Justin Mock likes to run, a lot. Just look at his calendar.
First, there was the Colorado Colfax Marathon, which he won Sunday. That’s followed by the Steamboat Marathon on June 1 and the Estes Park Marathon two weeks later. That’s all. The 26-year-old Boulder resident makes it sound easy.
“I’m doing Steamboat here in two weeks. Last year, I ran Steamboat five minutes faster than Colfax, so if I do that again I’ll be very happy,” said Mock, who ran Sunday’s race in 2:43.27 — about 18 minutes off his 2007 winning pace. “Then after that it’s Estes Park. That one’s run at 8,500 feet, so it’s just going to be a fun one.”
Fun? Maybe for Mock. He certainly makes it difficult on the competition. Mock has made it a yearly ritual to be the first marathoner across the finish line, winning his second straight Colfax Marathon with Sunday’s victory. But while the race may have been fun — if you don’t count the fact that he vomited twice around the 18-mile mark — it certainly wasn’t easy. But Sunday’s course around City Park was considered more runner-friendly than last year’s trek from Denver to Lakewood.
“I like it better, but it’s definitely not the fastest course ever, unfortunately,” Mock said. “It still climbs a lot from mile five to 12. Of course, you come back down that. But it’s a solid uphill from five to 12.”
Despite the steep climb and an early course mishap between mile one and two that cost him precious time, Mock had more than enough momentum to distance himself from second-place finisher Tristan Mitchell, who crossed the finish line in 2:47.46. And despite setting a personal-best marathon time, Mock just missed out on his goal of 2 hours, 40 minutes.
“I was a little bit disappointed … Other than that, it was a solid run,” said Mock, who ran solo from the fifth mile on.
Change of scenery. Last year’s marathon was, literally, an uphill challenge. The route started at Aurora Park, ventured down Colfax Avenue through Denver and ended at Colorado Mills in Lakewood. The hilly layout was a challenge for runners.
“We found the rest portion of the course was uphill and many runners found that to be too challenging of an altitude,” said Jay Gershen, chairman of the board for the Post-News Colorado Colfax Marathon. “So we got a group of runners together and redesigned the course. This year, we have everything starting and ending in City Park.”
The marathon was nearly shut down after 2007 because a mixup in the race-day setup extended the course a quarter-mile for full marathoners. Race management took the blame for last year’s issues, but believe it got things right this time around.
“We think it’s a better-designed course. It’s flatter, more scenic,” Gershen said.
However, this year’s race, which started and ended at City Park after heading west through Lakewood before turning around at Sloan’s Lake, also suffered from a course mishap. Bikers leading the runners between the first and second mile marker took the runners about a quarter-mile out of the way, according to Mock.
“I understand it affected a few runners. Everybody else was fine,” Gershen said. “We’re trying to find out who those runners are because we can do an adjustment if any of them are qualifying for the Boston Marathon. Technically, that’s what were concerned about.”
Gershen said organizers will look to use more monitors on the course next year.
League of her own. Another runner who was caught up in the early course confusion was women’s overall winner Lisa Goldsmith. The 43-year-old Nederland resident said she was delayed approximately 20 seconds, but it wasn’t enough to keep her from improving on last year’s second-place finish.
“The beginning mishap, missing the first left turn, probably messed with the leaders more than me, the leading men,” said Goldsmith, who ran a time of 3:12.51. “(But) they (officials) had it figured out pretty quick.”
Goldsmith broke away from the female race’s pack. But she was hardly out there all by her lonesome.
“I pretty much ran alone. … But you’re never alone in a race this big,” she said.
Littleton resident Tania Pacev, the elite women’s winner in 2006 and fourth overall female finisher last year, took first place in the masters category in 3:20.31.
A lot of people on the run. In spite of last year’s issues and a decline in the number of runners from the inaugural race in 2006 to last year, this year’s marathon had the largest turnout in the three years of the event.
A record 5,216 competitors started Sunday’s race, nearly 600 more than in 2007 and 151 more than the field two years ago.
“We got more runners I think because of the new course,” Gershen said. “We had a program called charity partners. We had 41 charities using the marathon as a platform to raise money for their causes. In exchange of that, each charity brings 15 runners to the race. So we had over 300 runners recruited by the charity partners. Which is another reason the numbers are up this year.”
