Macias, Olaru claim titles in Garden of the Gods 10-miler
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- Created on Sunday, 12 June 2011 16:09
- Written by Nathan
By EMILY BAYCI, THE GAZETTE
Many fans could tell immediately that Mario Macias was going to win the Garden of the Gods 10-Mile Run. The No. 1 bib plastered across his shirt suited Macias as the 30-year-old took the lead from the start. Macias was never challenged Sunday during the trek up and down hills and across paved roads and cement sidewalks.
For second-place finisher Brandon Birdsong of Alamosa, it was about halfway through the race when he knew Macias, also from Alamosa, had the win.
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“I was ready to surrender at five miles,” Birdsong said. “I was like ‘I know I can’t catch him,’ so I hung back so I wouldn’t blow up.
“I was committed to getting second then.”
Macias was never sure how far ahead he was, gauging his lead by the amount of time between cheers.
“It was kind of tough running alone for so long,” said Macias, whose time of 51 minutes, 55 seconds was more than three minutes ahead of Birdsong. “It got a lot better between miles six and eight when people were running in the opposite direction and cheering me on.”
The win was a long time coming for Macias, who has placed higher every year during the three races he’s participated in, taking fourth in 2009 and second in 2010.
“I’m pretty satisfied with how I did today,” said Macias, although he finished 54 seconds slower than last year. “I went out a little bit faster than usual and paid for it in the second mile.”
He said conditions were great for running but felt for the runners coming in later, as the sun rose higher.
With weather in the mid-50s, there were minimal incidents although women's winner, Nuta Olaru, 40, from Longmont, was in sight of the course record when she almost fell during the last mile.
Olaru said the course was challenging with the multiple hills. The elevation ranged from 6,170 to 6,550 feet.
“It’s a good time,” said Olaru who clocked in at 1:01:40. “I like the course, I like the hills, but the downhills not so much. I looked for the record, but just had one bad step.”
Many runners were from the Colorado Springs area for the first leg of the Triple Crown Running Series; the next being the Summer Roundup Trail Run 12K on July 10.
Men's results ... women's results
The top area finishers were Christie Foster, fourth in 1:06.08, and Peter Maksimow, third in 57:04.
“It’s a community event and it’s just fun to be a part of it,” said 26-year-old Rachel Moline from Colorado Springs.
Moline, running for her second straight year, thought the course was tough but enjoyed looking at all the different high school aid stations. Each station had a different theme, ranging from loud music to togas to bikinis.
Tom Berg, one of the founders of the race, served as announcer. He apologized to the runners before they began.
“Any pain you feel during this race, you can blame me,” Berg said.
A longtime runner, Berg tried to lighten the mood by telling runners what the best paces are.
“If you black out after five minutes you’re probably running too fast and if a workman from the city comes and paints a stripe on you then you’re probably running too slow,” Berg said.
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