Hundreds of runners took part in the Platte River Half Marathon and Buckhorn Exchange Relay this past Sunday morning, battling strong headwinds the entire 13.1 miles from downtown Littleton to the Buckhorn Exchange in southwest Denver. Thankfully the clouds dissipated early and the sunshine provided a beautiful backdrop for the latter stages of the race and the fun post-race party.
The celebration included live music, lunch from the Buckhorn Exchange, beer from Breckenridge Brewery, and an award ceremony to honor the top finishers and age groupers.
In the men’s half marathon, Morrison’s Scott Spillman tok top honors in 1:15:39. There was a photo finish for second place, with 32-year old Tristan Mitchell edging out 31-year old Kevin Ellis to take second in 1:16:44; Ellis finished third in 1:16:45.
The women’s half marathon saw 38-year old Maija Zimmerman finish first in 1:27:18, followed by Vail’s Rachel Viele in second in 1:28:34, and 37-year old Kelly Escorcia in third in 1:32:21.
In the Buckhorn Exchange Relay, the winning team was Ladies of Runners Roost in a combined time of 1:30:18, followed by Racing Roosters in 1:32:41, and Colorado Coyotes in 1:32:52.