As a marathon runner who feels privileged to be part of the vibrant Boulder running scene, it was great to see another Boulder marathoner win an Olympic gold medal.
Romania’s Constantina Tomescu, who ran away with the women’s marathon Sunday, has lived in Boulder since 2005.
“There will be a big, big, big bash to celebrate when she gets back here,” her agent, Brendan Reilly, wrote in an e-mail.
I can’t think of another city that boasts so many marathon champions: Frank Shorter, 1972 Olympics; Mark Plaatjes, 1993 world championships; Naoko Takahashi (Japan), 2000 Olympics; Lidia Simon (Romania), 2001 world championships.
Then there’s Steve Jones, the former world-record holder who coached Jorge Torres to his first Olympic appearance in the 10,000 meters. And there’s also Japan’s Yuko Arimori, who won a bronze medal at the Atlanta Olympics and a silver in Barcelona.
These aren’t part-timers, but people who are active members of the Boulder running community. I’m looking forward to that party for Tomescu when we get back.
Maybe former CU runner Dathan Ritzenhein can give Boulder another reason to celebrate after the men’s marathon Sunday, too.
Hoping to be back in Boulder soon,
John Meyer
