From the starting line at Bakers Bridge to the pool party at the Durango Sports Club, Saturday’s Durango Steamworks Half Marathon was a hit once again.
Competitors gathered near the 13.1-mile point-to-point course start line at Baker’s Bridge shortly after sunrise and ran down County Road 250 to the finish at the Durango Sports Club on Florida Road. Durango resident Kyle Curtin was the first to cross the finish line with a winning time of 1:18.04. Tuscon’s Amy Cole won the women’s race with a time of 1:27.45 and finished fifth overall.
“I thought winning the race meant I was going to win a case of Steamworks’ beer,” Curtin joked. “It was kind of rough to wake up that early on a Saturday morning. My buddy Matt Sheldon said he could run 1:16 here so I really wanted to crush his soul. I ran 1:18 so there’s a glimmer still left for Matt.”
It was Curtin’s first Steamworks Half Marathon and he’s hoping to be back for another. The fact that the 30-year-old came to Durango just two years ago from Columbus, Ohio makes the win even more impressive.
“Hey, I’m a flatlander, but I love this town,” he said. “There might be some places with better mountain running or better places for kayaking but when you put it all together, Durango is top notch. The outdoors community and the people here are great. I’m going to go celebrate with them right now.”
Cole expressed similar sentiment for the strong running community in Durango, and found the elevation to be a great challenge.
“I loved the race but it was very hard coming from Tuscon with the elevation here,” Cole said. “My husband and I have been here in Durango for about a week and we’re staying for the summer. We love it here. I really liked the start at Bakers Bridge. It’s just such a beautiful place to run.”
Cole’s husband, Jesse Vondracek, finished second overall behind Curtin with a time of 1:20.36 and capped off a special day for the household. Sheldon, with his soul still in tact, finished third in 1:23.47.
Albuquerque’s Kellie Nickerson took second in the women’s group and ninth overall crossing in 1:31.07. Durango’s Katarina Marks’ 1:32.42 time was good for third place in the women’s standings and 11th overall.
The results were also divided up in age groups. Durangoan Leland Kohere won the men’s 18-29 group; Curtin was the 30-39 champion; Jay Johnson won the men’s 40-49 group; Eric Wolecki won the 50-59 group; Allan Due won the 60-69 group and 75-year-old Durangoan Dave Bailey won the 70-and-over group.
In the women’s groups, Marks won the 19-29 title and Cole won the 30-39 group as well as the overall competition. Durango’s Skyler Burton won the 40-49 group; Ilana Stern was the 50-59 winner; Linda Zambelli won the 60-69 group and Vana Hart Sutton took the women’s 70-and-over win.
When runners finished cheering on their fellow competitors at the finish line, they were treated to a pool party at the Durango Sports Club and complimentary beer and lunch from Steamworks.
“When we have a race in this community, and it’s just like a big party,” Race Director Matthew Krichman said. “We could not do this race without Steamworks Brewing and Durango Sports Club and we’re so lucky to have them. With lots of races, you want to think next year’s going to be even better, but I can’t do that with this race. It has been a great race for almost 20 years and all I can promise is that we’re going to keep it the same forever because the runners love it so much.”
jfries@durangoherald.com
