Highlights from 2012
What a great year for Colorado runners! Here are some of the highlights from 2012 in the Colorado racing scene.
- Kim Dobson obliterated the Pikes Peak Ascent record by more than eight minutes. The 28-year-old Grand Junction resident was hoping to break the two hour, 30 minute barrier. Mile after tortuous mile, she never let up and hit a time of 2 hours, 24 minutes, 59 seconds. The previous record of 2:33:31 was set in 1981 by Lynn Bjorklund. Dobson finished sixth overall, one spot ahead of Simon Gutierrez, a three-time men’s Ascent champion.
“I was a bit surprised,” Dobson said following her race. “My training has gone well and all of my training runs are faster than last year, so I felt like if I had a good day I could take some time off of the record. I was thinking if I came in at 2:30 I would be happy – I was not expecting 2:25.” - Japan’s Mizuho Nasukawa set a new All-Colorado Marathon record. She toed the line in September for the Denver Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon ready to win. And she did it in style. Nasukawa handily won the race in 2:37:05, breaking the All-Colorado Marathon record by a whopping four minutes. The previous record was set in 2004 by Masako Chiba at the Boulder Marathon. Nasukawa won the 2009 Tokyo Marathon and trains with a large group of Japanese runners in Boulder.
- Colorado runners compete at the Olympics. The summer Olympics in London captured our attention for two weeks. Colorado’s elite triathletes and track and field competitors took center stage in August to gut it out among the best athletes in the world. Janay Deloach of Fort Collins won a bronze medal in the long jump. Hunter Kemper of Colorado Springs and Laura Bennett of Boulder competed in the Olympic triathlon. Jenny Simpson, Shayla Kipp, Emma Coburn, and other great Colorado track runners showed us their skills at the Olympic Stadium.
- Mob Events grab the spotlight. From the Warrior Dash to the Muddy Buddy to the Survivor Mud Run and beyond, mud running continued to grow in popularity this year. Tens of thousands of runners decided that simply running a race wasn’t enough; they battled their friends among obstacle courses that included barbed wire, electrical shocks, fire, and swampy pits of mud. It’s a trend that looks poised for growth.
- Fast times at the USATF 10K Championship race. Robert Cheseret of Colorado Springs had a fabulous year. He won race after race across the state. He came to win the Evergreen Town Race 10K in August and he proved his prowress by setting a new course record of 29:44. That’s faster than the elite winner ran the Bolder Boulder 10K this year. Patrick Rizzo came in seconds later with a time of 29:48. Rounding out the top three was Joshua Glaab in 29:59. Breaking the course record in the women’s championship race was Brianne Nelson, crossing the line in 33:52. Coming in second was Kristen Fryburg-Zaitz in 33:59, while Melissa Todd grabbed third in 34:42.
- Several all-state age group records were broken in the marathon and half marathon. Ronald Davis ran 1:28:42 at the Georgetown to Idaho Springs Half Marathon for a 65-69 all-Colorado record. Ellen Hart ran 1:27:42 at the Platte River Half Marathon for a 50-54 all-state record. Connie Demercurio set an all-Colorado half marathon record for the 55-59 age group at Georgetown to Idaho Springs, running 1:34:42. Alyn Park lowered her own half marathon record in the 60-64 age group at Rock ‘n’ Roll Denver. Steve Parker set a 60-64 marathon record at the Colorado Marathon in 3:10:47.
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Derek Griffiths