Western Colorado communities are supported by their own and others close by, and runners are part of those communities. On Saturday, July 12, those runners will have the opportunity to embrace their community leadership. 

The Rifle Parks and Recreation Department is hosting a running series of 5ks, brought back to life after almost a decade of falling on the wayside. The Silt Historical Park is having a race, the Silt Historical Park Hobble 5k. 

The series, sponsored by environmental consulting firm EcoPoint, was relaunched this year thanks in large part to employee Kirsten Clancy, who is married to CEO Michael Clancy, one of the Rifle city councilors. 

Rifle Recreation Coordinator Kyle Mills brought all the representatives of the five kilometer races together to talk about combining their efforts to promote a race series, Clancy said.

“Parks and Rec was able to bring together all these community fundraisers and now they have timing systems, a finishing shoot, more of a consistency for the races,” Kirsten Clancy said. “This encourages the running community to participate, so there will be more information about the next races and incentivizes more participation in the next race.”

Clancy said that if six out of the 10 races are participated in, then participants’ times are entered into a competition, between men, women and children. 

“EcoPoint will be providing cash prizes for the winners,” Clancy said. “There will also be food, drinks, tours of the Silt Historical Park at this particular race.”

Clancy said resurrecting the series has brought a stronger sense of unification.

“Having matching bibs, Parks and Rec helping with registration, it becomes more official,” she said. “It communicates to the runners as a larger group, it’s not just going out to people on the Silt Historical Society mailing list.”

The route for the Silt race isn’t just for the advanced, Clancy said, so people with strollers and walkers can participate.

“The race series has been going on since April, where it started with a brand new 5k trail to highlight the Highlands Trail system,” Clancy said. “It kicked off the series and then we’ll end with the Turkey Trot in November.”

All of the 5k series’ races are participating as much as possible in each other’s races, Clancy said, and at the end, Mills will help determine whether or not the series has encouraged more numbers instead of being advertised separately. 

“Just being on the ground, it seems that way, having a consistent cohort of people,” Clancy said, who attends all the races. “It’s great seeing it.”

The Silt Historical Park Hobble will begin at the Silt Historical Park, located at 707 Orchard Ave. in Silt at 8 a.m., Saturday, July 12. There will be clear signs for runners and the route will loop back to the Historical Society. 

All proceeds will go to funding the Silt Historical Park and their events. 

Upcoming five kilometer races after the Silt Historical Park Hobble:

• Cheatin’ Woodchuck in Rifle on Saturday, Aug. 23
• Fire in the Hole in New Castle on Saturday, Sep. 13
• Strides for Giving in Rifle on Saturday, Sep. 20
• Pauline S. Schneegas Wildlife in Silt on Saturday, Oct. 18
• Turkey Trot in Rifle on Saturday, Nov. 27