Holder, Panzer take ADT marathon runs to the extreme
- Details
- Created on Monday, 06 September 2010 22:36
- Written by Kevin Carmody
By KEVIN CARMODY, THE GAZETTE
Yolanda Holder sat on a grounded Southwest Airlines flight at Los Angeles International Airport late Sunday, growing more concerned by the minute as the disabled plane required attention from fire and police departments.
Her concern had nothing to do with losing her life, but possibly losing a chance to fulfill her life’s mission: finish 101 marathons in one year to set the Guinness Book of World Records achievement in that category.
Check out a photo gallery of the race!
Arriving in Denver three hours late and getting just one hour of sleep before a 4 a.m. wakeup call, Holder answered that call Monday to start race No. 77 of the year, the American Discovery Trail Marathon, which started in Palmer Lake and ended 26.2 miles later at America the Beautiful Park in downtown Colorado Springs.
“I’ll definitely be back,” said Holder, 52, a Corona, Calif., housewife and race walker who completed the marathon in 6 hours, 15 minutes – or 15 minutes ahead of the required time to count the race in her annual quest. “This was a great trail, was very organized and had very nice people. I did 77 marathons last year, which is where I am now. I just figured I go for the world record this year.”
Colorado Springs runner Alex Nichols, 25, crossed the finish line first, doing so in an event-record 2:30:32. Michele Suszek of Longmont was the top female contestant with a course-record-time of 2:57:04.
Pair of Springs residents claim half marathon titles.
Holder on Monday completed her fourth marathon this weekend after a starting in Pocatello, Idaho, on Saturday, then flying to Phoenix later that day to run in Buckeye, Ariz., before an event in Long Beach, Calif., on Sunday.
While the two-time Marathon Maniac of the Year steamrolls toward the annual record, she has nothing on New York native and Denver resident Keith Panzer. The 51-year-old consultant completed his 249th marathon Monday, doing so in a Boston Marathon-qualifying time of 3:32.02.
“The body just gets used to it,” said Panzer, a fellow Marathon Maniac, a Seattle-based club that only allows athletes who finish three marathons in a 90-day period. “I’ll run in one every week, or maybe every other week. I got hooked. Perhaps I’m a little obsessive compulsive, and you have to enjoy it to get in this deep.”
Panzer, a 19-time Boston Marathon contestant who has completed marathons in all 50 states, still has one more notable race left on his to-do list.
“I want to do Leadville (100 miles) next year,” Panzer said. “I did 60 of the 100 but never finished. I had knee surgery two years ago, and since then, I feel even better.”
Panzer had just one warning for those who might get hooked on extreme running.
“Don’t let anyone tell you that running is a cheap sport,” Panzer said. “After I completed a marathon in all 50 states, I got a little plaque. With all the travel and expenses that went into that, I figured that plaque cost me $30,000.”
Weather
Current Contests
