The fourth annual Mancos Cowboy Half-Marathon, 5K and Fun Run is scheduled for Saturday morning at the Mancos Public Library.
The half-marathon will start at 7:30 a.m., and the 5K race will start at 8 a.m., according to the event website. Proceeds from runner registration fees support the Mancos Public Library.
Runners can register up until the race on Saturday morning. Registration is available at the race website, mancoshalfmarathon.com. Online registration expires at midnight Thursday, but late registration will take place Friday at the library from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
“It’s gonna be a great day,” race organizer Dana Petersen said. “We’re looking forward to it.”
As of Thursday morning, 128 runners had signed up for both races, according to Petersen. She said she expected several dozen more to register before Saturday morning.
About 32 local runners from Mancos signed up, with about another 40 from Dolores, Cortez and Durango, Petersen said.
Runners are traveling to Mancos from coast to coast, including runners from Florida, North Carolina, Kansas, Nebraska, Idaho, Washington and other states, Petersen said. Most runners are from Colorado and New Mexico, she said.
Last year, 71 people ran the half-marathon, and 60 people ran the 5K. That more than doubles the number of participants from 2015, when 33 people ran the half marathon, according to race records. In 2014, 62 people participated in the race.
In 2016, Curtis Moore came in first place in the half-marathon with a time of 1:30:58, averaging under a 7-minute mile, according to race results provided by the library. Rounding out the top five runners were Thomas Dansie (1:31:59), Ro Paschal (1:32:15), Kiviok Hight (1:33:34) and Keri Nelson (1:39:32).
The winner of the 2015 half-marathon was Kathryn Ross, with a time of 1:27:48. In 2014, the winner was Stephen Muange, who finished the 13.1 miles in 1:13:41, averaging 5:38 per mile.
Petersen said it should be slightly cooler on race day than in the past week, but the daytime high is still expected to be above 90 degrees. She said she is looking forward to the race, and many runners have already been running the course to prepare.
“We’re trying to cowboy it up again this year,” Petersen said.
jacobk@the-journal.com