BOULDER — There were no serious medical problems among the racers in the Bolder Boulder, but the spectators were another story.
An elderly man in the crowd went into cardiac arrest and was rushed to Boulder Community Hospital, according to race medical coordinator Dr. Todd Dorfman. Another spectator was taken to the hospital after an apparent stroke.
“The cardiac arrest response was excellent,” Dorfman said. “We were able to resuscitate the patient and get him to Boulder Community, where he went to the cath lab and got his vessel fixed.”
Olympian sidelined.
Boulder’s Colleen De Reuck was set to run on the U.S. women’s team in the Bolder Boulder pro race until an upper respiratory infection caused her to pull out last week.
“I was looking forward to it, so it’s disappointing,” said De Reuck, a four-time Olympian. “But it’s a team event. You don’t want to be a weak link on their team.”
De Reuck also was a late withdrawal from last month’s Olympic trials for the women’s marathon because a calf injury interfered with her training.
“I wanted to race, not (just) participate,” De Reuck said.
Torrid and Torres.
Colorado graduate Jorge Torres couldn’t believe the torrid pace of the first mile in the men’s pro race — 4 minutes, 28 seconds — and just tried to hang on.
Primarily a track runner, Torres was competing in his third road race — his first at elevation. He finished 12th, the top American, in 29:59.
“That first mile rocked me,” said Torres, who hopes to make the U.S. Olympic team in the 10,000 meters next month. “The hills definitely took an effect. There’s a lot of strategy in this course. It took a smart runner to win this race.”
Good for Gomez.
Like Deena Kastor and Ryan Hall, Alamosa’s Zoila Gomez was coming off a recent marathon. The Adams State grad was fourth at the women’s Olympic marathon trials April 20, making her the first alternate for the Beijing team.
She got a side stitch a mile and a half into Monday’s pro race and struggled to a 22nd-place finish, but she throughly enjoyed being teamed with Kastor and Elva Dryer, both Olympians. Dryer, a Durango native, finished 13th.
“I felt blessed that I was there, even though I wasn’t showing the best in me,” Gomez said. “The race itself wasn’t the best, but the overall aspect of the weekend, I wouldn’t trade it for anything. It’s priceless.” John Meyer, The Denver Post
