2016 Blue Sky Marathon Race Recap

Posted on October 9, 2016 by Blue Sky Marathon

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The weather always seems to play a role at the Blue Sky Trail Marathon. Last year we sat in a cloud all day and saw some seriously fast times as a result. This year Mother Nature delivered blue skies and bright sunshine, which made for a tough back half for many of our runners. Perseverance, patience and cool heads were the name of the game, and despite a record number of DNFs (21), we were excited to also see a record number of finishers (216) work their way through the course and conditions.

We’ve always considered the Blue Sky Marathon to be a great test of all around trail running ability. The course opens with an honest climb up Towers and Carey Springs before launching into a loose descent on Stout. The middle section of the race is fast and relatively flat, but run those miles too hard and the technical Devil’s Backbone and punchy Indian Summer sections of the course can leave runners wishing they had just a bit more juice to finish out the zippy final four miles of the trail.

Jeanne Cooper, winner

Brent Kocis, winner

The two runners who mastered the intricacies of the course the best this year were Brent Kocis (3:27:35) and Jeanne Cooper (3:56:34; 8th overall). They both went home with a new pair of shoes from Salomon Running and a beautiful handmade pottery award from local artist Amy Hayman. Both of our winners dipped under the magical four-hour mark, just two of nine to do so. This compares to 18 sub-4-hour finishers last year.

‘Cookie’ Mike Neal

In the men’s race, Brent was followed home by James Walsh (3:35:04) and Eric Nau (3:39:13). The women’s podium was rounded out by Kala Maus (4:19:47) and Meghan Spieker (4:26:25), who finished 15th and 16th overall.

The master’s victories went to Mike Neal – a race sponsor through his downtown business Mary’s Mountain Cookies – and Clara Glaze of Red Feather Lakes. Our grandmasters winners were Steve Chaffee and Karen Smidt who was out testing her legs six weeks removed from running the Leadville 100.

Official race results

Race Photos:

Erin Bibeau (Towers & Finish)
Bradley Olwin (Laughing Horse)
Rob Raguet-Schofield (Stout & Indian Summer)

In addition to keeping track of our fastest finishers, we also like to keep track of our oldest, and we had a new record on that front in the men’s division with Juergen Kuhlmey of Fort Lauderdale, FL resetting the record books with a 7:57 finish at the age of 78. We also had a youngest ever female finisher this year. Congratulations to 17-year-old Claire Hayhow on her 7:06 finish.

Juergen Kuhlmey, 78 Years Young

And this year we saw three runners complete the Gnar Slam, finishing the 2016 renditions of the Quad Rock 50, the Never Summer 100km, the Black Squirrel Trail Half Marathon and the Blue Sky Trail Marathon. Elijah Flenner posted the fastest cumulative time of the season/ever at 27:14:14. He was followed by Aaron Youngberg and Brian Boyes. They join last year’s sole completer, Rob Raguet-Schofield, in the Gnar Slam Pantheon.

Elijah Flenner & Brian Boyes: Gnar Slammers

AA Youngberg: Gnar Slammer

And of course, our races would simply not be the same without the magnificent support of our volunteers. From Towers to the Hunter turnaround, the Blue Sky volunteers were out there on course keeping runners motivated, fed and hydrated. As always, race participants were glowing in their praise of the volunteers, whether they were parking cars in the morning, marshaling runners at the turns or filling bottles at the aid stations.

Thank YOU!

To you all, a huge THANK YOU.

We also couldn’t put on our trail races without the help of our wonderful sponsors, all of whom are tireless supporters of the Northern Colorado running scene. So thank you Salomon Running, Colorado in Motion, Drymax Socks, Altitude Running, Justin Liddle DMD, Countryside Vet, and the Fort Collins Running Club for your incredible race support.

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And also to our fantastic product sponsors: Fort Collins Food Coop, VFuel, New Belgium Brewing, Julbo, Trader Joe’s, Mary’s Mountain Cookies, and Eldorado Natural Spring Water.

The Blue Sky Trail Marathon marks the end of the 2016 season for us at Gnar Runners, but we are already looking forward to bigger and better things for 2017.

If you enjoyed Blue Sky, consider running the Horsetooth Half Marathon in April, the 25 or 50 mile Quad Rock races in May, the Never Summer 100km in July, the Black Squirrel Half Marathon in September, and of course the Blue Sky Marathon in October.

