For the first time in history, a wildfire burning nearly 150 miles away canceled a trail race in Frisco.
Run the Rockies half-marathon on Aug. 9 was shortened to 10 kilometers when race directors awoke to thick, soupy haze. Summit County smelled like a campfire. Runners could hardly see Buffalo Mountain from the Frisco Peninsula, which is local shorthand for possibly dangerous air quality.
Smoke that morning came from the Lee Fire near Meeker. It has since burned more than 113,000 acres and become the fifth-largest wildfire in state history.
But when the temperature started climbing, so did the haze, and half-marathoners from across the globe were happy to simply run. Two competitors came from Japan. Dozens more came from the East Coast and Midwest.
One runner, from Wisconsin, told Krystal 93 he was going the full distance – unofficially. Run the Rockies was a last-minute addition to his race calendar. He and his sister were originally signed up for the Smelter City Scamper Half-Marathon for the same day in Anaconda, Montana, when it was canceled for a shooting that left four people dead at a nearby bar. The suspect has since been caught following a prolonged manhunt in the neighboring woods.
This year in Frisco was also the debut of Run the Rockies Trail 5K. Visiting runners dominated the 5k. Hometown men swept the 10k.
Top results for all three races below, although the 10kH (half-marathon) results come with a caveat. Some racers took a wrong turn and ran up to nine miles before reaching the finish line.
Run the Rockies 5K
Men
- Tuscan Glass, Fort Collins… 22:15
- Jichael Lyron, Cedar Rapids… 24:31
- Daniel Larrea, Denver… 25:25
Women
- Melanie McAuley, Breck… 27:57
- Marcie Glass, Fort Collins… 28:00
- Chauncenia Carroll, Colorado Springs… 28>35
Run the Rockies 10K
Men
- Michael Hagan, Breck… 53:10
- Sam Cerner, Frisco… 54:42
- Mark Thomas, Breck… 56:38
Women
- Milla Phaf, Breck… 54:20
- Jessica Bela, Grand Junction… 1:00:42
- Brittany Marandola, Castle Rock… 1:00:54
Run the Rockies 10KH (half-marathon replacement)
Men
- Franklin Reilly, Edwards… 1:01:55
- Jared Burris, Breck… 1:03:24
- Cael Cunningham, Keystone… 1:08:07
Women
- Brooke Steinkopf, Breck… 1:13:00
- Lorna Campbell, Frisco… 1:13:06
- Cibelle Hernandez, Vail… 1:16:31