Durgin surges to win in her 1st Bolder Boulder
It was Ednah Kurgat who jumped to a big lead early and set the pace.
But Emily Durgin made certain to stay within striking distance. And when Kurgat finally faltered, it was Durgin that left the field in her wake.
Running the Bolder Boulder for the first time, Durgin took home the top honors in the women's pro race on Monday, finishing in 33 minutes, 24.14 seconds.
Kenya's Daisy Kimeli finished second, while former CU runner Carrie Verdon placed third. Verdon competed for Team USA- Colorado, which took top honors in the women's International Team Challenge as Maggie Montoya finished
fifth and Neely Gracey placed sixth.
Durgin anchored Team USA'S second-place mark in the team standings. Kurgat finished fourth and former CU runner Laura Thweatt, last year's winner of the women's citizen's race, finished 12th.
"Honestly, going into this race my goal was to get to mile four, and then run the last 10 minutes hard. So my coach and I kind of were thinking that," Durgin said. "To be perfectly honest, I was kind of wor
ried that I would be pressing the pace early on. I was worried they might run a tactical and try to really pick it up the final 5K. It actually worked in my favor that it went out a little fast. Plus, I train in Flagstaff at 7,000 feet. So I know what it feels like to run a 5-minute pace at 7,000 feet. And I know what it feels like to keep going after that.
"It kind of took me longer than I thought to catch (Kurgat), but I didn't want to use all my energy to catch her."
Kurgat built a big lead during the first half of the 10-kilometer race but tailed off down the stretch. Durgin quickly replaced Kurgat's spot with a big lead ahead of the pack, crossing the finish line 24.05 seconds ahead of Kimeli.
At a pre-race meeting on Sunday, the pro racers were warned fans might attempt to hand them American flags to wave as they entered the stadium.
Durgin assumed she would be too focused on powering through the finish line to indulge in that festive distraction, but with a big lead in hand as she entered Folsom Field Durgin figured it was OK to celebrate.
"I wish the finish was longer," said Durgin, appearing in the Bolder Boulder for the first time. "It was super fun with the stadium and the atmosphere. If I was in a sprint finish, I knew I might not be able to grab a flag. But once I knew I had a little bit of space, this is fun, I can celebrate it."
Verdon, a teacher at Superior Elementary, finished just 1.03 seconds behind Kimeli. A veteran of the Bolder Boulder citizen's race, Verdon competed in the pro field for the first time and earned $5,000 in individual prize money.
Durgin and Kimeli both won $8,000, with all three runners also in line for shares of their respective team prizes.
"It means everything," Verdon said. "I'm a teacher in this community. I went to school here. I've lived here for 10 years. It's just the best."