Thank you all again for a wonderful season, and see you in 2017!

See you next year!

8 Finishes for Mark Warburton

Sixth for Marie Helene Faurie

James Walsh & Family

State Senator John Kefalas

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Cool Temps, Fast Times at the 2015 Blue Sky Marathon

Posted on October 7, 2015 by Blue Sky Marathon

Reese Ruland on her way to setting a new Women’s CR. All photos: Terry Grenwelge

Cool weather conditions resulted in fast times at the eighth running of the Blue Sky Marathon, with a total of 204 runners crossing the finish line within the nine-hour cutoff.

Ginna Ellis on her way to a second-place finish

After setting a convincing new course record in the Quad Rock 25 mile race in June, Reese Ruland (Fort Collins) returned to her second Gnar Runners starting line of the season to lead from start to finish in the women’s Blue Sky Trail Marathon, setting a commanding new course record of 3:48:15 in the process. She bested Maria Petzold’s record from 2014 by six minutes. Ginna Ellis (Boulder) avenged a tough 2014 Blue Sky Marathon by finishing a very strong second (3:56:40), setting a 13 minute personal best in her third running of the race. Ginna now has the fourth and ninth fastest all-time marks. Rounding out the podium was former Olympic marathoner Nuta Olaru (Longmont) in a time of 4:21:40.

It was a youthful podium in the men’s race, with 24-year-old Oregon resident Kody Coxen leading the charge and setting the second-fastest time in the race’s history (3:16:19). Kody was closely followed by 20-year-old local, Cody Moore, who’s time of 3:18:48 was the third fastest ever run. Last year’s winner Nick Davis rounded out the podium in a new PR of 3:25:59.

Nick Davis and Cody Moore would finish third and second respectively

Cherilyn Sackal (4:36:59) and Clint Wall (3:58:23) won the master’s divisions, while the grandmaster’s divisions (50+) were won by Ben Kuster (4:36:20) and Marianna Inslee (5:30:58).

All Smiles at the Blue Sky Marathon

A seventh finish for Mark Warburton

In all, a record 18 runners dipped under the magical four-hour mark.

In addition to keeping track of our fastest finishers, we also like to keep track of our oldest, and we had new records on that front on both the women’s and men’s sides from our last two finishers of the day. Bill Moyle of Lone Pine was back for his third Blue Sky finish, resetting the record books at the age of 76. Bill finished just after Carol Young from Houston, TX, who was back in Fort Collins to avenge her 2014 DNF. At the age of 69, Carol becomes our oldest ever female finisher, describing Blue Sky as the toughest of all the 59 marathons that she’s completed.

And of course, our races would simply not be the same without the magnificent support of our volunteers from the local trail running community. From Towers to the Hunter turnaround, the Blue Sky volunteers were out there on course keeping runners motivated, fed and hydrated. As always, race participants were glowing in their praise of the volunteers, whether they were parking cars in the morning, marshaling runners at the turns or filling bottles at the aid stations.

To you all, a huge THANK YOU.

Rainbows: no; unicorns: yes

Prizes at the awards ceremony included Altra running shoes and Timex watches for our overall winners, and gift certificates to Altitude Running for our age group winners, in addition to framed award photos from our wonderful photographer, Erin Bibeau. Photos from Erin’s stand-in for the day, her husband Bryan, can be viewed here.

We also couldn’t put on the types of races that we seek to put on without the help of our wonderful sponsors, all of whom are tireless supporters of the Northern Colorado running scene. So thank you Altra Running, Colorado Physical Therapy Specialists, Justin Liddle DMD, Countryside Vet, Altitude Running, Sierra Trading Post, Smartwool, Cornerstone Mortgage, Fort Collins Running Club, Great Harvest, Whole Foods, VFuel, Boulder Beer, Kristel Liddle LMT, and Mary’s Mountain Cookies.

The Blue Sky Marathon marks the end of the 2015 season for us at Gnar Runners, but we are already looking forward to bigger and better things for 2016. If you enjoyed Blue Sky, consider running the Horsetooth Half Marathon in April, the 25 or 50 mile Quad Rock races in May, the Never Summer 100km in July, or the Black Squirrel Half Marathon in September.

Thank you all again for a wonderful season. See you in 2016!

