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2008 Chatfield Five And Dime
Well my friends it was cold this morning. But not cold enough to stop a pretty good size crowd from rockin’ the trails at Chatfield State Park. Organized by the Colorado Masters Running Association, the Five and Dime consisted of a 5 mile and 10 mile trail run.
This was my very first trail run and it was awesome. As far as the level of fun had while running a race goes, this is way at the top of my list. The course started on a dirt road that wound through a field and turned into single track about 2 miles in. I was super nervous about rolling an ankle at first, and though the trails got pretty narrow, they stayed relatively smooth for the first 6 miles so I had a good chance to get comfortable with the course and my pace. This particular section (from about mile 2 to mile 6-ish) was so much fun to race on… and not just because nobody can pass you due to the narrowness of the track (hahaha to everyone stuck behind me)! It moved quickly through a lightly wooded area and had several turns and small but worthy hills to keep the legs limber and the mind active. After mile 6, the course took runners out into a field where the path itself was quite a bit rougher and involved some longer hills (including some sketchy and steep down hill sections) but did offer more visibility, and of course the prospect of the finish line.
So, the race itself was amazing. Getting to the race was… questionable. The CMRA website is a bit rudimentry and doesn’t include contact or registration information. It was only after I talked to a few people who had done CMRA events that I realized one can just show up to the race and pay. The only other thing that bothered me was that the location was listed as “Chatfield” and it took a conversation with a less than pleasant park ranger to find out where exactly in “Chatfield” the race was.
While I did hear a few people mention that course wasn’t marked well, I didn’t have any real problems finding my way around and felt pretty confident the whole time. In fact, I have to say I was impressed with how smoothly things went along once underway. And hey, for only $10, one can’t really complain.
Despite a few very minor glitches with actually getting myself to the race (old-school website, no contact info, etc), I think the Five and Dime was pretty well organized and the only thing missing was a t-shirt to commemorate the event (though, with that kind of price tag, I can probably make my own).
This is by far my favorite race this year - fun course, small race, laid-back atmosphere, cheap, good competition if you’re into that and plenty of folks just out for a good run - and gets my very selective and awesome stamp of awesomeness.
Lindsay Brown Benefit Triathlon - Racing Colorado Review
Photo from The Good News Blog
Not an official review, but I managed some info on this first triathlon at USAFA. With over 130 finishers, there was a good turnout for an innaugural, late Colorado triathlon season race. This sprint triathlon (swim 750 meters, Bike 14.69 miles, Run 3.1 miles) offered an indoor serpentine swim, a challenging course, and of course the beauty of the Air Force Acadamy campus.
Celeste of The Good News Blog posted about the race and her performance. She references a difficult course “… I think they made it a point to make this a very challenging course… and they put a killer hill in the 5K, oh yeah, and they made you run on soft trails, I felt like I was running in quicksand.”
The inspiration for the event was provided by Lindsay Brown, a Cadet and intercollegiate swimmer who was killed in an auto accident. Just prior to her death she had written a note: “It’s time to get out of my seat and get going!“
Hop, Skip, & a Jump Start Race Review
This review of the recent Hop, Skip, & a Jump Start 5K in Denver was sent in by Sheri, who won the two race entries we awarded.
My 16 year old daughter and I ran the race. We had a blast! Loved all the Mom’s & Dad’s and the strollers! It was great fun! Kelsey and I felt a bit old!! HA It was a wee bit disorganized at registration. There were a lot of last minute people that of course all showed up at the same time. This delayed the start a bit. But overall it was very good!!!
After we completed the race there was lots of free food and drink! We didn’t stay for the family events. It was heavily geared for small children but it looked like fun! Maybe someday I will have grandchildren I can run with and then stay and play! J
Thanks for allowing me to participate! It was fun!
Classic Colorado Running - Colorado Relay
From Colorado Relay
This weekend is the Colorado Relay, one of the classic running events in the state. It’s a great run through the Rockies with your closest running buddies. From Georgetown to Carbondale, you get to take turns running your assigned legs and encourage your team between them. Check out the main site here. Bones Blog also posts about the experiences and preparation of a NM team coming in for the race.
It’s likely too late to join, although events like this are often looking for last-minute relplacement runners.