Another possible reason for the higher turnout, Gershen said, was more people knew about the event this time around.
“Talk about the marathon two years ago and people didn’t know what it was,” Gershen said. “It’s going to grow over time. We hope to have in the next five to 10 years over 10,000 runners.”
Hot wheels. It took Tyler Byers three times to figure it out, but he finally did.
The 26-year-old from Sterling, Va., finished third in the men’s wheelchair event in 2006 and second last year. But in 2008, there was no denying him.
Byers, who has suffered from Sacral agenesis — a rare congenital condition of spinal deformity — since birth, will compete in Beijing this year as part of the U.S. Paralympic marathon team. He finished Sunday’s race in 1:39.48.
“Two years ago I was third, last year I was second, so I guess I’m moving up a little bit,” Byers said of his victory.
Besides the marathon, he hopes to also qualify for the Paralympic Games in the 1,500 and 5,000 meters. He will try to qualify for each of those events next month in Tempe, Ariz.
“I’m trying to peak for the Paralympics trials, track trials next month,” Byers said. “I’ve already made the team in the marathon and I’d just like to add a couple track starts to that.”
She’s got games. Jacqui Kapinowski is proud to tell you that she has raced in 41 marathons, including Sunday’s Colfax Marathon — her first one in Denver. But she’s not just a wheelchair marathon competitor. She’s also a world-class athlete, the evidence being her bronze medal with the U.S. Olympic Paralympic curling team.
“I love curling. I could stay on that race all day long,” said the Point Pleasant, N.J., resident, who finished first Sunday in the women’s masters division in 2:57.17. Wheelchair race coordinator and Parker resident Dawna Callahan won the women’s overall wheelchair division in 2:53.
But don’t think that she doesn’t enjoy wheelchair marathons. She only competed in the Boston Marathon and then the Kentucky Derby Marathon five days apart.
“It was hard, but I enjoyed it,” Kapinowski said. “I was in a lot of pain after Boston up until Friday. Then Saturday I just started feeling better when I had to race in Kentucky. That was a very challenging course. But I got through it.”
She also has gotten through all of the medical challenges that have been thrown her way. Kapinowski had bacteria meningitis twice as a child. She overcame that, but was diagnosed in 2001 with dystonia syndrome, a neurological condition that causes abnormal posture. There are only 22 known cases of the disease.
But don’t think Kapinowski is bitter about her health issues.
“I can’t hit the lottery, but I can get bacteria meningitis twice. … You know what, I can hit the lottery. I made the USA team in curling,” Kapinowski said.
A cool start. For most people, going for a run, especially one 26.2 miles long, at 6 in the morning may not be your ideal start. For marathon runners, it’s perfect, especially when the weather cooperates.
“They love that. It’s very important to start early because you want to keep it cool,” Gershen said. “One of the things I’m concerned about today is the temperature. Last year, it was relatively cool and it worked our fairly well. The first year it was warm.”
Gershen said dehydration and heat-related injuries are major concerns. The temperature, which got up to the low 80s, was in the mid-50s at the start of Sunday’s race.
It’s a zoo out there. While Sunday’s race got off without a hitch, getting there wasn’t so easy.
Runners, spectators and media representatives were asked to park around City Park, near the Denver Zoo and Museum of Nature and Science. The early morning traffic led to a logjam of drivers going in circles, looking for adequate parking.
“I’ve heard it was a little confusing coming into City Park to park,” Gershen said. “Last year, it was all out of Aurora with one big parking lot.”
Gershen said the parking issue will be addressed next year.
“I think that’s the big thing, organize the parking better,” Gershen said. “But everyone got here on time. A little bit of confusing around 5 o’clock, 5:30 with where to park.”
By the numbers. Some fast facts about this year’s marathon, according to the prerace news release: There were 25 water stations and more than 200 portable toilets along the course, as well as 1,000 volunteers. … At the finish line: 5,000 Safeway bananas. … More than 400 police and safety officers from Denver, Aurora and Lakewood manned the course. … Number of feet in a marathon: 138,336. … Keeping participants hydrated were 200,000 cups filled with water and Gatorade along the route.
