GRAND JUNCTION, Colo.— In the first official race on the new Colorado Mesa University on-campus track, 2017 IAAF World Champion and 2016 Olympic Bronze Medalist Emma Coburn broke the Colorado state mile record on Saturday night as she headlined an elite field at the Team Boss Colorado Mile.
The event, which christened the new facility on the CMU campus, was a call to action by Coburn and her training group and raised funds for the Sachs Foundation, which provides scholarships for Black and African American students in Colorado.
Coburn, the World Champion in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, completed the women's race in four minutes, 32.72 seconds as she and two other training partners ran the fastest ever women's mile times on Colorado history. Laura Thweatt was second in 4:33.39 while Danielle Jones, the former state soil record holder, was third in 4:34.50.
Jamaican Olympian and 2018 Commonwealth Games Champion Aisha Praught-Leer was fourth in 4:38.33.
Morgan McDonald, a multiple-time World Championship participant for his native Australia, won the later men's race, hampered by some wind gusts, in 4:02.07 as he came just short of breaking the men's state soil record of 4:01.00. Recent Niwot High School graduate Cruz Culpepper finished third in 4:08.80 in a bid to become the first Colorado high schooler to ever go under the 4-minute barrier, which is a mountain that has yet to be conquered by anyone inside Colorado's borders.
The races were broadcast on FloTrack and Milesplit (subscription required). Post-race Interviews with Coburn and McDonald can also be seen at the links above.
Team Boss had training for the event at nearly 9,000 feet of elevation in Coburn and husband/coach Joe Bosshard's hometown of Crested Butte. The effort has raised more than $30,000 to date, surpassing the goal of $20,000, according to the group's pledge website.
That website outlines the history of the Sachs Foundation and why Team Boss staged the event, with the assistance of the CMU Track & Field program and athletic department.
"Each of us understands that the ability to choose our dreams is a privilege. The opportunity to pursue or passions is the heartbeat of this team and we aim to spread it on our community," Team Boss stated on their campaign website. "To underline our commitment to what is now the world's largest civil rights for Sachs Foundation, whose mission is to provide educational opportunities to Black and African American residents of Colorado."
The website goes on to explain that, "The Sachs Foundation was first envisioned in 1927 when Henry Sachs promised family friend Effie Stroud, the top student at Colorado Springs High School, that he would pay for her to attend Colorado College. Mr. Sachs personally supported Effie, but it was her brother Dolphus who became the first official Sachs Foundation scholar.
"Dolphus Stroud was a phenomenal student and accomplished middle distance runner who qualified for the 1928 Olympic Trials. Dolphus was denied many opportunities because of his race: joining his high school track team, living in the dorms at Colorado College and riding the USOC train to the Olympic Trials in Boston. None of the above deterred his spirit. Dolphus walked and hitchhiked from Colorado Springs to Boston, arriving a mere six hours before the 5000m Trials Final. He made it 2400m before collapsing due to fatigue and undernourishment. Dolphus remained undeterred. He worked and trained for the summer in Cambridge before starting school and running track at Colorado College. Dolphus earned academic honors and a place in the CC Sports Hall of Fame.
"His story inspires us to step up for our Colorado community. We hope you can join us in supporting Sachs Foundation to continue their storied history of providing opportunities for Black students in Colorado."
More information about the Sachs Foundation can be found at
www.sachsfoundation.org.
