Runner of the Month: Susan Boyle

Susan Boyle was recognized by Green Events staff as a regular runner in several races a year, most likely leaving an impression through her smile and obvious enjoyment of the race (uhm, see photos).

Susie is a coach at Manic Training in Fort Collins and participates in many races on the Manic Team. A former athlete of several sports including, softball, volleyball, and rock climbing, she completely embraces the benefits of fitness offering this advice, “just keep coming back, you’ll never regret showing up and putting in the work, even if you’re sore.” Her consistently focused mentality is demonstrated by her choice of favorite exercises – pull-ups! Saying, “they are by far the hardest full-body exercise (for me) and mastering them has been an ongoing struggle. I get to start from scratch again since fracturing my clavicle and hope to excel further and perfect my form”. This attitude is probably the reason she regularly wins race awards and is sure to make her a success in her future goals of; deep water soloing, completing three Spartan races in one year (trifecta), finishing a triathlon, and running more relays and races with the Manic Tribe.

We could all benefit from a dose of inspiration from Susie, look for her crushing it at future races, and in the gym motivating other athletes to push themselves and steadily improve.

Volunteer of the Month: Debi Powell

“Volunteering is the ultimate exercise in democracy. You vote in elections once a year, but when you volunteer, you vote every day about the kind of community you want to live in.” – Author Unknown

Without volunteers we would not have races and as a race organizer we depend on an army of race day volunteers to make events run smoothly and safely. Debi Powell is not only a volunteer but an integral contributor to all of the Green Events races. She works many hours during “race week”; the 3-4 days leading up to a race, race day, and the 3-4 days it takes to clean-up and re-organize after a race. Debi brings decades of event experience as both a participant and race staff. Her great talent is that she has the mindset to always be thinking how to improve whatever she is working on. Her ideas have consistently contributed to improving our events and the participant experience.

Debi has been an endurance athlete participating in events for years, ever since running cross country in high school. She started volunteering for races in the early 1990s and as she learned to appreciate a well-organized event she wanted to see and be a part of the organization side that makes events happen. Since volunteering she says, “you gain a new appreciation of the volunteers, race directors, police officers, and all the details you don’t recognize as a participant until you work an event. But, the best part of volunteering is when you know it’s someone’s first race and you see them finish and share in their accomplishment because you know you were part of it”. And the added bonus is that “runners are generally awesome people and I like to be around them” says Debi. We whole heartily agree and volunteers like Debi truly make Fort Collins the community we want to live in!

Ambassador of the Month: Lynette Johnson

Lynette is an ambassador of all things running and participates in more races than we can keep track of. The official count last year was 33 and her list of planned races before COVID-19 hit was not short, but a 50k trail race was at the top of that 2020 list of goals. New to the Ambassador team this year, Lynette brings an enthusiasm not only for running but what we like to call, Sustainable Fun! She combines her passions for fitness and environmental stewardship by routine plogging (picking up trash during a run) along the many trails of the Fort Collins foothills and spending hours on Horsetooth Reservoir picking up trash during her stand-up paddle board outings. If only all outdoor enthusiasts were as conscientious as Lynette, we wouldn’t have any trash to pick up, but fortunately we have people like her who consistently keep the trails and waters clean during their daily activities.

Lynette retired 4 years ago after 31 years of service at the CSU Veterinary teaching Hospital as a Veterinary Technician and Equine Surgery Supervisor. She absolutely loves animals, and takes care of: 2 dogs, 2 goats, 2 burros, 2 horses, 5 cats, about 40ish chickens, and a swarm of bees on her Lots of Spots Farm. She has overcome a lot and made quite a recovery in the past two years since having an L4L5 spinal fusion surgery in December 2017. This past weekend she accomplished her goal of running her first 50k completing more than the distance at the Night Crawler Endurance Challenge in Casper, Wyoming running an 8+ mile loop course for 12 hours through the dark night on trails. “I feel like I have come a long way since my back surgery; I am so grateful for every step I can take” she said after finishing the race.

If she is not out running, picking up trash, recycling, volunteering, or tending to animals, you can find her quilting, doing yard work, puzzles, and playing ball and running with her dog Riley.