Neighborhood dogs chase Durango man to overall title of center run

Neighborhood dogs chase Durango man to overall title of center run

May 1, 2001

ERIC WALECKI OF DURANGO crosses the finish line way ahead of the competition in the 11-mile race of the seventh annual Pueblo to Pueblo Run which was held Saturday. The course starts at the Anasazi Heritage Center and finishes at the Cortez Cultural Center. Walecki got chased by some neighborhood dogs during his run but he said it only propelled him along a little faster.

BY JIM THOMAS
Journal Sports Editor

He got a little extra shot of adrenalin when he got chased by some neighborhood dogs during the seventh annual Pueblo to Pueblo 11-mile run on Saturday morning, April 28. Eric Walecki of Durango was the overall winner with a time of 1 hour, 06 minutes, 07 seconds.

"These dogs came out chased me and then I got chased again," he said following the race. "But other than that it was a pretty good early-season race. It is a beautiful course and the weather was perfect."

Walecki, 35, is a member of the Durango Motorless Transit running club.

"I was able to break away from the pack after the first mile or so. I pretty much ran by myself. I got kind of lonely out there. This was by far my best finish in this race. I ran it four years ago and I think I finished fourth overall. Here I am a couple years older and I finish better," he added.

Walecki, who is a home builder when not running, has been running for many years. He enjoys running in the various races around the Four Corners area.

"It’s a nice early-season race because it is all down hill. This race suits my running abilities. I’m not a trail runner," he noted.

Darrell Roberts came in second, a distant 1:08:11. Brad Palmer took third in 1:11:19 while Sheena Carswell came in fourth and was the fastest overall female winner with a time of 1:11:42. She finished nearly 10 minutes faster than any other female.

"This is the first time I’ve been to Cortez," the 29-year-old clinical nurse from Durango said. "This is a very nice race. I was hoping to see a few more females running in the 11-mile. A couple girls stayed with me for a little while and then faded. I felt good out there. But I thought I was never going to finish those last two miles. It nearly did me in."

Carswell, also a member of the Durango Motorless Transit, also reported she got chased by the dogs.

"They came out barking at me and startled me. They only came running at me and then backed off," she recalled. "This is a very nice race. I will definitely run it again next year. I really liked the views."

Here’s how some of the others finished in the 11-mile event: Mar Witkes clocked in 1:14:35, followed by Kurt Nilsson 1:14:54, Art Rohr 1:15:41, Keith Paris 1:16:04, Neff Weldon 1:19:25, Calvin Hadley 1:18:47, Josi Fernandez 1:19:50, Mike Morgan 1:20:37, Doug Bagge 1:21:22, Jackie McCarthy 1:21:44, Phil Neal 1:22:18, Jeffrey Curtis 1:22:27, Bruce Liddiard 1:23:08, Cindy Putnam 1:23:58, Jeff Lawrence 1:24:17, Terry Nakin 1:26:27, Rick Pierce 1:27:20, Betty Jo McMillen 1:27:26, David Griffin 1:27:28, Nelvin Garnanez 1:28:00, Annette Mulliken 1:28:19, Dave Hinman 1:29:01, Bill Zimsky 1:29:08, Craig Edwards 1:30:12, Daniel Ihnot 1:30:21, and Karen Rudolph 1:30:48.

Sam Miller was the overall winner of the 2-mile run/walk with a clocking of 13:26. Shaun Cooper came in second in 13:29, followed by Tara Crowley 14:09, Roy Perales 14:46, Andrew Scrabrough 15:12, Gary Carnahan 16:30, Paul Koops 17:13, Lynn Price 17:36, Dave Dillman 17:24, Paul Morgan 17:16, Candi Duran 17:24, Bill Parish 18:08, Ian Maclaren 18:54, Mike Rutledge 19:17, Tyler Nash 19:34, John Bond 20:13, Mary Bachran 20:32, Sam Morgan 21:50, Beth Howell 22:47, Maurina Liddiard 23:05, Denise Dunham 23:12, Tom Kochanski 23:27, Nelsa Burkett 23:36, Becky Rutledge 24:10, Linda Harbey 24:18, Valerie Cramer 24:24, Mary Begay 25:04, Nita Welch 25:28, Deena Bond 26:45, Shannon Neal 27:04, Hout Hollhan 27:07, Amanda Rutledge 28:38, Laura Kochanski 28:45, Lisa Shaddock 30:11, Louann Burkett 30:37, Mary Gay Bohlinger 30:37, Kay Clayton 31:20, Donella Willis 31:39, and Carol Percy 31:41.

Proceeds from the race will be donated to the Cortez Cultural Center, a non-profit community organization whose mission is provide a forum for the community’s education, cultural, artistic, and scientific interests. It is a catalyst for the cultural respect, continuity, and innovation.

The sponsors for the race were Anasazi Heritage Center; Anasazi Motor Inn; Best Western Turquoise Inn; Cortez Area Chamber of Commerce; Citizen’s State Bank; City Market; City of Cortez Police Department; Colorado National Guard/Veterans of Foreign Wars, Cortez Main Street Association, Cortez Parks and Recreation Department; Cortez Physical Therapy and Fitness; Cortez Journal; Crow Canyon Archaeological Center; Dream Catcher; Fraley and Co. Inc.; Homesteader’s Restaurant; Iron Bodies; Jacob T. Boyer, DMD; Karla J. Demby MD, FACP; Kokopelli Bike and Board; Montezuma County; Montezuma County Sheriff’s Department; Notah Dineh; Rainmaker Sprinkler Co. Inc.; Southwest Designs; Susie’s Hallmark; Ute Mountain Casino; Umbrella Tourism Committee; Ute Mountain Pottery; and Wal-Mart.