Finally, the Great Arctic Streak was broken. While it hasn’t been unseasonably cold in Fort Collins during the winter, for some reason, each of the last four Tortoise & Hare races fell on a morning when it was 4-8 degrees Fahrenheit. That is cold even for Eskimos, and race director Nick often had to resort to warming up his hands with a portable propane heater that was shaped like a bazooka.
But this morning, with lots of sun and temperatures north of Jennifer Lopez’ age—was positively balmy—enough that I almost regretted wearing a T-shirt instead of a singlet. Good thing, because this would be the longest (and final) race of the Tortoise & Hare series.
Forty-two runners came out for the Cottonwood Glen Park 12k, which is exactly one more than last year. A stone’s throw away was the Flying Pig 5k—whose course even overlapped ours on the Spring Creek Trail by about 200 meters—so there were plenty of runners enjoying the day.
Today Peter Skiba crossed the finish line first, followed by Jenny Keating and Anna Siliciano. Great job to all!
Photos
There are LOTS (over 100) photos from this race posted on Facebook, mostly by Ellen Silva, Katie Quatrano and Felix Wong. Check them out!