As Angie Leonhard turned left from Gerwont Lane onto North Coulson Street in Fruita for the Rim Rock Run on Friday, she was greeted with scattered applause.
Then, spectators realized that she was ahead of the pack for women running the full, 26.2 mile course.
The crowd erupted into cheers, with race timers and organizers passing information through the crowd about the women’s eventual winner.
“Here she is, the first full marathon woman!” one man yelled.
Leonhard — backdropped by a canopy of yellow trees, falling leaves and runners in her dust — ran alongside her 4-year-old and 7-year-old sons, who joined her from the sidelines for the final stretch and crossed the line at 3 hours, 45 minutes and 4 seconds.
Finishing first among women in her first time challenging the Rim Rock Run was momentous, even more so because she had no idea if she was even going to be able to run.
“Last spring, I hurt my foot. Just when that started healing up, I began training for this about four months ago and hurt my back,” Leonhard said, with her sons clutching her legs. “So I had to stop training for a while and do some physical therapy. I wasn’t sure if I’d be here but I’ve felt great for the last few weeks.”
Leonhard was one of 422 registered racers for the 25th annual Rim Rock Run on Saturday. It was organized by the Greater Grand Junction Sports Commission, and bolstered by a slew of local partnerships with entities such as the city of Fruita.
NEW LOOK, SAME RACE
The race, in its first year back since the COVID-19 pandemic, had a new look this time around.
Runners began in the Colorado National Monument — full marathon runners at the east entrance in the Devil’s Kitchen parking area at 7:30 a.m., and half-marathon runners at the Saddlehorn picnic area at 8:30 a.m. The course took them through the scenic national park and James Robb State Park before ending at the Fruita Community Center, at 324 N. Coulson St.
Half marathon runners looped around the Saddlehorn area before making their way down Rim Rock Drive and eventually meeting up with the marathon runners.
“When I started this job last year, I looked at the course and noticed it typically went over Interstate 70 and followed Highway 340 into downtown Fruita and finished at Circle Park,” Ben Snyder, executive director of the Sports Commission said. “My major concern with that was athlete safety with the number of roundabouts there and the amount of traffic we have. James Robb Park was great to work with and Fruita did a great job identifying a trail system we could use.”
The scenic views on the new route were lauded by organizers and runners.
Max Robinson was the top finisher for men in the full marathon, completing the course in 2:48:08.
This is the third time Robinson has competed in the Rim Rock Run and the third time he won.
Saturday’s time was his personal best by a full 30 seconds. He credited his performance to his work with the running group Fruita Ultra Club Boyz.
“You have to be able to run inclines well and have good foot speed. All summer long, I trained for a 100-mile marathon by running in the mountains and climbing 14ers. I did that race in September, and I spent the last six weeks working on my foot speed for this race,” Robinson said. “Personally, I like the old route better because you finish in downtown Fruita but it was mostly similar. Obviously, the best part of the race is running through the monument. (Changing the course is) not a big deal.”
Robinson continued, saying the Rim Rock Run is one of the hidden gems in the U.S.
“This is beautiful and I’m surprised by how few people do it,” Robinson said. “I think if more people know about the beauty, it can be a really huge race.”
Aside from allowing athletes to compete, the Rim Rock Run also financially benefits the Colorado Mesa University cross country and track and field teams.
CMU track and field coach Brad Gamble said about 90 athletes from the programs came out Saturday to volunteer with event set up, occupy aid stations and direct runners.
In turn, the Rim Rock Run, which isn’t an official U.S.A. Track and Field marathon, serves as a fundraiser for those CMU athletics programs. Snyder said that about $7,500 from this year’s event will go to those teams.
“We get a split of some kind that goes to our program to help keep it afloat,” Gamble said. “It goes to our foundation account, which then goes to getting our athletes gear and to scholarship aid.”
Leonhard is an Iowa native and a runner at heart, competing in marathons throughout the country.
She and her family just moved to Grand Junction about a year ago, and the Rim Rock Run was the first major marathon she competed in her new home.
Leonhard said this will likely not be the last time she runs the race.
“Look at how beautiful this is and it’s all in our backyard,” she said.
Leonhard also hopes her story can be a lesson for her boys.
“I love that they got to share the moment, and see all of this time and effort I put into training,” she said. “I’d love for them to learn to stick with something. Consistency and persistence, even with challenges along the way, can pay off.”
November 07, 2021 at 01:15PM
https://www.gjsentinel.com/news/western_colorado/hard-work-and-scenic-views-highlight-return-of-rim-rock-run/article_a496da6c-3f32-11ec-a9ac-6f36aefa2d52.html
Hard work and scenic views highlight return of Rim Rock Run - The Grand Junction Daily Sentinel
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