The weather is becoming favorable for training and racing. With great races such as the Colorado Marathon, the Colorado Colfax Marathon, the Garden of the Gods 10 Mile and the Rocky Mountain Half Marathon coming up in the next several weeks, your weekend racing should be exciting.
Just after this issue of the magazine went to print, many local women competed in the Olympic Trials Marathon in Boston. Look for results and coverage on our website at ColoradoRunnerMag.com. The Olympic Trials in Track & Field will be held at famed Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon from June 27 through July 6 with the Olympics starting in Beijing, China on August 8. America will hopefully send a strong team in Track & Field to this year’s gathering to once again show dominance in the sport of Athletics.
Track & Field has always been a part of me. From junior high school all the way through college, I competed in the 800 meters, the 1,500 meters, the mile run and the 3,000 meter steeplechase. After I graduated from college, I did what most middle and long distance track athletes do; I migrated to road racing. I started by running local 5Ks. Then, even though I once swore that I would never run a race as long as a marathon, I got hooked with distance running in my 20s and have now completed more than 50 marathons. Later, I fell in love with Colorado’s endless miles of dirt, rocks and mud and took up trail racing.
But now, with this being an Olympic year, I am brought back to my roots in anticipation of watching the world’s best compete at the highest level. Will Alan Webb finally be able to win a medal in world competition? Will Bernard Legat attempt another historic 1,500/5,000 meter double? Will Ryan Hall shock the world and win the Olympic Marathon? All of these questions will be answered in just a few short months.
Happy trails!
Derek