Tiffany Jehorek Photo
MEEKER | As spring starts to peek through and take hold, the spring sportsters young and old are able to get out of doors to train, compete, get the endorphins flowing, and enjoy the warmer weather. Running, a sport enjoyed by some, loathed by others, is not just a hobby. For Meeker’s Kenny Rinnick and Lisa Belmonte, it is a way of life.
The love for the sport “keeps me sane,” said Belmonte, “if I am having a bad day, I always feel better after I’ve gone for a run.”
Both Rinnick, a petroleum engineer, and Belmonte, a wildlife biologist, work for the Bureau of Land Management and can be seen around town practicing, training and doing what they love.
Rinnick, 35, grew up playing soccer and played all four years at the Montezuma-Cortez High School; he did not start track until his junior year. His passion for running grew from there. He later trained with collegiate athletes and running became part of his cultural identity.
“Academics come first with me,” Rinnick said. After graduating high school he went to the Colorado School of Mines for both his undergraduate and graduate studies. Running for Mines Rinnick commented that he was “never really one of their top guys, but I always did the work during the off-season and was never significantly injured.” At Mines it was common for Rinnick to run 80-90 miles per week, but his biggest accomplishment was training and still finishing both undergraduate and graduate school with Summa Cum Laude honors.
“If you allow it, running can open doors. For me it allowed me to stay motivated at Colorado School of Mines even when I was feeling the academic pressure, and to stay physically and socially active in different types of communities,” Rinnick said.
Rinnick still runs 50-60 miles per week, and being part of a board running community in Colorado that promotes competitiveness and well being keeps him going. He still competes in road races, such as the Kennebec Mountain Run, but he is looking into acquiring USA Track and Field coaching credentials. “My hope is that I may be able to start coaching in an official capacity for a college or club program, or even start my own club,” said Rinnick. More recently he has worked with high school age runners at Meeker High School, and is focusing on mentoring and acting as a training partner for collegiate and post-collegiate athletes.
Rinnick wraps up by saying that without his parents’ support, he would not be the person or runner that he is.
Belmonte, 50, is another staple to the Meeker running community. She began running when she was 15, ran in high school and college, but her passion developed in her mid-20s when she started running marathons. She now competes in ultra-marathons, 50Ks and 100Ks, and some of her biggest accomplishments are running in the Boston Marathon and finishing the 100K trail race last year.
“Running has been such a part of my daily routine for so long I cannot imagine not doing it,” commented Belmonte. “I guess running makes me happy and I am very grateful I have been able to do it all these years. I hope I am able to continue running for another 20-plus years!”
Belmonte has two great supporters, her sons Sam and Gabe. The coaching she has done has been for them in soccer when they were younger. Her sons run with her and Gabe has started running with the Barone Middle School cross country team. For Belmonte and her family running, biking, exercise, and a healthy lifestyle is a way of life.
When asked what advice she would give to a new runner, she says “have fun and enjoy what you do! Set realistic goals, but definitely don’t sell yourself short or underestimate what you can do. If you have a strong desire to do something you will find a way to get it done. I find running to be more mentally challenging than physically. Whether it is a 5K or a 100-miler, I think you have to prepare yourself both mentally and physically and accept that you will have moments of self-doubt. It can seem overwhelming when you look too far ahead, but I find that if you just take it mile by mile, before you know it, you have accomplished your goal and that is an amazing feeling.”
Information on Meeker’s running club will be posted once the schedule and details have been announced.
By Tiffany Jehorek | Special to the Herald Times
