By Rich Castro
Cross Country running was integral to my personal running career, and by extension an important component for the success of the Boulder Road Runners. We’ve been building teams for USATF cross country events since the ‘90s. Many of us can attest to the satisfaction that comes with being part of something greater than yourself.
Pursuing a common goal
Rich Castro, #187, races with the BRR M60’s team, who won the USATF Club XC Championship in 2010 in Charlotte, NC.
For me, it started with joining the junior varsity XC team in high school introduced me to the concept of bonding through a shared experience. I learned how the whole could be greater than the sum of its parts. I remember being mobbed by my teammates at the end of our last high school race in Palo Alto, CA on November 19, 1964; I finished strong that day as the 5th scorer for our team. It was a great feeling knowing I contributed that day to the success of the group.
In 1976, I was thrust into becoming the inaugural cross country coach for the CU women’s team under Title IX. During those first two years I learned some invaluable lessons on how to bring together a group of individuals with no previous connection, and forge a bond in pursuit of a common goal. As many of our BRR race teams well know, often a shared triumph is more richly savored than an individual accomplishment.
BRR’s first team race
Sandy Cranny, mother of Olympian Elise Cranny, races on the BRR W40’s team at the National Cross Country Champs in 2007 in Boulder.
In 1978, I became a manager for the Frank Shorter Racing Team and also began formulating the concept of a local running club to enjoy the experiences I witnessed within the Shorter group. Training as a group was a great bonding experience for the blossoming running club that was to become the BRR. I immediately looked for opportunities for team-oriented racing. In 1980 the BRR entered the first US Club Roadracing Championships on Fiesta Island in San Diego. Going in we didn’t realize that we were in way over our heads! All the other clubs, with the exception of one, were nationally sponsored groups. However, regardless of results, the collective endeavor brought us closer together, and the BRR continued to grow stronger as a club.
XC successes abound
Fast forward to the 90’s and running is big business! Companies are looking to connect with the average runner, and our national governing body is looking to expand experiences for runners outside the elite level. Masters running was expanding, clubs were popping up all over the country, so the USATF introduced the Club XC Championships. I pledged our support and the BRR became a regular participant at the events. We had some interesting adventures along the way: competing on frozen courses in Indianapolis, a mud fest in Houston, and a roller coaster course with man-made hills in Portland. The first BRR first National Championship came in 2008, in Spokane, WA. It’s even more memorable because it was conducted during a blizzard!
The BRR W70’s team wins the USATF National XC Championships in 2010 in Spokane, WA.
The BRR should be proud of the fact that we are the only club in the nation to enter a team in every division at one national championship event. This was in 2007, when Boulder played host to the Club XC Championships. The BRR fielded boy’s and girl’s junior teams, as well as a men’s and women’s team in every contested age group category! Many of you were there, and we share great memories.