Colorado Runners Dominate 2003 USATF Mountain & Ultrarunner Awards

December 10, 2003

For outstanding performances in a variety of venues, USATF’s Mountain Ultra Trail Running Council (MUT) selected four
Colorado runners representing open and masters age divisions in the mountain and ultra categories as winners of these
prestigious awards. “We have a very competitive group of talented mountain runners and ultrarunners to select from
nationally,” says Colorado Springs resident Nancy Hobbs, Chair of the MUT Council, “but Colorado runners came out on
top this year earning four of the eight awards.”

USATF mountain and ultrarunners of the year were voted for by the 15-member MUT Council from nominees who ran
exemplary performances at USATF National Championships, international competitions, selection races, and other
significant events between November 1, 2002 and October 31, 2003. An additional requirement is that each nominee be a
current USATF member. MUT members are appointed by USATF Men's, Women's, and Master's Long Distance Running
Committee Chairs and the MUT Council Chair but anyone can nominate a MUT runner for a USATF award by contacting the
MUT Council. The athletes were presented awards at the Sheraton Greensboro at Four Seasons in Greensboro, North
Carolina during a breakfast banquet at the Annual USATF Convention on Saturday, December 6. This year’s Colorado
award winners included:

Joe Kulak - (35) Lakewood, CO. Kulak completed six 100-mile trail races throughout the country from June through
September shattering ultra legend Marshall Ulrich’s 14-year old record for the “Last Great Race Series” by 14 hours. 
Finishing no less than sixth place in each of these races, Kulak won the Old Dominion 100 in Virginia in June and the
Vermont 100 in July. Four of these races comprise the “Grand Slam of Ultrarunning” in which Kulak shattered Ian
Torrence’s aggressive 2001 record by over 3 hours. For these outstanding performances, Kulak is honored with the Ted
Corbitt Award.

Anita Ortiz - (39) Eagle, Colo. had an extraordinary year in spite of some early season injuries. Ortiz earned her spot on
her second Teva US Mountain Running Team with a win at the Alyeska Mountain Run in Girdwood, Alaska on August 9. 
Her incredible eighth place finish at the World Mountain Running Trophy was the best finish by a US woman since 1995, the first year the US sent a women's team to the Worlds, and the only time a US woman has cracked the top 10. Ortiz was
victorious at the inaugural USA National Mountain Running Championships in Vail, CO in July and also defended her title at
the Pikes Peak Ascent in August. She is a graduate of Colorado State University, a kindergarten teacher, and mother of four
school-aged children.

Bernie Boettcher - (40) Silt, Colo. is one of the most recognizable runners in Colorado competing nearly every weekend and consistently finishing as a top master and often winning events outright. In 2003 Boettcher won the masters divisions at Pikes Peak Ascent and the Pikes Peak Marathon – on the same weekend. He competed in two of the Teva US Mountain Running Team selection races, the Teva Spring Runoff where he finished ninth, and the Alyeska Mountain Race in Alaska where he finished fifth. He also traveled to the World Mountain Running Trophy in September to run in the open race where he finished fourth overall, first master. Boettcher is a freelance writer and artist whose designs have appeared on numerous race T-shirts.

Kari DiStefano - (44) Telluride, Colo. USATF Mountain Runner of the Year in 2001 and last year’s masters mountain
runner of the year, earned a berth on the Teva US Mountain Running Team with a win at the Teva Spring RunOff in Vail. 
She was the second master finisher at the USA Mountain Running Championships and fourth overall. DiStefano, a mapper
for San Miguel County, and mother of three, finished second at the competitive Barr Trail Mountain Race on Pikes Peak in
July. 

This is the fifth year for the USATF Mountain Runner of the Year awards. Past winners include Colorado athletes Danelle
Ballengee, Matt Carpenter, Cindy O'Neill, New England runners Craig Fram, Dave Dunham, and Eric Morse. Ultrarunner of
the Year awards have been presented since 1990 and include masters ultrarunner Theresa Daus-Weber of Littleton, the 1992
Leadville Trail 100 champion and Chad Ricklefs of Boulder, the Leadville Trail 100 record holder.

For more information about USATF mountain/ultra/trail running, the MUT Council, and the runner of the year awards, visit,
http://www.cerritos.edu/lgersitz/MUT/Home.html .

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Last updated: 09/14/05
Web Author: Lorraine Gersitz