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Thirsty 13 Half Marathon about to grow

The Thirsty 13 Half Marathon is not resting on its laurels.

Coming up on its second season, the race has a new sponsor: First National Bank of Durango. Also, it nearly is doubling its field. This from an event that easily reached its cap in its first run.

“We really want to grow this into Durango’s premier running event,” race director Matthew Krichman said Tuesday afternoon. “Having a title sponsor like First National Bank of Durango really puts us in a position to take this race to that level.”

The 13.1-mile run will take place Aug. 29, a Saturday. It will begin from Hesperus, travel down county roads 125, 141 (Wildcat Canyon) and 210 past Lake Nighthorse, enter Bodo Industrial Park and finish at Ska Brewing Co. Yes, it’s mostly downhill. But leave something for that hill near the finish.

“Sponsoring the Thirsty 13 is a wonderful opportunity for us to support the running community,” said Jen Simon, marketing and development director for First National Bank.

She noted the bank employs many runners and also emphasized the run’s connection with the San Juan Brewfest, held in the afternoon at Buckley Park after the half marathon. Through their race entries, runners can get tickets to the Brewfest, which raises money for the United Way.

“It seemed like a natural way to step up our involvement,” Simon said.

After easily selling the 300 possible race entries in 2014, and listening to others who expressed their disappointment about not being able to enter, Krichman went about securing the permits to grow the field.

So, for 2015, the cap will be 500. And if you’re interested, take note: Race signup officially will begin April 1.

“That’s going to make it the largest race in Durango, assuming we sell out,” Krichman said.

He believes the race can grow further, but he’s being cautious. He wants to make sure a runner looking for anything from a post-race banana to a port-a-potty isn’t disappointed.

“We want to grow the race in a sustainable way,” he said. “I just want to make sure we do this right.”

Otherwise, changes are minimal as far as the running of the event.

“We feel we got the right formula last year.”

johnp@durangoherald.com

On the Net

First National Bank of Durango Thirsty 13 Half Marathon: www.thirsty13durango.com

Aug 23, 2014
Runners tap in to new racing event


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