Because the Earth can’t stand up straight to the sun, we have seasons. And the season we call summer starts on the day the north tilts most toward the light, although that also is when Earth is farthest from the sun.
Crooked reasoning, maybe. But in Denver, we have sportier, more fun ways to mark the two real seasons of the year — that is, skiing and running seasons.
And running season in town starts Sunday, when the starter pistol kicks off the 29th edition of the Cherry Creek Sneak.
“This is a great spring tuneup race,” Ironman triathlete Megan Boord told The Denver Post after last year’s race.
Boord, of Edwards, finished the top-division 5-mile race in 32 minutes, 57 seconds for a second-place finish.
“It’s a good way to test your speed, to see where you’re at in April.”
Race-winning elite-field times have varied through the years, with no clear improvement season to season. It goes to prove the training aspect of the early-year race.
But don’t dismiss the Sneak as practice. For the elites and the casual 5Kers, the Cherry Creek race is a good test and an enjoyable one.
Oh, and for the competitive set, the Sneak is also great for scouting. Who is coming from the small colleges to enter the summer fields? Who is coming back from the eastern schools to re-establish in Colorado? Who is back from knee injuries?
Colorado Springs’ Adam Rich, who won the men’s 5-mile race last year in 25:33, capped the prevailing attitude among racers, saying:
“I enjoy doing it, I enjoy racing in Colorado, so I’ll do it until I can’t.”
Cherry Creek Sneak
The 29th running of the Denver spring race.
Sunday, 8 a.m.
• 5-mile, 5K, 1 1/2-mile sprint, and 1/2-mile kids run
• Online registration closes today
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STAY ON THE COUCH
We now interrupt NFL draft coverage.
If you absolutely can’t steal yourself away from ESPN’s bloated coverage of the NFL draft this weekend — when late-round players get more attention than they ever have and ever will get in their football careers — then at least use the remote control.
If you’re not at Coors Field this weekend for the Rockies’ three- game series against the Pirates, it’s worth tuning in on TV to catch the return of Clint Hurdle.
Hurdle took over the Pittsburgh skipper’s job in November and has the up-and-coming Pirates at 11-14, just three games behind the NL Central-leading Cardinals.
The series, which starts tonight at 6:40 p.m. and airs on Root, will have the Rockies fielding behind starter Jhoulys Chacin (3-1, 2.67 ERA).
And on Sunday, the 1:10 p.m. first pitch will feature Colorado ace Ubaldo Jimenez (0-1, 6.75). This game also airs on Root.
GET OFF THE COUCH
Do it for the kids.
Runners will be gathering Sunday at the Cherry Creek Sneak in Denver and the Earth Day 5K in Boulder (a 10 a.m. race at Potts Field at the University of Colorado; ).
But if you’re looking for a nice run or breezy walk, there are a bevy of runs that also support schools in the area:
• Fairmount 5000, a 9 a.m. 5K and 1K on Sunday in this little town between Arvada and Golden. Hosted by the Fairmount Elementary PTA ().
• Kohl Elementary 5K on Saturday at 8 a.m. in Broomfield ().
• Hawk Hustle 5K at Thornton’s Horizon High School on Sunday at 9 a.m. ().
• Fittin’ It In 5K for the Douglas County School District at Highlands Ranch High on Saturday at 8 a.m. ().
WHAT WE’D LIKE TO SEE
A good draw.
The Colorado Mammoth may have sneaked into the National Lacrosse League playoffs with a 5-11 record and the final seed in the West Division. But its first-round opponent, top-seeded Calgary, will have its hands full.
In three games this season, the Mammoth twice defeated the Roughnecks, by scores of 8-7 and 11-7. Colorado’s loss to the Roughnecks also was a one-goal outcome, 14-13 at Calgary.
This is good news for the Mammoth because it has what some around the league are calling an MVP candidate: goalie Chris Levis.
The veteran netminder has a 9.99 goals-against average and .784 save percentage, some of the best marks in the league this season.
Saturday’s game in Calgary faces off at 6:30 p.m. at the Saddledome. It won’t be televised live in Denver.