Thanks for a Successful 2012 Race!

Posted on November 25, 2012 by Blue Sky Marathon

Once again, our Blue Sky Marathon was a huge success thanks to our generous sponsors and hard working volunteers.

We had ideal running weather this year. The 7am start was a bit chilly but runners quickly warmed up on the climb up Towers Road and the rest of the day was comfortably cool with gorgeous clear blue skies.

128 runners started the race this year. 116 finished under the official 7 hour cut off. Another 5 runners made were recognized for finishing the full course just over the cut off.

Ryan Burch won the race in 3:21:28. A perfect homecoming for Ryan’s first race after returning from basic training earlier in September.

Ryan Burch running through Indian Summer. (Photo by Erin Bibeau)

Kaija Staley won the women’s race in a course record time of 3:57:39. The previous course record was 4:16:47. Kaija is the only woman who has run the race under 4 hours.

And thanks to the generosity of our sponsors, we were able to raise over $8,000 for our beneficiaries this year. Funds will be distributed to local trail projects, Larimer County Search and Rescue, and other outdoor programs.

Runners make their way across the valley towards Coyote Ridge during the 2012 Blue Sky Marathon. (Photo by Erin Bibeau)

2010 Blue Sky Marathon Comments and Reports from the Runners

Posted on October 10, 2010 by Blue Sky Marathon

Blog reports and photos:

2010 Overall Male Winner, Chris Grauch’s Race Report.

Matt Perry’s Race Report

Ashley Waddell’s Race Report

Report from Tower’s Aid Station Captain, Nick Clark

This is a great video presentation by Chris Grauch:

Comments:

I had a wonderful day at the Blue Sky race. It seem everyone was enjoying just as much as me if not more! The perfect event.

Thanks to all the Fort Collins Trail Runners that worked to make the race happen.

To me the community feel is a big part of what elevates this race. All the volunteers were completely dedicated. That was impressive – thanks! Besides the running, it was a real treat to meet many local runners and share a story.

Don Walker

Once again a wonderful job to you all. I enjoyed the new course even more than last year, though the walk at the end hurt (it reminded me of my many, many mountain climbing days, when all you want to do see the car and you’ve still got a long walk back to the car). I love how you call us by our name – when you’re suffering little things like that can really help. And the spread at the end, goodie bags and aid station were all great.

Thanks for putting on a great race.

Dan England

What a great event! This was my second half marathon, and my first trail half marathon. I have never had so much fun during a race – beautiful weather, gorgeous trails, and super friendly volunteers made this my favorite event to date. My husband and I got married three weeks ago and then backpacked the Colorado Trail for two weeks – so there was not a lot of training for this race! Maybe not my best time, but I certainly had the best time. Thanks for all your hard work – I’ll definitely be there next year!

Joselyne (Sulzner) Perry

Many thanks for a wonderful race. The race was incredibly well organized, the volunteers were wonderful, the course was beautiful, and the other runners were very friendly. The volunteers actually radioed names of runners to the Indian Summer aid station, and I was greeted by first name when I arrived at the aid station. Thanks! That was a very special touch. I really enjoyed the morning, and I hope that the Fort Collins runners continue organizing this event. It was probably one of the most enjoyable races that I have run.

Michael Wunsch

If you have any comments, videos, photos, or blog posts to share, please email us at info@blueskymarathon.com.

2010 Blue Sky Marathon Race Report

Posted on October 10, 2010 by Blue Sky Marathon

The 2010 Blue Sky Marathon and Half Marathon held on Sunday October 3rd were a huge success thanks to many hard working volunteers, generous sponsors, and a wonderful field of runners.

We had 80 runners in the marathon and 105 runners in the half marathon this year. In the marathon race, Chris Grauch from Boulder took an early lead and after the first 9 mile loop, Sam Malmberg was just seconds behind. But Chris was able to continue building his lead throughout the race and finished in 3:26:38 safely in first place with Sam just over 4 minutes behind.

In the women’s marathon Becky Flowers took the lead early in the start with Jennifer Malmberg trailing just a couple steps behind. On the final return trip over the Indian Summer hill, Jennifer made a move into first place and managed to build a 5 minute lead in the last 6 miles to win the race with a new women’s course record of 4:16:47. Second and third place finishers Becky Flowers and Kristy Falcon also broke the original 2008 women’s course record.


