Texan Kelsey Persyn win Aspen Backcountry Marathons

Kelsey Persyn went to eBay for the backpack she used in Saturday's Aspen Backcountry Marathon. Living up to its price tag — about $4 — it was essentially unraveling at the seams in the sunny, warm weather. Of course, she bought it not knowing how this trail running thing would go. Now, she might have to use her winner's check on some nicer gear. "Time to upgrade now," the native Texan said with a laugh. "It feels pretty cool. It's something I didn't expect, but I'm really happy that it happened. It kind of fueled my fire. I really want to get more into trail racing." Persyn, 22, was the top female finisher in Saturday's full marathon, which was essentially a 26-mile loop around — and up and over — Red Mountain, finishing at Rio Grande Park. She completed the race in 3 hours, 57 minutes, 55.71 seconds, which was good for 10th overall. This wasn't Persyn's first win in Aspen, as she also won the 2016 Aspen Valley Half Marathon, a road race, in 1:24:31. She ran track and cross country at Texas A&M before graduating this past May. She has been working as a park ranger at Rocky Mountain National Park this summer, and plans to make the move to Colorado more permanent

posted Monday August 13th