Runners in this region – and many more from distant locales throughout the state– will be converging on Pueblo on Sunday morning for one last long-distance test for 2002.
The lure will be 16th annual Rock Canyon Half-Marathon that will have a field of approximately 200 runners when the starting gun goes off at 9 a.m. in Pueblo’s City Park. The bulk of the course is on the Pueblo River Trail system.
Runners from cities as far away as Fort Collins, Creede and Coaldale were registered by Thursday evening, and the coolish temperatures in the 20s and 30s that are forecast today – while not ideal for walking to your local Loaf ‘n Jug for a Krispy Kreme doughnut – could be a runner’s paradise if the snowfall stays at a minimum.
The field will include at least a couple of past champions who honed their running talent in Pueblo before moving on to larger cities. They are Steve Cathcart, who now lives in Fort Collins, and Paul Koch, who has excelled for years from his home base in Colorado Springs. Both ran at Pueblo County High School.
On the other end of the spectrum – in terms of finishing times but not in terms of running spirit – will be the half-dozen over-70 runners who are entered. They include Gerald Puls, who will be on his home turf again after a summer spent traveling to several states to compete in his preferred mode of competition -- the triathlon. Not among the over-70 contingent, however, is Puebloan John Holiman, who is injured.
The race will also give the Southern Colorado Runners an opportunity to test the “Race Director” software program that they are planning to use for the 2003 Spring Runoff scheduled for March 2. The SCR will produce the race, and local high school math teacher Dave Diaz is the race director for his 10th year.
Late registration will take place from 8 to 8:45 a.m. at the City Park Pavilion.
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