The fourth annual Pumpkin Pie 5K and 10K kicked off under sunny skies and seasonally cool temperatures. The event is hosted by Colorado Runner events and features two flat and fast race distances around City Park, a free kids fun run, and abundant slices of pumpkin pie at the finish.
Thousands of runners and walkers came out for the event, some of which made up the 74+ teams that were formed to benefit various charities. All participants received more than just sweet pumpkin pie, including race shirts, finisher medals, free race photos, discounts to the Denver Zoo, and a stocked vendor village and post-race party. Top finishers and age group award winners received gift certificates from Runners Roost.
In the men’s 10K, Eduardo Perez of Denver took top honors in 33:37, with 26-year old Mike Matszak coming in second in 35:18. Rounding out the top three was 19-year old George Crist in 36:16, out-kicking fellow USAFA teammate Jestyn Roberts by a mere second. 17-year old Roberts finished fourth in 37:17.
In the women’s 10K, 25-year old Moira McNeil came in first in 41:44, with USAFA’s Angela Buch a close second in 41:57. Finishing third was 29-year old Hilary Freund in 42:09.
The men’s 5K saw all three top finishers cross the line under 17 minutes, with 24-year old Tyler Evans grabbing the win 16:13. Second place belonged to Matt Thompson of Denver in 16:55, with 33-year old Eitan Halper-Strmberg a close third in 16:57.
In the women’s 5K, 23-year old Brittany Warly of Colorado Springs set a new event record, coming in first for the ladies in 18:31 (previous event record stood at 18:39, set by Shannon Kinney in 2013). Coming in second was 36-year old Maija Zimmerman in 18:55, with 36-year old Jocelyn Petrella Gallagher rounding out the podium in 19:38.