No pain, no gain in run on Barr Trail

By NICK WALTER
THE GAZETTE

Katie Blackett is accustomed to quiet, simple road races.

As the 27-year-old from Boulder ran uphill through the rocky sludge at the 12-mile Barr Trail Mountain Race on Sunday morning, she felt different — even a little spooked.

The marathon runner, who placed 27th at the U.S. Olympic trials in St. Louis, had already taken a rare tumble and was often unsure about where to go.

Now, as she approached Barr Camp — the midway point before six miles downhill — she saw Dracula on one side of the trail. Her quads and hips aching, Blackett glanced up in the trees and saw someone with an eye patch and his head bandaged. All this to unsettling “Halloween” music.

David Bitton The Gazette SEE HOW THEY RUN: Frederick Howard, left, Erica Pedron, center, and Jennifer Leppert race to the finish of the Barr Trail Mountain Race on Sunday. Matt Carpenter, a co-founder of the race, won in 1 hour, 31 minutes, 3 seconds. Katie Blackett of Boulder won the women’s division.

Blackett remained focused, however, and won the women’s division of the race in 1 hour, 55 minutes, 49 seconds — a time that was more than 3 minutes ahead of second-place Stacey Chaston of Colorado Springs.

“Two minutes from the top, it was pretty eerie,” Blackett said. “Then I really pushed downhill. I was fearful that I’d fall down and ruin my running season. When I saw the road at the end I was like, ‘Thank God. No more dirt and rock.’ “

Or eerie characters hanging out in the woods. Actually, the entertainment along the route was provided by area high school groups.

The route itself proved painful for many runners, including Eva Hagen, 36, of Colorado Springs.

Hagen placed seventh despite running with a stress fracture in her right heel.

“I felt comfortable all the way up,” Hagen said. “But going down I thought about quitting a few times.”

In the men’s division, Matt Carpenter, a co-founder of the race, reclaimed his title as “King of the Hill.”

Carpenter, 39, hadn’t won his race since 2001. But this time, he ran a blistering 1:31.03. Carpenter won a $400 firstplace prize and $300 in primes, which are awards for getting to certain points on the trail.

Although Carpenter made some money, the race gives all of its $16,334.50 in donations to non-profit organizations. The race’s main sponsor is Pikes Peak National Bank.

Ryan Hafer, an 18-year-old graduate of Coronado High School, took second at 1:34.59.

“I feel like I’ve got my consistency back,” said Carpenter, one of the world’s best high-altitude runners. “My back’s been an issue and now I got the denial to go away. So now I have it under control.”

After the race, Carpenter gave many awards for certain achievements. This year, he introduced a new one — the bloodiest runner award.

The winner, determined by cheers from an audience of runners, was Richard Park of Colorado Springs, who took third place in the 50-54 age division with a time of 2:21.58.

A mile down from Barr Camp, Park stubbed his toe on a rock and blasted into the ground on his left shoulder and left leg. The prize mark was a 3-inch gash on his shoulder, which was covered in red scrapes.

His award, fittingly, was a first-aid kit.

“I tripped and fell last year, too,” said Park, who thinks he might have won the award last year if there had been one. “I messed my knee up, so this time I twisted my body to my left side. Search and Rescue said I should go to the E.R.”

An hour after the race, Park was content to sit on a bench and enjoy his first-aid kit.

Contact the writer: 636-0250 or sports@gazette.com