The Durango Running Club kicked off its season with its first official group run last Wednesday, April 15, from Backcountry Experience. The club, with 253 members, will host weekly runs for runners of all levels. For a schedule, go to www.durangorunningclub.org./Photo by Jennaye Derge.
 

See Durango run

‘Caballo Blanco’ kicks Running Club’s season into high gear

by Joy Martin

If your kneejerk reaction to the thought of running invokes rolling eyeballs accompanied by the languid wisecrack, “I only run if someone is chasing me,” then read on at your own pace. I pass no judgment on your pedestrian stance.

Just know that, according to science, you were born to run.

There’s a book that came out in 2009 that says so.

And for the past six years, this best-selling ethnography, appropriately entitled Born to Run, and its cast of colorful characters have roused amblers and self-doubters to get off the couch and onto the trail with the thought, “Hell, I could suffer one or 200 miles if I wanted. Barefoot. Hungover.”

Though he’s been criticized for penning inaccuracies and exaggerations in the sensationalized script, Born to Run’s author Christopher McDougall can be credited with introducing us to some effervescent, ever-intriguing individuals who did run barefoot and hungover.

For starters, there’s the tall, fair guru-type Micah True, better known as the beloved Caballo Blanco (“White Horse”). And then there’s an elfin, uber-tan force of nature nicknamed La Brujita Bonita (the Pretty Little Witch) better known as Jenn Shelton. These personas share an unflappable talent to stir the souls of all who meet them, whether on the page or in real life.

“Say what you will about the barefoot movement, the book inspired people to run,” says Durango Running Club member Nick Martin. His buddy and Durango Running Club President Brendan Trimboli agrees: “Anything that motivates folks to run is, well, a good thing in my book.”

Drawing attention to the fairly obscure subculture of running ultra distances, Born to Run has brought the average perambulator out of the woodwork and into the fold of this relatively easy, affordable sport. All you need, after all, is a good pair of shoes, a trail and time.

While some runners seek solitude, others thrive on the social energy surrounding a group run or race. Our local outlet for community-oriented jaunts is the Durango Running Club (DRC), which has existed in some form for the last 40 years. The DRC and its 253 members motor on the same spirit promoted in Born to Run: get out there and run.

“Trail runners in Durango have a great foundation thanks to the work already done on trails around town for the mountain bikers. And the bikers’ elite reputation helped put Durango on the map as a great place to live and train,” DRC board member Scott Shine says.

Shine works as a planner for the City of Durango and raises two kids with his wife, Jenny. Because they’re not sponsored runners with Spanish nicknames, they daily wrestle with the ultimate mountain-town dweller challenge: to maintain equilibrium while living an active lifestyle.  

“It’s always difficult to balance work, family and training for races. The key is to stay calm and wrap the kids into it. You have to lead by example: show them how much fun it is to stay fit and healthy,” says Scott.

He also finds time to serve as coordinator for Wednesday Night Trail Runs, a seasonal gig that kicked off April 15 and congregates till October at various trailheads around town. Short- and long-distance options are offered as well as lead and sweep runners so you don’t get lost. Usually.  

“Group runs welcome all abilities. It’s just people getting together, meeting other runners, exploring trails and demoing products from running companies. The focus is to not be intimidating,” Shine, a sub-three-hour marathoner, offers.

While signing up to be a DRC member is unnecessary for participation in group runs, you should know the perks that come with your $20 annual fee. Not only do you get beer and/or food discounts at BREW, Carver’s, Ska, Steamworks and Raider Ridge Cafe, but you also get running gear discounts at Backcountry Experience, Brown’s Sport Shoe, Pine Needle Mountaineering and Gardenswartz Sporting Goods.

And then to ensure you have ample opportunity to properly train for the miles to come, you also receive deals on health and fitness hobbies like CrossFit, chiropractic work, massages from the miracle-worker Leah Fein and strength building from classes like “Pilates for Athletes” taught by Claire Roser at Pilates Durango.

And what better motivator to get out there, stay injury free and start laying down some miles than by entering one of Durango’s iconic races, like the Narrow Gauge 10 Mile or the crowd-favorite and ever-changing Durango Double? As a DRC member, you get discounts on signups. But hurry: race entries are filling faster than ever this year.

I know what you’re thinking: With these numerous opportunities, wouldn’t it be fantastic if Durango had a central hub for all things running? Maybe something like, I don’t know, a specialty running store?

Good news!

With more than 25 years of experience in the running industry as a competitor, coach and businessman, 49-year-old DRC member Brett Sublett has boldly decided to open the Durango Running Co. (er, DRC). The undisclosed location should open its doors at the beginning of June. Probably. 

“I’m not planning on making a million dollars running the store. It’s just fun being a partner with the whole Durango running community. Hopefully it’s good timing to run the business,” says Sublett. “Now I’m on that rollercoaster of like ‘this is a great idea’ and then I wake up at three o’clock in the morning thinking ‘what the hell am I doing?’ But Durango’s ready for something like this.”

While Sublett’s brave move to follow his passion may seem as crazy to some as running 100 miles, he’s doing exactly what we should do during our short time on Earth: live authentically. The inexorable message preached by McDougall’s posse in Born to Run.

Before Born to Run, Caballo Blanco lived a quiet gringo’s life, but thanks to some great storytelling, Caballo’s tale grew beyond McDougall’s sketch of a passionate do-gooder and into a feature-length documentary aptly called “Run Free: The True Story of Caballo Blanco.”

This pale man believed in “empowering the human spirit through running” and impacted not only runners but also artists, musicians, scholars and even hikers. He died living out his creed in the Gila Wilderness in 2012 at the age of 58.

“He showed that you don’t have to change the world at 20 years old. Live your life authentically, don’t be afraid to fail, and maybe by the time you’re 60 you’ll know the dream that you’ve been stumbling toward all along. And then go change the world,” ponders a deeper-than-the-bat-tattoo-on-her-arm Jenn Shelton, Caballo’s lovely co-star in the documentary.

The newly released film will show at the Smiley Building on Tues., April 28, at an event sponsored by the Durango Running Club.

Heed these wise words, dear reader, whether you’re a mall walker or sponsored athlete: don’t be afraid to fail. Get stoked about the next time you’ll lace up and hit the trail to explore a new place, lose five pounds, get stronger, scramble to the top of mountains more quickly, cross the grandest of canyons, finish your first 10k, set the fastest known time on the John Muir Trail or simply be in motion because you can.

And if you’re already out there, rejoice today that your legs, heart and lungs work well, for as with anything in this moment, running has no lifetime guarantee.