More than twenty Telluride runners traveled to lower elevations last weekend to participate in the fourth annual Mt. Sneffels Half-Marathon, tackling the 13.1-mile course between Ouray and Ridgway along with more than 150 other runners.

Telluride runner Paul Reich put his veteran 40-49 year-old age group in the limelight with his capture of the race's overall first place title, winning the event with a time of 1:24:05.

Elizabeth Heerwagen also took top honors on Saturday, crossing the finish line as the fifth woman overall and third in her 20-29 age group with her time of 1:41:49.

Other Telluride runners also put on a good show on Saturday, taking top spots in most age divisions. Chris Howe took his second sixth-place overall finish in a row, and first place for his 20-29 year-old age group, with a time of 1:30:05; only thirty seconds off last year's time. Telluride's Cinda Simons, Jill Burchmore and Carrie Koenig all ended up in the top five for their 30-39 age division, as did Christine Tschinkel in her 40-49 age division.

Conrad and Tina Rauh both finished in the top three in their 50-59 age division, taking first and third, respectively, while Rhoda Green finished first in her 60-69 age class.

While giving their legs and lungs a workout, the racers raised funds for Ouray County's Mt. Sneffels Education Foundation.

Gail Callahan, administrator for that organization, reported that the 2004 Mt. Sneffels Half-Marathon raised close to $14,500 for the regional education program; a figure that was right on target with their 2004 goal.

"This is an important event for the education foundation, as it is one of only two of our big fundraisers for the year," Callahan said. The foundation's next fundraiser is a silent auction, to be held next month.

Callahan explained that the mission of the Mt. Sneffels Education Foundation is to help provide educational experiences to kids in Ouray County who may not otherwise be able to afford them; every year, the Mt. Sneffels Education Foundation is responsible for funding select Ouray and Ridgway school field trips, providing assistance to the Boy Scouts, and helping send Ouray County High School juniors to Washington D.C. to participate in the Close Up program, a nationwide program that brings high schoolers from around the country to the nation's capital to explore the Capitol, visit national memorials, visit their representatives in Congress, and more.

Telluride's Nevasca Realty and First National Bank were among the major sponsors of the event.

"I hope to see this event continue to grow – we would eventually like to see up to 400 runners make it to this race," Callahan said. "I hope all you runners out there keep this event in mind for next year, as it is a really fun race for a great cause."