Listening to a series of emotional speeches last week given by inductees into the Colorado Running Hall of Fame, I was reminded once again how incredibly fortunate we are to be part of such a unique running community.
Like last year’s inaugural group (Frank Shorter, Pat Porter, Joe Vigil, Colleen De Reuck, Lorraine Moller, Jon Sinclair and Ted Casteneda), the 2008 class of inductees was exceptional. It included Mark Plaatjes, the 1993 world champion in the marathon; Steve Jones, a former world-record holder in the marathon; and Arturo Barrios, a former world-record holder in the 10,000 meters. All three are foreign-born runners who came to Boulder for its training advantages, fell in love with its charms and continue to make their homes there years after their competitive careers ended.
The class also included Melody Fairchild, a two-time Foot Locker national cross country champion as a schoolgirl at Boulder High, and Steve Bosley, founder of the Bolder Boulder. Listening to Bosley, I recalled an amazing fact I turned up while writing a story for this month’s Running Times magazine about Boulder and Eugene, Ore., the twin pillars of American running.
Think about this: More than 500 runners broke 40 minutes for the Bolder Boulder last year and 129 broke 36 minutes. There’s probably not another place in the world, except perhaps Kenya’s Rift Valley, that could match that.
“And you’re talking about everyday people, not elite athletes,” Plaatjes said. “I bet if you took everyday people in the Rift Valley, Boulder would probably kick their (behind).”
Also inducted were Tony Sandoval, who won the 1980 Olympic trials marathon, and Ellen Hart, who finished third in the 1980 Olympic trials 10,000 meters. Hart remains a fierce masters competitor.
“When I go out of state for a competition and I’m asked where I’m from, I feel this surge of pride when I get to say ‘Colorado,’ ” Hart said in her speech. “So thank you for being the best running community in the world.”
That’s not hyperbole. The Bolder Boulder continues to grow, with 53,000 expected to enter next week’s 30th running. Plaatjes has a thriving physical therapy practice in Boulder and owns Boulder Running Company stores in Boulder and Littleton.
“I don’t think I could do what I do, or the store could do what it does, in any other community in the world,” Plaatjes said. “There’s not another community that is so interested in their own well-being — not in the selfish sense, but in a well-being sense, the ability to go out and run or swim or cycle.
“There’s no community that is so interested in being able to do the activities they do, to stay healthy and continue to do them for as long as they can.”
A lot of them can identify with Hart, who discovered triathlon when a long bout of plantar fasciitis prevented her from running for an extended period. She likes to say it took her awhile to “recognize the gift” of that injury, but now she’s fully invested in the triathlon.
Last year she went to the age-group world championships in Hamburg, Germany, finishing 11th. She has high hopes for this year’s event, June 7 in Vancouver, British Columbia.
“My son reminds me that 11th in the world is not that bad, but I really want to move up 10 places,” Hart said. “I usually don’t articulate that because it’s so much safer to hedge your bets and say ‘I’d be happy with top 20,’ but I really wouldn’t be.”
Hart didn’t get to go to the 1980 Olympics because of Jimmy Carter’s boycott. She tried to make the 1984 Olympic team in the marathon but was in the throes of an eating disorder.
“This is the second-most important race I’ve ever run, and I’m not leaving anything on the table,” Hart said. “The most important race was the Olympic trials in 1984, and I was so compromised nutritionally. Now, being healthy and having another chance, and knowing that the winner gets to stand on that podium and have the American flag behind her and ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’ playing . . . I know this isn’t the Olympics, but it’s a chance I’m going to have to do what I love and represent my country.”
And Colorado’s Front Range, the best place in the world to be a runner.
