When runners evaluate their race performances, satisfaction is usually relative.
Andrew Smith, a native of Guyana who claims an impressive personal best in the marathon of 2 hours, 16 minutes, won the 27th Cherry Creek Sneak 5-miler Sunday but was fairly disgusted with his time of 26 minutes, 13 seconds.
“It was not too great,” the 32-year-old Smith said. “I haven’t been feeling too great, coming into this race.”
That’s probably because Smith, who is finishing up his degree at the University of Denver, is in high-mileage phase training for Grandma’s Marathon, June 20 in Duluth, Minn.
“It was all right, but time-wise it was poor compared to what I’m capable of,” Smith said. “But, a win is a win.”
Twenty-one seconds after Smith finished, however, Craig Greenslit, 39, of Berthoud got a thrill out of outkicking Charles Hillig Jr., 22, of Denver for second place by a margin of 2.1 seconds.
“These 39-year-old legs,” Greenslit said, “they can still go.”
Greenslit ran track for the University of Wyoming and has been concentrating on triathlons the past couple of years. Hillig ran at the University of Northern Colorado.
“He just was a little stronger at the end, the last 50 meters,” Hillig said. “He looked back with about 60 meters to go, saw me coming, kicked it at 50. I just didn’t have that sixth gear to grind down, dig deep and go get him.
“It was close, though. I was glad to put on a show for the crowd.”
The women’s 5-miler wasn’t close. Sarah Shepard of Glenwood Springs came in first with a time of 29:23 for a 36-second margin over Cassie Slade of Conifer.
“We’re all kind of friends, so I knew we were going to run similar times,” said Shepard, 24. “We went out together and at about halfway, I was like, ‘OK, I’m going to try to pick up the pace a little bit.’ I just settled in and went for it.”
Not that it was easy. Shepard is training for the U.S. 25-kilometer championships, May 9 in Grand Rapids, Mich.
“Today it hurt,” said Shepard, who is coaching in Glenwood Springs while saving up money for medical school. “I did not feel smooth. I had to push it pretty hard.”
John Meyer: 303-954-1616 or jmeyer@denverpost.com
