Ad
Sports Youth Sports Professional Sports More Sports College Sports High School Sports

Bodewes, Salzano first to cross in Steamworks Half Marathon

More than 160 runners compete after two-year hiatus
Will Bodewes, left, and Kyle Curtain battle for the lead in the Steamworks Half Marathon on Saturday morning. (Jerry McBride/Durango Herald)

The Steamworks Half Marathon returned to Durango after a two-year hiatus on Saturday.

More than 200 runners registered to compete this year, but only 166 showed up Saturday to run 13.1 miles from Baker’s Bridge to the Durango Sports Club along La Plata County Road 250.

Runners in the Steamworks Half Marathon make their way down East Animas Road (County Road 250) on Saturday morning north of Durango. (Jerry McBride/Durango Herald)

Will Bodewes had the fastest time this year, winning the race in 1 hour, 18 minutes and 25 seconds.

“It was hard; I didn’t really know what to expect,” said Bodewes, who was running in second half-marathon and first in six years. “I just went out and was trying to hold on to Kyle (Curtain). Him and I pretty much ran the whole race together.”

Bodewes, however, had a little more juice at the end.

“I caught my second wind on the last hill and kept digging,” he said. “It felt good. I was honestly surprised (to win). My philosophy was to not look back, do my own thing and push as hard as I can.”

Bodewes said he’s training to set a record on the Colorado Trail Race this year on his mountain bike, and that doing races like the half help keep him focused.

Curtain was the second runner to finish, crossing just over a minute after Bodewes in 1:19:46. Jared Wolf (1:23:45) finished third, followed by David Wilcox (1:26:29) and David Carta (1:27:41) in fifth.

Makiah Salzano won the women’s race and finished sixth overall in 1:28:09.

Makiah Salzano nears the finish line and the wins the female division of the Steamworks Half Marathon on Saturday. (Cody Olivas/Durango Herald)

“I wasn’t expecting it,” she said. “I was hoping to place in the top four or five.”

Recent Fort Lewis College grad ran for the Skyhawks but didn’t want to let go of training. She had done one half-marathon previously, but it was during the pandemic and had staggered starts instead of a mass start.

“I did one half for fun, and I wanted to do better,” Salzano said.

She said former FLC coach Brett Sublett of Durango Running Co., and the half-marathon’s organizer this year, helped her plan for the race.

“It’s a big leap” compared with a 5K, she said. “You definitely don’t want to start too fast; I had to actively reel it in. In a 5K, you set a pace and hold it. In a half, you have to pace yourself, literally.”

Salzano said she ran with an old teammate most of the race. When she began passing the early starters, and they yelled at her that she was in the leading girl, she found some extra motivation. “Once I heard that, I thought maybe I should hold my pace,” she said.

Runners had the option to begin running at 7:15 a.m. when it was cooler, but only the runners who started at 8 a.m. were eligible to compete for titles.

Regina Curry was the second woman to finish, and seventh runner overall, in 1:30:40. Kellie Nickerson crossed third, and eighth overall, in 1:32:54.74. Shannon Maloney finished fourth in 1:39:05, followed by Alissa Waugh (1:39:39) and Willow Lott (1:40:05).

Katy Decker was one of the runners who started at 7:15, and was the first runner to cross the finish line on Saturday, though her final time of 1:55:05 had her placing 43rd.

She said she injured her knee almost exactly one year ago, but she trains at the Durango Sports Club and won a raffle from the club for entry into the race.

“It was a good excuse to push myself to get back to high mileage,” Decker said, adding that she should have trained more on hills. “The first 10 miles weren’t bad, but going up the hill on the 11th was hard. I cut it back a bit, but tried to keep pace.”

Her goal was to finish in under 2½ hours, and she accomplished that handily without pain.

And the runners seemed to enjoy the course, which was flat for Durango standards and had some shade for the runners.

“It’s so beautiful,” Salzano said. “I can’t wait to do it again.”

“It’s so fun to see everyone out here,” Bodewes said. “I’m just stoked on the whole thing. I encourage everyone in the running community to come out and do this race. It’s nice to mix it up and do a flat race.”

Top 10 men

1. Will Bodewes 1:18:26

2. Kyle Curtain 1:19:46

3. Jared Wolf 1:23:45

4. David Wilcox 1:26:29

5. David Carta 1:27:41

6. Chris Braun 1:34:42

7. Eric Lew 1:37:44

8. Lee Rosenthal 1:38:19

9. Riley Searle 1:40:20

10. Michael Ellis 1:40:32

Top 10 women

1. Makiah Salzano 1:28:10

2. Regina Curry 1:30:43

3. Kellie Nickerson 1:32:54

4. Shannon Maloney 1:39:05

5. Alissa Waugh 1:39:39

6. Willow Lott 1:40:05

7. Nicole Clark 1:41:58

8. Hanna Carta 1:47:38

9. Aubrey Farnham 1:47:46

10. LaShaye Clemens 1:48:15

Complete results at https://bit.ly/3O9oX9j

Runners in the Steamworks Half Marathon make their way down East Animas Road (County Road 250) on Saturday morning north of Durango. (Jerry McBride/Durango Herald)
Runners in the Steamworks Half Marathon make their way down East Animas Road (County Road 250) on Saturday morning north of Durango. (Jerry McBride/Durango Herald)
Runners in the Steamworks Half Marathon make their way down East Animas Road (County Road 250) on Saturday morning north of Durango. Jerry McBride/Durango Herald
Will Bodewes crosses the finish first to win the Steamworks Half Marathon on Saturday. (Cody Olivas/Durango Herald)