Overall Marathon winners, Chris Grauch and Jennifer Malmberg. Photos by Erin Bibeau Photography

In the half marathon, Michael Jackson from Loveland took first place for the men’s race in 1:32:18 and Sarah Hansen from Fort Collins finished first for the women in 1:42:10. No records were broken in the half marathon race but Sarah’s time was just 26 seconds behind the original 2008 women’s record.


Overall Half Marathon winners, Michael Jackson and Sarah Hansen. Photos by Erin Bibeau Photography

Some of the more remarkable running performances of the day were further back in the pack. Danielle Heath became our youngest female half marathon finisher at age 17. Mary Gilbert tied the record for our oldest female half marathon finisher at age 61. Kathy Kirsling became our oldest female marathon finisher completing her first marathon at age 61. It’s never too late to start! Bill Moyle’s 2008 record for our oldest male finisher still stands at age 69. This year at age 71, Bill completed the marathon but arrived at the finish line after the timing crew had already shut off the clock.

Jackson Chamberlain, age 12, was another late arrival at the finish line. Jackson has already finished the half marathon two years in a row and had set out to become our youngest marathon finisher this year. Unfortunately he didn’t make the time cut off at the Indian Summer South aid station and was out of the race by mile 15.5. But instead of riding out with the aid station volunteers or taking the short cut on the half marathon route back to the start, Jackson retraced his steps along the marathon course back up and over the Indian Summer hill to complete over 21 miles of the course – the longest he’s ever run. Chris Michael became our youngest male marathon finisher this year at age 20 so Jackson has a few years left to


Volunteers greeted Bill Moyle with a line in the dirt where the finish tent used to be.

At the end of the day it seemed like everyone had a great time and we were able to raise a lot of money for a good cause. Almost all of our race expenses were covered by donations and contributions from our generous local business sponsors. As a result we were able to raise over $7,000 to distribute to the Larimer County Parks and Open Spaces, Larimer County Search and Rescue, Athletes in Tandem, and local youth running programs.


Some runners had more fun than others. Photo by Running Guru

Thank you for a successful 2010 race!

Posted on October 5, 2010 by Blue Sky Marathon

We’d like to thank all of the hard working volunteers, generous sponsors, and wonderful field of runners for making our 2010 races a success.

Official results, photo’s from Running Guru, and a more detailed report will be updated this week.

If you have any comments, feedback, or suggestions, please email us at info@blueskymarathon.com. We welcome your feedback to help make our 2011 event even better.

And if you forgot something at the race, please email us. Several items were left at the finish area. If they are not claimed by the end of this month, we will donate any useable clothing to charity.

We hope everyone enjoyed the race this year and hope to see you again next year.

2009 Blue Sky Marathon Comments from the Runners

Posted on October 4, 2009 by Blue Sky Marathon

I just wanted to give my sincere thanks to a wonderful event yesterday!!! I thoroughly enjoyed the spectacular course, beautiful views, gorgeous weather, and gracious assistance from all the volunteers at every aid station! If next year’s event contains the 50K again or possibly a 50-miler, count me in!

Thanks again for this great opportunity to run in my backyard!
Charity Larson

I came all the way from Chicago (elev. 750ft) to run the 50k, and glad I did. The volunteers were great. I appreciate their effort and enthusiasm. The coarse was nice, with well spaced aid stations. Thanks for putting on a great race. I am looking forward to 2010!
Jonathan

I would like to thank each and everyone of you that was involved in putting this race together and making it such a great experience. From the website information (course description, day of race info, etc…), to the aid stations and all the volunteers inbetween, I honestly was extremely pleased with it all. Well outside of the damn wind those last few miles of the race. I can only imagine that the word will spread pretty quickly on how solid of race this is and that you’ll be selling out very quickly next year.

Wish you all continued success with these races and thanks again!
Jaime

I thought I’d be a LOT faster. My training runs, even my 20-miler, were generally sub-10’s. I think the cold weather really sucked the life out of me.

But it was lots of fun! I loved it!
David

A Big Thank You to the organizers and the volunteers. I have done my share of Marathons and Tris and have never seen such amazing volunteers out on a course.What an amazing experience!

