First off, you have to be a jaded moron...or perhaps just a moron to bash Boulder. It does a lot for runners, and sure a lot of people come here to train, and don\'t meet their own expectations, much less the expectations of some computer geek in the midwest who loves large women and corn...but it\'s a supportive community for runners, elite and sub-elite.
And ladies and gentleman...the money for our sport, while it will never compare to Nascar or even professional beach volleyball (Anybody see the AVP Boulder Open?)--THE MONEY comes from the sub-elite-recreational-triathlete-Nordstrom-shopping runner anyway. So if Boulder attracts those too, so be it. The sport needs them.
Why bash the 15 minute 5K runner...how many of those are in your town? Honestly? I\'m betting a hand full at most, and probably less than that. More than likely, you are alpha-male of your respective local 5K, and the year the course was short ran about 16:17, not that this ever comes up when you mention your P.R...but as soon as Papa John\'s turns out short, you spend approximately 17 hours on your computer, posting, refreshing, and breathing fire at the true lack of talent that Dan Browne would have if he ever truly ran a \"legitimate\" 10-miler, etc. etc.
So here\'s the short list...an easy one compiled from this years XC in Vancouver. It\'s basically just Colorado men and women. But if you look even deeper you could pick out a lot of other altitude-benefited runners who might train in a little place called Mammoth, or perhaps you can make the connection between the BYU women in Provo...and think to yourself...\'hmmm...they did pretty good too.\'
You might also find a lot of \"flatlanders\"...guys who won\'t come near altitude...and have success all the same. But you know what...these men/women, guys like Tim Broe, guys who get written off like Goucher, are going to show up in Boulder in Feburary, 2007, and they aren\'t going to whine. They\'re going to race. They\'ll leave the whining to guys like \"OVER-RATED.\"...which is awesome.
Kudos to Julian for being psyched. I am too.
Men\'s 12K
1 Dathan Ritzenhein, 22, Boulder, CO 36:59.9 Nike
2 Jorge Torres, 24, Boulder, CO 37:14.2 Reebok
16 Justin Young, 25, Boulder, CO 38:45.6 Nike
17 Austin Vigil, 23, Ft Collins, CO 38:47.4
37 Mark Stenbeck, 26, Littleton, CO 40:06.4
39 William Michel, 24, Ft. Collins, CO 40:09.8
45 Ryan Kirkpatrick, 26, Boulder, CO 40:46.0 U.S. Army
52 Chris Siemers, 24, Chicago, IL 41:04.7 UniversalSole-Reebok
54 Scott Goff, 28, Boulder, CO 41:19.5 U.S. Army
Women\'s 4K
2 Shayne Culpepper, 31, Lafayette, CO 13:27.0 Nike
18 Carrie Messner, 27, Carbondale, CO 14:27.0 Asics
Junior Men\'s 8K
7 Bradley Harkrader, 18, Boulder, CO 25:46.6 Univ of Colorado
11 Christopher Pannone, 18, Boulder, CO 26:07.8 Univ of Colorado
38 Darin Hasley, 16, Boulder, CO 28:06.5
42 Karch Hickman, 18, Longmont, CO 28:15.5
Women\'s 8K
1 Colleen De Reuck, 40, Boulder, CO 27:24.0 Nike
7 Renee Metivier, 23, Boulder, CO 28:32.0 Univ of Colorado
19 Jeanne Hennessy, 27, Boulder, CO 29:58.3 Nike
24 Molly Austin, 25, Boulder, CO 30:25.7 Nike
27 AnnMarie Brooks-Schwabe, 26, Fort Carson, CO 30:39.2
29 Colleen Stroud, 31, Denver, CO 30:42.0 Boulder Road Runners
31 Catherine Guiney, 24, Boulder, CO 30:51.0 Running RepublicBldr
34 Michelle Kelly, 26, Ft. Curson, CO 31:02.2 U.S. Army
Men\'s 4K
5 Jorge Torres, 24, Boulder, CO 11:44.1 Reebok
16 Sandu Rebencivc, 35, Lafayette, CO 12:11.9 U.S. Army
32 Steve Slattery, 24, Boulder, CO 12:26.6 Nike
40 Mohamud Ige, 16, Littleton, CO 12:41.8 Team XC
48 Aden Ahmed, 17, Littleton, CO 12:52.8 Team XC
** 2 Adam Goucher, 29, Portland, OR 11:39.1 Nike (Recent Transplant)**
Junior Women\'s
1 Elizabeth Pasciuto, 18, Boulder, CO 21:50.1 Univ of Colorado