The Veterans Day celebration started early this year, with the Denver Veterans Day Run kicking off on Sunday in City Park. The annual event is hosted by the Colorado Veterans Project, whose mission is to enhance pride and patriotism in all Coloradans by building a stronger, more supportive community around our Veterans. The parade and festival will take place on Saturday, November 11th.
The event featured two race distances: a 5K and a 10K, both winding their way through City Park along a flat and fast course. In addition to the two races, participants could also opt to take part in the Rippetoe Rucksack Challenge, which required 10K runners to race with a 25-pound ruck or backpack.
In the men’s 10K, 30-year old Isaiah Rubio took the win in 38:19, with 25-year old Mitch Kusick finishing second in 39:02. Rounding out the podium was 40-year old Marty Billings in 39:41.
The women’s 10K saw 60-year old Marci Scyoc take top honors in 55:15. Coming in second was out-of-towner Tracie Knight of Portland in 57:14. 26-year old Kelly Harp crossed the line in a close third in 57:26.
The men’s 5K saw an exciting finish between the top two finishers, as they crossed the line within seconds of one another. 24-year old Michael Stocker prevailed, finishing first in 19:47, with 64-year old Ed King coming in a very close second in 19:49. Third place belonged to 23-year old Blake Pendleton in 21:41.
In the women’s 5K, 42-year old Ashley Connolly of Aspen came in first in 20:40. 35-year old Laura Galligan was second in 21:10, with 26-year old Lauren Schluenz rounding out the top three in 23 minutes flat.
The 10K Rippetoe Rucksack Challenge saw some impressive finishes considering the challenge. The men’s winner was 21-year old David McCormick in 51:34, and the women’s winner – Kristin Thompson – finished in 54:43, good enough not only for the Rucksack win but also the overall female 10K winning time.