Horse tooth Half Marathon #43-snow no problem

The 43^rd running of the Horsetooth Half Marathon took place today, Sunday, April 17. The blanket of snow that greeted 1,370 runners when they woke up this morning seemed to matter not at all by the time the race got underway. The snow was slushy springtime stuff and with a little help from city snowplows, had completely disappeared from the roads by race time.

It was a chilly wait for the starting gun to go off, but once on the move, I’m certain that no one was cold. The hills appear quickly and they are guaranteed to warm you up. The snow was no longer falling and the wind nearly non-existent.

I was pretty excited to be running in my first half since this time last year. For several months this winter, I wondered if I’d ever be able to do that distance again. I found out today that I could. I also found out that I’m a good bit slower. I will soon move into a new age group, and it is appearing that I am ready to do that!

Today would have been the day for my daughter, Jeni to beat me bad, but that warm  bed was just too tough to get out of to the face the iffy weather. I had made a plan to run with Daniel, a good friend and long-ago neighbor, and I think we were both determined to keep that commitment.  I never saw him after the start and he finished well ahead of me.

Nick Clark, owner of Gnar Runners, directed the race for the first time this year. Over the past couple of days, with really bad weather threatening, he’s been on my mind. He did a fantastic job of keeping everyone informed about possible changes to the course and time frame and arranging for parking at a nearby drive-in movie when the CSU parking lot was deemed not useable.

People all along the way offered all kinds of noisy encouragement, and that really helps. Fort Collins is a welcoming community to all runners. And with a spectacular course through the foothills and then onto a wide bike path leading to a finish line and gala celebration in town, how can you beat it?

I’d like to offer a big thank you to you to everyone who bellied up to the weather challenge and made the 43^rd running of this very special Fort Collins trademark race as wonderful as ever.