30s?
“I have experience, I am more confident in my ability,” Dryer said. “Each year of doing it is another notch on the belt. I’ve always tried to keep balance in my life and be grateful for the other things in my life. This is a very large part of my life, but you’ve got to keep it all in perspective and do the best you can.”
U.S. women have field day
A look at Monday’s top finishers:
Women’s elite winner: Elva Dryer, right, Albuquerque, 32 minutes, 51 seconds
Women’s team challenge winner: U.S.
Men’s elite winner: Gudisa Shentama, Ethiopia, 29:21
Men’s team challenge winner: Ethiopia
Women’s citizen winner: Anna Pichrtova, Czech Republic, 34:31
Men’s citizen winner: Michael Aish, Gunnison, 30:40
Women’s wheelchair winner: Shirley Reilly, Tucson, 26:24
Men’s wheelchair winner: Saul Mendoza, Mexico, 20:40
Registered runners: 46,481 (third-most in history)
Number of finishers: 42,402
Vignettes
Boot camp capable of going the 10K distance
Ever run a 10K race in Army boots? Chris Campbell has.
The 19-year-old Longmont native not only ran the Bolder Boulder in his full U.S. Army uniform, he did so carrying the American flag.
“I just thought it would be a great thing to do for Memorial Day, to remember those who can’t be here,” Campbell said.
“These boots are pretty well worn in. It’s more comfortable running in these now than it was at the beginning.”
A lover of outdoor sports, the latest “Star Wars” movie and alternative rock, Campbell’s two late grandfathers served in the Army.
Campbell plans on “going career” in the Army, but isn’t sure in what he wants to specialize.
“I’m going to have to leave that to chance, see what happens,” he said.
Good times abound for Vietnam vet
An ancient proverb counsels: “I was complaining that I had no shoes till I met a man who had no feet.”
Pat Hornbostel, 58, lost his lower limbs from a booby-trapped vehicle during the Vietnam War. His smile was contagious, however, in the early hours of the race. With his son home, having just graduated from Kansas State, and his 17th Bolder Boulder soon to commence, Hornbostel counted himself a lucky man.
“We had a big party (Sunday) night for my son and some of his friends who came,” said Hornbostel, of Louisville. “This is a marvelous way to celebrate spring in Boulder.”
Hornbostel is a medical technologist at Denver Veterans Affairs Medical Center. He was an armored reconnaissance specialist in the war.
“This is always one of my favorite days of the year, because I love this race and it’s a day to remember what’s great about our country,” Hornbostel said. “It’s usually a little warmer and a little drier than this, though.”
One final romp before Europe
Monday, Boulder. Today, Sicily.
Such was the itinerary for 33-year-old Lydia Lyon, who was scheduled to fly to Italy today to be with her husband, Corey, stationed in Sicily with the U.S. Navy.
That made for a bittersweet day for Lyon’s sister, Casey, who ran the race with her.
“I’ll miss her and my two little nieces,” said Casey Lyon, a seventh-grade teacher at Jewell Elementary School in Aurora. “This is kind of our last time to talk for an hour and do something together. But Sicily is a pretty nice place to take a vacation, I hear.”
Lydia Lyon grew up in Denver. She is a mother of two girls and likes to run some but doesn’t usually participate in races such as the Bolder Boulder.
“We just thought it would be fun to come out and do this before I leave,” she said.
Wondrous run teaches pupils
Teaching a class of Denver middle-schoolers already qualifies Allyson Stone as a wonder woman to some.
With her flowing black hair, red cape, blue and white-starred tights and platform boots, Stone paid homage to her favorite superhero in the race.
“Hopefully, I will channel her superhuman strength to carry me the full 10K,” said Stone, 30, of Boulder. “I loved Wonder Woman as a little girl.”
Stone is a special-education teacher at P.S. 1 charter school in Denver and ran with several of her students as part of a team. The students also helped pack lunches for runners.
“For some of them, this is their first running experience and the first team they’ve ever belonged to,” Stone said. “So, I’m eternally grateful to be out here. For my kids and myself, this is a great experience.”
Passing time with festivity
What was the reason for an 11-year- old girl to run a 10K race on a holiday?
“Nothing else to do,” Castle Rock’s Carolyn Starbuck said.
It will probably be a day she’ll remember more than most, however.
The Timber Trail Elementary School student, who likes math and soccer, spent the morning with her father, Lars, running the race and seeing “tons of different people.”
“This is pretty fun,” she said.
Staff writer John Meyer can be reached at 303-820-1616 or jmeyer@denverpost.com.
