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Traditional course returns for 9th annual Thirsty 13 Half Marathon - The Durango Herald

The mostly downhill course proves to be fun for hundreds of runners, and there’s beer at the finish line

Brenden Trujillo, 40, of Durango took 12th place of 55 racers in the male 40-49 age bracket at the 9th annual Thirsty 13 Half Marathon on Saturday. (Christian Burney/Durango Herald)

Hundreds of runners competed in the annual Thirsty 13 Half Marathon under the sun on Saturday, and veteran runners said they appreciated the return of the traditional course that stretches along La Plata Highway (Colorado Highway 140).

Anthony Kunkel, 30, of Durango and bib No. 353, had the fastest time of all brackets. He conquered the Thirsty 13 at a pace of 5 minutes, 37 seconds per mile and a total running time of 1:13.36.

Caitlin Jones, 39, of Hesperus and bib No. 325, took first in the female overall and female 30-39 age brackets. She carried a mile pace of 6:39 and finished with a time of 1:27.11.04.

Racers embarked en masse from the starting line at Hesperus Church on La Plata Highway at 8 a.m. Saturday and crossed the finish line at Ska Brewing Co. where runners of drinking age were treated to free beer. Registrants also had the chance to purchase discounted San Juan Brewfest tickets when they signed up for the race.

Some contestants were familiar with the course while this year’s Thirsty 13 was the first marathon event for other runners.

Kaden Fuller, 18, of Farmington and bib No. 227, said the race was his first half marathon, and he loved it.

“I was going for a nine-minute pace but after that first mile I was going at like 7:30 and I was like, ‘I can keep going faster,’ so I just stuck with it,” he said.

He placed 34th out of all male brackets and 12th in the male 18-29 age bracket with a chip time of 1:41.47.72 at a pace of 7:46.

“The last mile was brutal. It was all uphill but I had a fun time. It was good. Pushing some guys. I had a great time,” he said.

Kaden trained throughout the summer on a regimen of about 4 miles every other day and at least one longer run once a week. In the lead-up to the half marathon, he challenged himself with a 12-mile run, which he found difficult.

“I’m not going to lie, that kind of sucked,” he said. “Going into this I was nervous. But this race turned out to be great. I did well. So I’m really happy.”

Although Kaden never competed in running events before, he was a swimmer in school and his parents were big runners so he had experience with 5K’s going into the Thirsty 13, he said. The half marathon was his longest run yet.

“I want to do another one,” he said. “As soon as I see another one I’m signing up for it.”

Ryan and Sara Beauchamp of Colorado Springs raced as a pair all 13 miles of the 9th annual Thirsty 13 Half Marathon on Saturday. Each crossed the finish line at Ska Brewing Co. at 2 hours on the dot. (Christian Burney/Durango Herald)

Ryan and Sara Beauchamp of Colorado Springs have competed in the Thirsty 13 Half Marathon nearly every year since its inception.

Ryan said every time they come to Durango they eat at the Ore House.

“Plug: Best steakhouse we’ve had in Colorado by far. It’s amazing,” he said.

On Saturday they were glad to be back on the traditional course.

“It’s our seventh time running it and we’re just so excited to get back to the original course,” Ryan said. “And honestly, we couldn't ask for any better weather. It was just fantastic. The breeze was great and the people were awesome.”

They agreed the scenery along La Plata Highway, and the mostly downhill track, is what makes the course so great.

Sara said Durango is a “beautiful place,” she enjoys the view of Lake Nighthorse during the race and she always looks forward to seeing the town and the people.

Ryan said race director Matthew Krichman, volunteers and sponsors organized and hosted the event well. He complimented the bus service that took racers to the starting line at Hesperus Church and how volunteers held on to runners’ bags and belongings until they reached the finish line.

“It’s just really well organized every year and (has) great people,” he said.

Ryan, 38, held a mile pace of 9:12 and completed the half marathon in 2:00.26.49. Sara, 37, was next to Ryan the whole race with a mile pace of 9:13 and a finishing time of 2:00.43.94.

She finished 68th in the female overall bracket and 30th in the female 30-39 age bracket. Ryan finished 108th in the male overall bracket and 38th in the male 30-39 bracket. But neither of them were there for the competition.

“We’re actually training for a full Iron Man,” Ryan said. “So this is just a training run and we’re about to go swim in Lake Nighthorse.”

He said he thinks runners should “stay thirsty” and make sure to attend the Thirsty 13 every year.

“It’s fantastic. This is by far one of the best organized and just most scenic races that we get a chance to do every year,” he said.

Complete race times can be found at https://bit.ly/3csiloM

cburney@durangoherald.com

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Traditional course returns for 9th annual Thirsty 13 Half Marathon - The Durango Herald
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