Runner pushes on downhill to take women's title in race from Basalt to Carbondale

Mary Coté also took fourth overall while Bernie Boettcher captured first CARBONDALE, Colorado — Mary Coté spotted Julia Bensen tailing close behind about nine miles into Saturday’s Mount Sopris Runoff and took off. Coté hadn’t been having the best of races — by her standards, anyway. “I knew the first mile I was too tired to race hard,” the Basalt resident and reigning Runoff champ, conceded. “All of a sudden I came over the top and saw a woman behind me, so I took off on the downhill.” Calling upon reserve energy — and a fiery competitive streak — Coté tore up the 16.5-mile Runoff’s stretch run to win the women’s crown with a time of 2 hours and 58 seconds. “Once I saw her, I was like, ‘Come on, this is a race.’ I said ‘OK, I’m going to turn it on,’” said the 44-year-old runner, who competed at the U.S. Olympic marathon... [read full story]