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Hundreds gather for Turkey Day run

Phil Sandoval

A little exercise was enough to get 218 people to rise out of their warm homes and out to the snow-covered Glenwood Springs Golf Club on Thursday.

The reason so many townsfolk came out was to participate in the annual Turkey Day 5K run. But, winning the annual was secondary to most of the runners.

It was for fellowship.



Packs of families dotted the entire course. For others, the race allowed longtime friends and former high school classmates now in college to connect with each other.

And for some, the race was an opportunity to make new acquaintances.



“I thought it was a good way to meet people,” said runner Steve Urban, who moved to Glenwood recently from Boston, Mass.

Urban, who said he’s run in races back east, didn’t need much prodding to attend the Thanksgiving Day run.

“I saw the announcement in the paper,” he said. And, Urban, along with the rest of the runners, started their individual dashes across the freshly-fallen snow.

Besides the fellowship, the Carbondale Community School also benefited.

All entry fees collected go directly to the school. And City Market helped the festivities by donating food for the post-event party.

The race, for most, took less than a half-hour to complete.

Minutes after the start, the first runners came over the finish line.

Among those were familiar faces when it comes to doing well on a cross-country course.

Marco Salmen, a freshman at Duke University, and a former state cross-country qualifier in his prep days at Glenwood Springs High School, won the 2003 race in 16 minutes, 57 seconds.

A few yards behind, Bernie Boettcher of Silt, the recently named USA Track and Field Men’s Master Mountain Runner of the Year, was second.

Carbondale’s Alex Tiernan, 15, was the youngest runner among the top ten overall finishers.

The Roaring Fork High School sophomore took sixth place in 18:50, 22 seconds ahead of former GSHS stars Chas Salmen and Gus Lundin.

Sarah Shepard, another former Demon trackster, turned the fastest women’s time of the day in 19:35.

Megan Lund, last year’s women’s champ, finished second in 20:07. The rest of the women’s top five included Heidi Vosbeck, Amy Lund and Katie Wilson.


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