The annual Mancos Cowboy Half Marathon, 5K and Fun Run is Saturday, June 24, and Mancos Library Director Lee Hallberg is excited for the yearly library fundraiser.
“We’re really looking forward to it this year,” Hallberg said Monday. “We hope people come out and support the runners.”
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 June 24, Hallberg said. Registration is available at the race website, mancoshalfmarathon.com.
Race organizers dropped “Cowboy” from the name of the event last year, but it’s back for this year’s race. Hallberg said there was lots of feedback from library patrons and community members to keep “Cowboy” in the name.
This will be the second year that the library is organizing the race. The half-marathon also took place in 2014 and 2015 before the library took over.
Organizer Dana Petersen said the event will be a party at the library.
“We’re doing great,” she said. “We’re growing it from last year.”
The race will follow the same route as last year, starting at the library and moving south of Mancos on several county roads.
Last year, a total of 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 library staff members. In 2014, 62 people participated in the race.
Petersen said this year’s event is on pace to have more runners participating than last year. The oldest participant to register so far is 78, and the youngest runner is 10, she said.
More people will be eligible for prizes at this year’s race, Petersen said.
There will also be activities for kids at the library during the race day, and Green Table Cafe will provide food, Hallberg said. KSJD’s DJ Cannonball, aka Tom Yoder, will provide music entertainment and help with announcements during the event, Hallberg said.
Mancos Brewing Co. will be donating beer for a beer garden, Petersen said.
Many Mancos residents and businesses have contributed to make the race happen, Hallberg said.
“We’ve had a lot of wonderful support from the community,” he said.
jacobk@the-journal.com