BOULDER — Some of the athletes Henry Guzman coaches run fast, some walk slowly. Their list of disabilities includes autism, Down syndrome, cerebral palsy and schizophrenia.
But they had a job to do Monday in the 32nd Bolder Boulder, and they did it.
“You have been chosen to inspire people,” Guzman tells his Boulder-based group, called Beyond Limits. “We will get you across that finish line. It’s your job to inspire and give hope to other people. That is a very, very powerful and important job.”
All 36 members of Beyond Limits were among Monday’s record 50,421 finishers, keeping their record perfect: Not one “Did Not Finish” since Guzman created the program 10 years ago.
“I want them to come away, when they cross that finish line, (saying) ‘What can I do next? I’ve conquered this mountain, what’s the next thing for me?’ ” Guzman said. “That truly is inspiration.”
There was a lot of inspiration flowing through Folsom Field on one of the most memorable days in race history. A brilliant Ethiopian men’s team swept the top three places in the elite race, holding hands as they crossed the finish line in front of a nearly full stadium that roared its appreciation.
Brent Vaughn, formerly of Smoky Hill High School and the University of Colorado, ran perhaps the race of his life to finish fourth. Running for Team Colorado, which was supposedly the jayvee team in relation to the more accomplished Team USA men, Vaughn led his threesome to second place in the International Team Challenge. Team USA finished fifth.
“I was blessed with a lot of talent, I feel, and I just wanted to come out here and show my God-given ability and run for my teammates,” Vaughn said.
The crowd cheered wildly for women’s elite winner Mamitu Daska of Ethiopia and welcomed former CU runner Renee Metivier-Baillie every bit as enthusiastically when she finished ninth, tops among the American women.
“Oh, my goodness, I was hurting and that helped me pull a little bit more out there,” Metivier-Baillie said. “That crowd is the best crowd I’ve ever come in to, any race, ever.”
Even the emergency medical crews had a major victory, saving the life of a 13-year-old boy who went into cardiac arrest, stopped breathing and turned blue at the finish line. They revived him at the scene, and he later was listed in stable condition.
But on a day when thousands pushed their limits in the race that Runner’s World magazine calls America’s best 10K, it was hard to find anyone more courageous than 42-year-old John Austin of Boulder.
Austin was injured in an accident when he was a toddler. His brain was damaged, and he has a crooked pelvis and atrophied legs. His body lurches to the right when he walks, but he finished in 2 hours, 29 minutes, 38 seconds. He’s crossed the finish line of all 10 Bolder Boulders he’s done with Beyond Limits.
How did he feel afterward? “Great.”
Was he proud? “Yes.”
Why was he proud? “Because I did it.”
Was it hard? “Very hard.”
Austin walked with volunteer mentor Richard Alber, who had to talk Austin through a rough patch or two.
“He’s my inspiration,” Alber said. “I discovered two years ago that I have Parkinson’s disease. So he keeps me going, and I help him keep going.”
Is it hard sometimes to keep from getting choked up, walking with Austin?
“No, (it’s) all the time,” Alber said.
Jeremy Slack, a 21-year-old who is mentally retarded but “high-functioning,” scored a three-minute personal best. Guzman ran every step of the race with Slack and gave him a pep talk when he briefly fell off the pace on mile five.
“I told him you’re here to prove something, to yourself and everybody else,” Guzman said. “I wanted him to get a PR (personal record). I want them to do the best with what they have. I knew he was in shape by looking at the workouts. I knew he could run under that time — he just needed a little bit of a nudge.”
And like anyone else fortunate enough to run a PR on Monday, Slack wanted to tell everyone he could.
“I love racing so much,” said Slack, who will start a job soon at a Goodwill thrift store. “I got a new record — 48 minutes, 10 seconds. I feel great.”
John Meyer: 303-954-1616 or jmeyer@denverpost.com
