ZOOMA Colorado runners were happy to se the finish line for more reason than one: check out that view!
Not surprisingly, given a July 17 race date in Colorado Springs, a dazzlingly sunny morning greeted racers lined up at the Hilton Antlers for the start of the third annual ZOOMA Colorado Half Marathon and 10K. The 10K racers set off at 7:00 a.m., followed five minutes later by the racers covering 13.1 miles. A field of 650 racers meant plenty of elbow room for runners and walkers to find their own rhythm. “It was nice having a smaller size race,” said Anna Fensler, a 34-year-old competitor from Denver. “I didn’t feel like I had to jockey for space.”
The new course, which was applauded and appreciated by all racers, was fairly flat for being in mountainous Colorado Springs; there was one long climb that kicked off with a steep hill–and slowed some runners down to a walk–but no one seemed to be complaining. “It was easier than I thought it would be,” laughed Carolina Bourque, 34, who was running her first 10K at ZOOMA. “I expected more hills than I encountered. I felt good the whole way.”
Sweeping views of majestic Pikes Peak provided visual, if not muscular, relief, and a fair bit of shade along the course helped manage the heat. “This was one of the most pretty courses I’ve ever done,” said Teri Farrell, 37, from Lovelands, Colo., who has run six previous half marathons and just ran her first full marathon two months ago.
Racers appreciated that the course covered a variety of terrain, from pavement to packed dirt to a gravelly path. “The course was so beautiful,” said Karen Kantor, 40, the top Masters runner in the half marathon who finished fourth overall in a time of 1:36:37. “It was great because it was never the same thing. The varied terrain salvaged my legs.”
As with many racers, the 2011 ZOOMA was Kantor’s first-ever all-women’s race. She liked “having no crazy testosterone issues” out on the course. Kantor and some of the front-runners even “talked and pushed each other,” especially up the long hill on the course. “Having that accountability kept me from walking,” Kantor said.
Hanging with Doc Andy Baldwin at the expo.
As with all ZOOMA races, however, there were a few XY-runners on the course, most notably Andy Baldwin, 34, from San Diego. Dr. Baldwin, the season 10 star of the ABC show, “The Bachelor: An Officer and a Gentleman,” ran the race to raise awareness for the charity he founded called Got Your Back Network (GYBN). GYBN was the primary charity of the ZOOMA race, and the organization brought in Major Lisa Doring, a widow whose husband was killed in the line of duty while serving in Afghanistan. Dr. Baldwin, a veteran of numerous Ironman triathlons, found the race, “beautiful but very humbling.” The nearly 7,000’ altitude was tough for this sea-level resident from southern California to battle. Dr. Baldwin ran a respectable half-marathon, thanks in part to “the positive energy of all the ZOOMA runners,” but he would, “like to do some training at altitude and come back and redeem” himself.
Perhaps the person who had the most unique perspective on the race was 10K finisher Elizabeth Cadol, 44, of Highlands Ranch, Colo. For the second year in a row, the race was on her birthday. “I love this race—it’s absolutely gorgeous. It’s so nice of ZOOMA to have a hell of a birthday party for me. It’s so nice to start the day with a race, then drink [Barefoot Wine] champagne and hang out with great women—some of my favorite things to do.”
