Local running group run.Windsor to put on Weld County’s first ultramarathon. Here’s how to test your mettle.

By Dan England

Shawn Wherry was planning to run a 50-miler in Utah with Nick Mullen, and Mandy Mullen was jealous. 

She was “super” jealous, in fact, that her husband was going to run two marathons in one day with one of their favorite running buddies.

You might find this odd: Most people would not find this fun, and even less people would envy a spouse volunteering to do this to themselves. Mandy, and Nick, for that matter, are not most people. They admit it.

As it turns out, Wherry’s wife went into labor (how rude!), and Wherry made the painful but probably wise decision of forgoing the race to be with his wife. But he wanted to put his entry to use. 

Mandy Mullen runs along a trail. Courtesy photo.

“Mandy,” Wherry said, “you’re going to go run 50 miles.”

She had never run an ultramarathon before, which, you guessed it, is any race over a marathon. She’d definitely never run 50 miles before.

But she was ready. She’d challenged herself to run nearly 300 miles that month to help herself get over her jealousy. That happened to be a good training plan.

“I felt amazing the whole time,” Mandy said in an interview. 

Now she wants others to feel that way, and that, in part, is why she and Nick are hosting the first ultramarathon to take place in Weld County, as far as anyone knows. The Mullens are not mean: Believe it or not, running an ultra can make you feel great, too. They were inspired to hold one after watching people finish their first marathon when they held Windsor’s first marathon last year (again, as far as anyone knows). The Weld Your Mettle 50K is set for May 28. 

“It was amazing to see people do hard things,” Mullen said. “It gives you the strength to get through any hard thing in life.” 

The two have to lean on that knowledge as they run - no pun intended - run.Windsor, a coaching and race directing business. They started their group in 2017, and things were going really well. A woman’s group had 55 members and they were coaching in addition to Mandy running a gym, Fusion Fit. 

“COVID,” she said, “squashed all that.” 

She even closed her gym recently, selling most of it to Water Valley, but the couple has two children aged 9 and 7, plus her job at run.Windsor, plus there’s always training for ultras: She recently completed another one in Utah. Nick said, “something had to give.” 

The run.Windsor team poses for a photo at the 2021 Santa Catch race. Courtesy photo.

“The race series is where my passion is,” she said. “I knew nothing about putting on races, but after I did my first one, I knew this is what I wanted to do.” 

The May 28 race, which also includes a full marathon and two 7Ks, one of them a “ruck” (fitness buffs know what that is), is really just the start. run.Windsor will also host a Turkey Trot and Santa Catch (where you have to “catch” Santa), a mile and a patriotic race (on June 25, not July 4, but it’s the only one to offer a 10K as well) in addition to the Windsor Marathon on Oct. 9. 

They are slowly building their run group again, drawing decent numbers for free fun runs at Peculiar Ales and allowing men to run with them now. More than 40 have signed up for the marathon or ultra on May 28, so the Mullens aren’t the ones who enjoy running insanely long. 

In fact, the couple plans to try their first 100-miler together in Leadville in August. It should be fun. The race is one of the more iconic ultras in the country. And, of course, it takes place on their anniversary. 

To sign up

To sign up for the Weld Your Mettle Ultramarathon on May 28 — or any other race that day or this year — go to https://runwindsorco.com. There’s also information on free fun runs at Peculiar Ales in Windsor.