Photo courtesy Stewart Bellina
If you think 7:30 a.m. is too early to get 35 youths under the age of 10 up and at the start line of a fun run, you are mistaken. Shiny, smiling faces toed the line together, their race bibs pinned to their chests for the Sept. 27 Mountain Chile Cha Cha course.
By Kirsten Le Roux
Special to The SUN
If you thought 7:30 a.m. was too early to get 35 youths under the age of 10 up and at the start line of a fun run, you were wrong.
Shiny, smiling faces toed the line together, their race bibs pinned to their chests and the sun seemed to rise a little earlier and a little brighter because of it, the start of a gorgeous fall day in Pagosa Springs.
At 8:30 a.m. the trail runners waited for the gun to send them up, up, up the switchbacks of Reservoir Hill — always a tough start to any run. With the changing leaves, the warm Fall weather and the welcome downhill to get to the finish, everyone agreed it was an invigorating experience (while also wishing they had trained more on hilly terrain).
Bragging rights go to GECKO’s first graduating class of the Beginner’s Running Clinic, who tested themselves on the Cha Cha course after 10 weeks of training. Of the 12 participants at the Cha Cha, a whopping eight took podium positions in their age groups, a testament to their hard work and commitment.
The Mountain Chile Cha Cha is a race that many people return to year after year. The runners agree that it’s the unique Cha Cha vibe that brings them back: the challenging course that forces down the intensity and lets you enjoy the views, the exclusive trails at the back of Reservoir Hill that keep things interesting, and the celebration and camaraderie at the finish line, where a festival waits. Mostly runners explain that what they love about the Cha Cha trail run, is that it doesn’t take itself too seriously.
Deja Chappell, GECKO’s first out-of-state scholarship recipient, was at the Cha Cha having a firsthand look at a GECKO event. Her observations were: “Pagosa has fun, doesn’t it? Everyone smiled when they ran past me (Deja was a race marshal). While we were watching the band, it started raining and they just danced in the rain.”
The race was held Sept. 27.
Race results
Female:
• 5k — Tamsin Rohrich, Pagosa Springs, 27:29.
• 10k — Lauren Mccullough, Sante Fe, 1:02:23.
• 13m — Whitney Barrett, Denver, 1:35:57.
Male
• 5k — Cade Cowan, Denver, 21:05.
• 10k — Leo Vicenti, Dulce, N.M., 45:36.
• 13m — JD Kurz, Pagosa Springs, 1:28:28.