Steve

Great race!! I heard a rumor about changing the marathon so that it is 26.2. I think the course should remain the same, call it a ‘trail marathon’ and maybe have somewhere on the registration that it is closer to 27. Neat distance, plus it is trail running (and I can say I’ve run an ultra)! I just hate when you find a course you like a they change it.

Thanks,
Steve F.

Despite falling and having one of the slowest and worst finishes in half-marathon history, I was able to hobble across the finish line of your terrific event : )

Kudos to all for a great experience. Indian Summer North Aid volunteers rock – they were outstanding, encouraging and a lot of fun – not to mention how helpful they were to me and all the runners I saw go through. Loved all the treats – especially the bowl of Tylenol!!!

The event was truly well organized (and I’m a critic, believe me. There were no surprises because of all the pre-race details provided. The finish line "crowd" actually sounded like a crowd and managed to make me feel better. And thanks for the peanut butter (yum yum) and other after-race goodies.

I have been in larger, more expensive events and feel you outdid them – great value and enthusiasm, by miles!

thanks again for a terrific morning

Happy trails.
Linda

I flew in from Seattle for this race and I had the GREATEST time! The course was absolutely beautiful and the perfect challenge. The volunteers were so friendly and not once did I feel confused about which way to run. This was an awesome event (and my first ever trail run)!

Big thanks to everyone who helped put it all together.
Jennifer Baily

Hi, just wanted to thank everyone that helped make Bluesky marathon a great event. Everyone was very friendly–especially the volunteers at all the aid staions..great cheering, and most helpful. Especially the lone lady near the most remote aid station…she actually sang for me..! Even though I had a bit of trouble with the altitude(Michigan is 800 feet) I still really enjoyed the course. If there had actually been a Blue Sky I’m sure the scenery would have been even more spectacular!

Happy trails,
Jerry

Thank you again fo

r allowing the swap with David Beebe for the 50K. I’m sure you had a million things going on last week.

The race was great the aid stations were spectacular. The volunteers were great. All the runners of all distances were very supportive.

The weather was good too, better than hot.

Thanks on a great race, I’ll register early next year.
Best,
Kenyon Waugh

I just wanted to let you know what a fantastic job you and your team did putting on the Blue Sky ’09 races. The course was beautiful, well marked and quite challenging, and the aid station volunteers were awesome! The race organization, including pre-race communication, race day logistics, post-race food/drink and goodies were great, too. As a newcomer to trail running, I appreciate that you made it a top-notch experience and one I will look forward to enjoying again in the future. Thanks again!
Jon

I LOVED the Blue Sky Half Marathon. It was an extremely tough course – I was actually proud of 2:07, about 22 minutes slower than I’m used to for halves – but also a beautiful one and I had a blast. It was extremely well run – better than many road half marathons! – and well marked. The volunteers were outstanding and friendly and, especially important, really encouraging. And what a spread after the race. I didn’t even need to eat lunch!

What a great event guys. I’ll be back next year.
Dan England

Great race,

well supported and all of the volunteers need a huge THANK YOU!
Max

Thank you guys for another awesome race! Great organization great volunteers, thank you all!

It was SO cool to see all these familiar faces at aid stations. No way we could get lost, the marking was great.

I love my rock too!

See you there next year (will you put a 50 mile race up next year???). Just kidding.
Marie-Hélène Faurie

I would just like to say thank you to all of the organizers of the marathon and all of the volunteers. You were all great! The encouragement was just want was needed and it was greatly appreciated!

I would also like to say thank you to everyone in the group for the support and advice and training given in the months leading up to the race.

So, "Thank You!!!!!!!"
Lark

I wanted to say a huge thank you to everyone involved with the race and training! The folks at the aid stations were super motivational. It was great to see so many people cheering and encouraging runners to do their best. For me the party going on at Indian summer north came at just the right time to keep me going.

Thanks to all for helping get me through my first race!
Adam

Just a quick note of thanks for putting on another great race this weekend. It was so nice to see so many familiar faces out on the trails and manning the aid stations, road crossings, check-in and food tables…oh, and the post-race massage from Josh was about as hard a workout as I’ve had all year. Wow!

As others have stated, the aid stations were phenomenal, the volunteers amazing and the trail fantastically marked (although I could have probably run this race blindfolded). And the post-race food was as fantastic (maybe better) than last year.

This event truly is a celebration of the wonderful trail running community we have here in Fort Collins. We’re a lucky bunch.
Nick Clark