Trail Runners Kick Off The Telegraph Trail 50k (Durango Journal)

Trail runners kick off double

October 9, 2005
By Gregory Moore, Herald Sports Writer

For most, running just the first leg of the Durango Double on Saturday was plenty.

(Karen Scott of Florissant, the winner of the women’s Telegraph Trail 50K, celebrates with daughter Madison Lambros, 7, at the finish line near the Durango Community Recreation Center on Saturday. She finished the 50K in 4:47:13. Madison also is the daughter of Stan Lambros; photo courtesy of Yodit Gidey, Durango Herald)

For some, competing in the Telegraph Trail 50K or the Horse Gulch 25K on Saturday was just the tune-up for today's Durango (half or whole) Marathon.

But for all, Saturday was a great day for a trail run.

"It was a perfect day, and what a great course," said 25K overall winner Scott Drum, 35, of Gunnison. Drum hammered the course in 1 hour and 48 minutes, and was actually surprised to find himself alone at the finish line.

"I didn't expect that, really. I thought there'd be some more local runners out in front of me."

The next two finishers were local. Durango Herald news editor Dave Buck finished second (1:53:21), and Durango High School grad Daniel Crane - who now competes as part of the Colorado State triathlon team in Fort Collins - was third (1:53:53).

Crane is back in town with four other members of his CSU team, and as of Saturday morning was contemplating adding Sunday's half marathon to his schedule before heading back to school.

"I don't know," he said after Saturday's race. "Right now I think that idea might be downright dumb, but I'll see what my legs feel like later."

Fort Lewis College student Meredith Donner was the first woman to cross the line with 2:07:24 on the clock.

"I'm usually just riding my bike when I'm up on Telegraph Trail," Donner said with a big finish-line smile. "But it was great up there (Saturday), and I was cruising."

In second place for the women was Jennah Keidel of Fort Collins (2:13:34), one of Crane's companions, and another front-range runner, Laurie Zuehlsdorff of Longmont, was third (2:16:24).

The first 50K finishers rolled in to the finish at the Durango Community Recreation Center after the 25K group had finished with its award presentation.

(Men’s 50K winner Brian Scott of Lakewood checks his time after stepping across the finish line Saturday. His time was 4:19:13; photo courtesy of Yodit Gidey, Durango Herald)

Brian Scott, a recent arrival to Lakewood, finished the 31-mile race in 4:19:33, an impressive time in his first ultra-distance run ever.

"I've done a few Ironman triathlons," Scott said as he relaxed in the finish area. "On the way back down I wasn't really sure how I was doing so I just put my head down and went for it. This is such a gorgeous day that I think it took my mind off the run."

Karen Scott, 37, of Florrisant (no relation to Brian) was greeted by her family as she crossed the line first in the women's 50K in 4:47:13. An experienced ultrarunner, Scott was a member of the U.S. 100K team that finished first at the world 100K championships in Lake Saroma, Japan, in June.

Her Durango run was much better than her difficult experience in Japan, Scott said. "But it was still an honor to qualify for that team," she added.

While a few of the less experienced trail runners wandered off course in the Horse Gulch area, and a few more sported some road rash on elbows and knees from slips and falls on the rocky areas of the course, it was hard to find a finisher of the 25K run who was not ready to laugh about the experience afterward.

"Between all the wrong turns, the turning around and the running the other direction, I think I just did a 30K," said one finisher, who declined to give her name.

Carol Cain, 70, the senior member of a group of five friends from Houston who are taking on not just the 25K but today's half marathon as well, said it was frustrating to lose track of the course, but hard to get too upset about it on such a beautiful day.

"I'll be right back out (today) after a massage to get my hip working again," she said.

And all the adventures weren't confined to the novices.

Durango runner Stephen Parziale, an experienced and formidable ultrarunner, was back at his car in the rec center parking lot dropping off some extra clothing when he heard the start of the race.

"I was dead last going through the start," he said, "and when we got to the bridge, everybody was slowed down to a walk.

"I remember thinking, 'This is not good.'"

But for Parziale, all's well that ends well. He passed virtually the entire 50K field to finish second overall to Brian Scott.

Saturday's sunshine, crisp temperatures and fall colors didn't just impress the out-of-towners. Locals Amy and Rob Milofsky, one of several husband and wife combinations in the 25K, both agreed that the autumn scenery added to the trail-running experience.

"This is such a beautiful course this time of the year, and the trails were in great shape," said Rob, who resides near the race course in Sky Ridge.

"This is just a backyard run for me. I love it."

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