For those friends in the running community, I just learned that Jane Welzel passed away. I have pasted in the article on her death. Jane was a warm, kind person and a tough competitor. Her passing is a loss for our community . Jane Welzel, a five-time Olympic Marathon Trials participant, race director of the Mountain Avenue Mile and Bacon Strip Races and one of the pioneers of the womens running movement, died Sunday after a brief battle with cancer. She was 59. A Hopkinton, Massachusetts, native, Welzel moved to Fort Collins in 1989, drawn to Colorado because of its well-regarded running culture. Shed quickly become a lynchpin in the tight knit running community, organizing Tuesday Night Track interval workouts at Colorado State Universitys Jack Christiansen Track and starting the popular Mountain Avenue Mile race. She gave so much of herself to the local running community. She was so motivational and inspirational and was very genuine. She will be remembered by her passion and generosity to the running community, said Fort Collins triathlete Wendy Mader. And everyone loved her Boston accent; she never picked up on the Colorado accent. Welzel grew up watching the famous Boston Marathon, a race that didnt allow women to participate until 1972. She ran Boston as a 19-year-old in 1975. Nine years later, she ran in the historic 1984 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials, a first for women, who hadnt been allowed to run the marathon in the Olympics. That same year after the Olympic Trials, a car crash broke her neck, leaving Welzel in a body cast for three months. She recovered, and in 1988, ran in the Olympic Marathon Trials for the second time. Runners World named her Comeback Runner of the Year. She was inducted into the Colorado Running Hall of Fame in 2013. A professional counselor, Welzel specialized in therapy for eating disorders, sports psychology, couples counseling and personal growth. Her local races benefited education programs and nonprofits raising awareness of eating disorders. Longtime runner Tom Riggs first met Welzel in the early 1990s and remembers watching her speak at a marathon seminar at Foot of the Rockies. It was fascinating to hear her speak. She was talking about running marathons at a 5-minute pace and I thought that was amazing, said Riggs who would occasionally join Welzel on the track for interval workouts. She could be quite the driver. She could get you to work. I remember when I was at my peak for marathoning, I was at the track feeling pretty good about some 800s Id done. Then comes Jane and Libbie (Hickman). These two good-looking, fast women blew me off the track. Riggs also got to know Jane the therapist over the last few years as she helped him through his numerous spinal surgeries that forced him to give up running. Running was such a huge part of my life for so long and I wasnt dealing with it too well, Riggs said. But she understood me so well. We had that connection of running. She had broken her neck. She could relate to what I was going through and had a great way of listening and helping you deal through stuff. I will miss our talks. James said Welzel made the very best of her final days of life. She went on hikes with her partner, Doug Mason, summiting Horsetooth Rock this summer. In June, Welzel organized a social outing in Lory State Park — her favorite place to run — where her friends could visit throughout the day, sharing laughs and stories. James went to see Welzel that day in Lory State Park, and she brought a mutual friend. I was flying back to Denver from running a race and I shared the flight with Melody Fairchild (Boulder runner known for her stellar high school career), so I told her about Jane and she said Ive got to see her, James said. This function at Lory State Park was that afternoon, and Melody said shed give me a ride to Fort Collins, so we went to see Jane together. Diagnosed with an aggressive form of pancreatic cancer in April, Welzel wasnt allowed to have physical contact, so hugs werent an option. So, Melody says, Well, were going to be near you then. And thats what we did, we all circled around Jane to be close to her, James said. Melody called it a circle of love. It was a really emotional moment. We all loved her and will miss miss her.
Posted on: Tue, 02 Sep 2014 10:55:26 +0000
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