Although Pojoaque Pueblo’s 11th annual Butterfly Run was dominated by runners from Kenya, the spirit of the run is perhaps best exemplified by Bob Ingalls, of Albuquerque.
Ingalls turned 80 last month and was the oldest runner this year. He finished 134th out of a field of 151 runners with a time of 35 minutes, 38 seconds in the five-kilometer run, good enough for fourth place in the men’s 70-and-over division.
Asked what kept him going, Ingalls cited dedication.
“Doing it every day even when you don’t feel like it,” Ingalls said. “You meet the nicest people here.”
One of those people was Michelle Holland, of Chimayó.
“He should have his own age group,” she said.
Holland was waiting in line with Ingalls to collect her medal. Holland crossed the line in 24:55 to finish first in the women’s 50-54 age group and 46th overall.
“It was a birthday present,” Holland, who turned 50, said.
Ingalls was accompanied by his daughter Tracy, a ballet dancer, and son Bryce. Bryce, 38, competed in the five-kilometer and admitted that he is a reformed couch potato.
“They’re doing this for me for Father’s Day,” Bob Ingalls said.
Ingalls said he took up running when he was 53 after retiring from General Electric.
“I worked in a great big building, but I love the outdoors,” Ingalls said. “Another reason for running is it’s something you can do yourself. All you need is a pair of shoes.”
Kenyans swept the five-kilometer titles, with David Yego winning the men’s race in 14:10 and Caroline Rotich taking a rare double crown.
Rotich won the five-kilometer race less than an hour after her victory in the women’s 10-kilometer race, with a time of 34:28. Her countryman Kipmutai Cosmas won the men’s 10-kilometer race in 29:39, averaging an impressive 4:45 for each mile.
Despite the Kenyans’ dominance, local runners made an impressive showing.
Luis Chavez, of Santa Fe, went after three Kenyan runners at the start of the 10-kilometer race when they tried to separate from the pack. Although Cosmas, Moses Kororia and Junocei Basweti finished ahead of him, Chavez came in fourth with a time of 32:48, averaging 5:17 per mile.
Scott Valdez of Dixon took first place in the 30-34 age group of the 10-kilometer. He was 10th overall.
“We’ve got a good bunch of local runners,” Valdez said.
Pojoaque High School graduate Jacquelyne Gallegos came in second behind Rotich. Gallegos was a three-time Class AAA state cross country champion in 1997, 1999 and 2000 and she won the Butterfly Run five-kilometer in 2003 and 2004.