Little training goes a long way for American Discovery Trail Marathon winner
While Heather McWhirter was simply out for a training run, Dan Goding didn't know if he'd be able to compete.
After all, running 26.2 miles seemed a bit far-fetched since Goding couldn't even bend over to tie his shoes.
But it was Goding that won Monday's American Discovery Trail Marathon, finishing in 2 hours, 52 minutes, 33 seconds at America the Beautiful Park ahead of 289 other runners.
"I had no intention of winning," Goding said. "My lower back has been real sore. It was stiff and sore this morning, but it loosens up when I run and I can go all day."
The problem for Goding, 32, a Loveland resident and graduate student in elementary education at Northern Colorado, is that he hadn't run more than 15 miles in a training session.
"I was going to go as hard as I could without running out of gas," he said. "I've won two other races - one had two people at the finish line and the other had 10 - so they weren't nearly as big as this.
"It's an unbelievable, amazing feeling. I'm proud and surprised."
McWhirter, a Colorado Springs resident for four years and a former runner for the University of Montana, hopes to set a personal best next month at a marathon in St. George, Utah. Her best is 3:07 in the New York City Marathon.
She finished fifth in 3:08:03 as three women were among the top nine.
"Sometimes when you aren't running for time and take the pressure off, you actually run better," said McWhirter, a student at the Colorado Institute of Massage Therapy.
McWhirter often trains with her husband and two Labrador retrievers running alongside.
"He's a recreational runner, so he drops out after a while," McWhirter said. "So do the dogs and then I'm by myself."
Goding, who competed in the 2006 triathlon in Kona, Hawaii, won $250 for finishing first Monday.
"That'll buy me some books for school," he said. "Well, one book, anyway."
Runner-up was Gerald Romero (2:55:00), followed by Chris Repka (2:57:50), Eric Bindner (3:02:18), McWhirter, David Christen (3:09:19), Connilee Walter (3:11:38), Clark Sundahl (3:12:00), Elizabeth Watkins (3:18:37) and Duane Roberson (3:19:31).
The half-marathon attracted 512 runners, while 194 ran the 5k. Colorado Springs resident LeRoy Popowski, 33, last year's marathon champion, won the half-marathon in 1:19:23. Ashlee Nelson, 27, of Colorado Springs, was the first female finisher in 1:28:11.
