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Thirsty for 13 miles

Younts capture another Durango race

Who’s thirsty? About 500 runners, that’s for sure.

The First National Bank of Durango Thirsty 13 took off Saturday morning with a bang. The 13-mile half marathon course brought runners from Hesperus Baptist Church in on Colorado Highway 140, all the way to Ska Brewing’s World Headquarters in Durango’s Bodo Park, where they were greeted with a giant 34 ounce finisher’s mug the favored brewers filled on the spot.

But the taps didn’t stop there. An option with the race fee was an entrance to the San Juan Brew Fest later in Buckley Park downtown, joining more than 50 brewers and some 2,000 craft beer enthusiasts on the grass.

Race director Matthew Krichman said it is the most popular running event in Durango.

“Whenever you combine running with another popular past time in Durango – beer drinking – it’s a winning combination,” Krichman said.

Last year, with the addition of the parched runners, the festival sold out of beer.

The race, capped at 500 by the Colorado State Patrol for safety, sold out months ago, and another 300 signed on a waiting list. Many runners got in last minute.

“About a month ago, I signed up for the wait list,” said Clint Alley, executive director of the Pagosa Springs Chamber of Commerce and a town councilman. “I just wanted a challenge and to see if I could still run a half marathon. About four days ago I said, ‘I’ll go for it.’”

Krichman said while they get some incredibly fast racers, ultimately, the race is for the middle of the pack runner who is up for a good physical trial.

“We get a lot of first timers in the field, and this race is all about them,” he said. “We’ve got runners who will finish the race in an hour and 15 minutes and some in three hours, and we’re here celebrating all of them.”

Thirteen miles in an hour and 15 minutes? Meet Sam and Maggie Yount. This Bay Area transplant husband and wife power couple has been flying around Durango’s running scene since they got to town about six months ago. They were the first men’s and women’s finishers Saturday.

“The course is spectacular,“ Sam Yount said. “There’s a part when you come up over a hill and you see Lake Nighthorse, and it’s just breathtaking.”

He said he’s looking forward to more local events, some off the roads and on the trails.

“There are some really fast trail runners out here,” he said.

Maggie Yount, who holds a world record for the fastest person to run 10 kilometers while pushing a stroller, said Krichman’s races are always good.

“He’s amazing, and his races are unreal,” she said. “You’ve got to support that.”

She’s busy looking for a venue to break another stroller record, and this time it will be the 13-mile half marathon length.

“Preferably at sea level,” she said.

Krichman said the popularity of the event and others is a testimony that Durango is becoming known for its running scene. The Durango Running Club holds six main events every year, and more could be in the works. They bring runners from all over the country.

“We’re putting Durango on the map as a running mecca,” he said. “A race like this that sells out so quickly says that people know Durango is a place to come to for great running.”

And, maybe a cold one.

“We have six breweries in town,” he said. “We’re not just a running mecca; we’re a craft brew mecca.”

bmathis@bcimedia.com



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