Sunglasses. T-shirt. Nylon shorts.
About 10,000 people had pretty much that same look Sunday morning at the start of the 25th Cherry Creek Sneak. The weather couldn’t have been better for the silver anniversary of the traditional start to the Colorado competitive running season.
Colorado Springs duathlete Derek Kite flew to an easy victory in the elite run, clocking 5 miles in a little more than 25 minutes. As he rounded the corner of First and Milwaukee, Kite summoned a strong finishing kick.
It was Kite’s first Cherry Creek Sneak, an event he called a tuneup to the duathlon world championships in Hungary in three weeks.
“I’m hoping for a good finish at the worlds. But this was a fun race to run, and I hope to do it again,” said Kite, 35, a native of Wyoming. He finished nearly a minute ahead of 27-year-old Jason Delaney.
Kite, who coaches running in Colorado Springs, is a two-time Olympic trials competitor who was part of the 1990 Camarillo (Calif.) High School cross country team that was ranked first in the nation. He was the top American at last year’s duathlon world championships.
“I had a lot today,” said Kite, who also began running triathlons four years ago. “Duathlon is my strong suit, because I have a strong running background. I just like to race a lot.”
At the Sneak, Kite had a race – for about a mile.
“I decided to up the ante a little bit at that point,” he said. “That’s when the (nearest competitor) dropped back right away. So, that felt good.”
Kite’s wife, Valerie, is expecting the couple’s first child, a boy, in three months. The couple sealed the victory with a kiss. “It’s always nice to hit the tape first,” he said.
Watching the final kicks of everyday runners can be a hoot. One bearded man did backflips toward the finish line, while another ran backward. A few clutched their sides in pain, tongues hanging from the corners of their mouths.
Adrian Dater can be reached at 303-954-1360 or adater@denverpost.com.
RESULTS
MEN
5-mile elite run
1. Derek Kite, Colorado Springs, 25 minutes, 5.7 seconds.
2. Jason Delaney, San Diego, 26:02.7
3. Nelson Laux, Arvada, 26:03.2
4. Neil Speight, n/a, 26:03.2
5. Art Siemers, Golden, 26:20.5
6. Jason Hodgson, Colorado Springs, 26:41.5
7. Jeremy Parks, Parker, 26:47.5
8. Bob Weiner, Evergreen, 27:01.5
9. Cody Hill, Colorado Springs, 27:36.3
10. Tyler Johnson, n/a, 28:09.3
5-mile citizen’s run
1. Sean Sidelko, Littleton, 30:07.3
2. Ron Searle, Franktown, 30:10.1
3. Simon Escoricia, Denver, 30:15.
WOMEN
5-mile elite run
1. Paige Higgins, Denver, 29:24.5
2. Brandy Erholtz, Bailey, 30:07.3
3. Bridget Mackinnon, Centennial, 32:01.5
4. Megan Martell, Denver, 51:39.5
5-mile citizen’s run
1. Sara Moody, Aurora, 31:12.1
2. Sunny Gilbert, Boulder, 33:14.7
3. Ellen Hart, Denver, 33:18.6
