BOULDER — Nothing like a hard, 10K road race at altitude in an international field to test an athlete’s fitness level.
Former Colorado Buff Jorge Torres, a 2008 Olympian, makes his season debut today on the three-man U.S. men’s team competing in the Bolder Boulder’s International Team Challenge.
“You never know where the fitness is until you actually go out there and compete,” said Torres, who won an individual NCAA cross cross country title for CU in 2002. “I’ll be excited to see where I stand heading into the racing season. I just want to go out there and push myself to a pretty high level so I can help the team finish in the top three.”
Also on the U.S. men’s team are Jason Hartmann of Boulder and Andrew Carlson of Flagstaff, Ariz. Torres finished 12th in 2008, his only previous Bolder Boulder appearance.
The U.S. women’s team is made up of former Buff Renee Metivier-Bailee of Boulder, 2008 marathon Olympian Magda Lewy-Boulet of Oakland, Calif., and Amy Hastings of Mammoth, Calif.
The women’s elite race begins at 11 a.m., with the men starting 11 minutes later. KMGH-7 will cover the race live from 11 a.m. until noon.
“Anytime you step up to that (starting) line, you want to be competitive and do the best you can,” Torres said. “Every runner’s dream is to win a race, but I don’t know where I stand physically, with my fitness level. I know I’m in decent shape, and I will do my best to finish as close as I can to the win.”
Torres made his debut in the marathon last November, finishing seventh in New York with a time of 2 hours, 13 minutes. He ran the 10,000 meters in the Beijing Olympics (28 minutes, 13.93 seconds) but is now focusing on the marathon and hopes to make the 2012 Olympic team in that event.
He is coached by Steve Jones, a former world-record holder in the marathon from Wales and a longtime Boulder resident.
“I believe in him, I trust him, and that’s what it comes down to with an athlete-coach relationship — you have to have that strong belief and trust with each other,” Torres said. “I believe he’s going to lead me to great things in the marathon. I strongly think people will see he’s as good a coach as he was an athlete.”
John Meyer: 303-954-1616 or jmeyer@denverpost.com
