The Rocky Mountain Road Runners honor stubborn loyalty with a tribute they call the Ric Robinette Resolute Road Runner Award. Robinette likes to call it the "get-a-life" award. The recognition goes to runners who compete in every club race over a four-year period. Nobody is as resolute as Robinette, whose unbroken string of 272 races dates to October 1986. "I have run with broken ribs, with broken arms," Robinette said after a recent 5-mile club race in Stapleton's Central Park that attracted more than 100 competitors. "It isn't always fun, and I didn't necessarily run that hard. But I was out there." Robinette and his fellow Rocky Mountain Road Runners have run with a little extra bounce in their steps this spring preparing for Monday's 31st Bolder Boulder. The club is celebrating its 50th year, its origin predating the running boom by two decades. "I love the club, I think it's awesome," said Tristan Mitchell, 23. "I brought my girlfriend into it, and she enjoys it. I try to get all my friends to come because there's such a wide range of abilities here." The club was founded under the name Denver Track Club by Joe Arrazola in 1959, when adult runners were a lonesome breed. Shortly after the club's formation, it created a handicapped racing series as a scheme to attract the "average runner." The concept still is used today in the club's Trophy Series. The club has weekly group runs in Washington Park and weekly track workouts at Heritage High School. It sponsors a popular marathon training series open to nonmembers, leading up to the fall marathon season. But it is the Trophy Series, also open to nonmembers, where the heart of the club beats. "The neat thing about the staggered start is that everybody is finishing at the same time," said club member Dave Cunningham, 48. "You can be fast, you can be slow, there's going to be a group of people around you at the finish, spurring you to go even faster. There's always somebody ahead of you you're able to pass." In the 1960s the club operated under both names — Denver Track Club and Rocky Mountain Road Runners — because of a rivalry between the Amateur Athletic Union and the Road Runners Club of America. It split into separate entities in 1971. Soon the running boom arrived, fueled by Dr. Ken Cooper's 1968 book "Aerobics," Frank Shorter's Olympic marathon medals in 1972 and 1976, and Jim Fixx's "Complete Book of Running" in 1977. The Bolder Boulder was launched in 1979. That same year the Boulder Road Runners incorporated, inspired by the two decades of success the Rocky Mountain Road Runners had already enjoyed. "I thought a lot of their club," said Boulder Road Runners founder Rich Castro. "It was a catalyst of making me think in that direction. They were very influential in what we did." Celebrating their 30th year, the Boulder Road Runners have different points of emphasis. They organize a summer All Comers track meet series at the University of Colorado track — biweekly in June, July and August — and stage a Labor Day 5K to benefit the CU track program. The Boulder Road Runners regularly send large contingents to U.S. cross country championships. They also were instrumental in staging the highly successful 2007 U.S. Cross Country Championships at Flatirons Golf Course. "We were the guys who were out there shoveling snow, clearing the track, manning the hospitality/warming tents," Castro said. The Rocky Mountain Road Runners isn't as competitive, because the club actively caters to that "average runner," but some of them can really move. Mitchell will be in the Bolder Boulder's "A" wave Monday, having run the race last year in 36 minutes (5:47 per mile). Dave Cook, 43, ran the Boston Marathon last month in 2 hours, 57 minutes, 33 seconds. Two weeks later Cook was running the 5-mile Trophy Series race. "The friendly competition is what I like most," Cook said. "A bunch of great guys. We train and hang out. The camaraderie is what I like." Cunningham takes his running seriously enough to do the Wednesday night track workouts and "quite proudly" brings up the rear. "We've got a really wide cross section of people," Cunningham said. "The core of the club is made up of folks who just enjoy running. Some are fast, some are slow. We're here because we like doing this and we like this group of people that supports running." Cunningham's wife, Deb, is club president. Her favorite Trophy Series race is the one on a Friday night in August that precedes a pot luck barbecue. "I tell my kids, even when you're an old person, even when you're a parent, you still need something to look forward to," said Deb Cunningham, 47. "I look forward to the races every month." She can count on Robinette being there, keeping his streak alive and enjoying the company of the club he loves. "We give everyone a fair chance," Robinette said. "I think that has brought a lot of people to this club and allowed them to stay."
Bolder Boulder 10K
When: Monday, regardless of weather.
Field: 53,000 expected to register. Last year, a record 54,040 registered and 48,955 finished.
Registration: Today at the expo on the courthouse lawn on Boulder's Pearl Street Mall (10 a.m. to 6 p.m.). Race day from 5:45 a.m. to 8:45 a.m. near the start at 30th Street and Iris Avenue.
Cost: $50-$61 plus a $5 "procrastination fee" on race day.
Waves: This year's race will start in 83 waves. A qualifying time is necessary for the first 21 waves.
Start times: Pro wheelchair race, 6:55 a.m.
First citizens wave, 7 a.m.
Last citizens wave, 9:30 a.m.
Women's elite race, 11 a.m.
Men's elite race, 11:10 a.m.
Bus service: Regional service from 10 metro Denver park-n-Rides. Fares are $7 to $9.
Info: bolderboulder.com
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