GLENWOOD SPRINGS — Many years ago, singer Rick Nelson held a garden party to get together with old friends and reminisce. As you may remember, Yoko was in attendance at that one, and she brought a walrus. There was magic in the air.

There was a garden party following Saturday’s Sequoia Glen 5K Run also — more like a front-yard party, where runners were in good company and good spirits after completing one of the most demanding runs in the valley.

There was a sense of relief in the air.

As is his custom, Bernie Boettcher crashed the party, and didn’t seem to be at all fazed by the steep, uphill climb to the race turnaround point above the Glenwood Fish Hatchery, in setting a new course record of 20 minutes and 33 seconds and winning the ninth annual run.

With the victory, Silt’s Boettcher claimed the winner’s Black Jacket, which is similar to the green blazer awarded to the winner of the Masters golf tournament each spring.

“I feel like Tiger Woods,” said the smiling Boettcher, who put in a dominant Tiger-like performance on the day.

Glenwood’s Charlie Wertheim didn’t fare too badly either, giving Boettcher a good chase by coming in second with a time of 21:54.

Josh Cullen, also of Glenwood, came in third among the men with a time of 24:28, but he wasn’t quite able to overtake his wife Kelley, who was the women’s race winner and the third place overall finisher with a time of 24:08.

The Cullens turned the race into their afternoon workout after a morning on the ski slopes.

“It was a great powder day and a great run,” said Kelley, who was last year’s Sequoia Glen overall champion.

If there is a local race going on, you will most likely see Andrea Arnhold and Jeanne Blatter there. Saturday was no exception, as the two battled it out, with Arnhold placing second in the women’s division with a time of 27:58 and Blatter recording a 28:29 for third.

Outside of Boettcher’s run, the most impressive performance of the day came from one of the youngest competitors in the race, 11-year-old Delaney Gaddis.

Gaddis, a Glenwood Middle School student, earned herself a silver medal for finishing the challenging course in under 32 minutes. Her time of 31:05 also placed her 15th overall in the 38-runner field and fifth among the ladies.

Sequoia Glen marked the first race in the 2008 Colorado River Valley Charity Race Series. Next up will be the Titan Trot 5K, which will be held April 26 at Coal Ridge High School.