Last year, Trevor Barron broke the U.S. record for racewalking 20 kilometers and was the lone American to compete in that event at the London Olympics. Sunday he gave running a try.
On a cool morning with nearly perfect running conditions that produced record times, the Colorado College sophomore finished fourth in the Colfax Marathon with a time of 2 hours, 48 minutes, 1 second. Then he went down to his hands and knees at the finish line, overcome with fatigue.
“The last six miles were harder than anything I’ve ever done,” said Barron, 20.
Kenyan Abraham Rutto ran the marathon as a tuneup for next month’s Grandma’s Marathon in Duluth, Minn., and won with a course record (2:24:34). Another visiting Kenyan, Daniel Kipkoech, ran the half marathon as a tuneup for Atlanta’s Peachtree Road Race on July 4, also setting a course record (1:05:54). Nicole Chyr ran the marathon in hopes of breaking the women’s course record she set two years ago and she succeeded, finishing in 2:57:18.
Read more: Abraham Rutto wins Colfax Marathon in Denver with record-setting time – The Denver Post
Colfax Marathon sees increased security as a result of Boston bombings
A record-breaking number of runners hit the pavement in Sunday’s Colfax Marathon, a race that in the wake of the Boston Marathon bombing also featured an increased police presence.
The two bombs, which killed three and injured 264 on April 15, led to increased security at marathons from New Jersey to Iowa. The eighth annual Kaiser Permanente Colfax Marathon was no different.
“I would expect it after Boston,” runner Kenneth Phillips said.
Cmdr. Patrick Phelan of the Denver Police Department’s Special Operations Unit said more undercover officers from the Lakewood, Denver and Aurora police departments were stationed along the course as a result of the Boston attacks.
Read more: Colfax Marathon sees increased security as a result of Boston bombings – The Denver Post