www.urban-forestry.com 37
The 2015 Urban Forest Foundation Fun Run,
Walk, or Watch in Denver was not quite the traditional event
that some might have anticipated. While par ticipants expect-
ed to contend with the altitude of the mile high city, they may
not have been expecting to run in the dark and the rain at 5
PM—it gets dark early in Denver! To make it more interesting,
these intrepid athletes proceeded while negotiating rush-hour
traffic on downtown streets.
The finish line in Denver's gorgeous Civic Center Park was
first crossed by defending champion David Lefcour t, followed
by male runners Owen Croy and Josh Behounek. The female
runners apparently elected to employ a different strategy,
running as a symbiotic pack and finishing in a vir tual dead
heat featuring Ann Koenig, Casey Jogerst, Kerry Gray, and
Meridith Perkins.
The lone walker who was undeterred by the evening's inclem-
ent weather was as a result the walker's class winner—well
Some of the intrepid 2015 Fun Run, Walk, or Watch participants
The 2015 Fun Run in the Mile-High City
by Steve Cothrel, Organizer
done, Andy Hillman! For his general espirit de corps at the
finish line, Dan Har tman earned the spot of top watcher.
Yours truly finished even more last than usual after stopping
to render aid to a local pedestrian who was hit by a car as
I jogged past. The woman was dressed all in black, as were
the driver of the car that hit her and his passenger. They were
all but invisible as they huddled in the middle of a dark, rainy
street after the accident so I used my fluorescent yellow self
as a traffic warning device until more competent and brightly
dressed help arrived on the scene.
Special thanks go out to the Denver urban forestry staff
members who helped lay out the course, and who served as
course officials to keep par ticipants safe and headed in the
right direction. To all who ran, walked, watched, or served
as course officials, thank you very much for your suppor t of
the event and the Urban Forest Foundation, which suppor ts
esteemed SMA programs like the Municipal Forestry Institute
and the Arborist Exchange Program.
www.urban-forestry.com 37
