VALPARAISO | With a freshly twisted ankle and an aching quadriceps muscle, all Richard Gutierrez could think about Saturday morning was making his 7-year-old daughter happy.
Upset that her father didn't win last weekend's Valparaiso Mini-Marathon, Theresa Maria pleaded with Richard to win Saturday's Taltree Ten, a 10-mile race through the Aberdeen Arboretum.
Gutierrez came up short during the race, finishing third behind newcomer Matt Tupta (58:40) and veteran Paul Danger (59:14), but the East Chicago resident crossed the finish line in 59:52, good enough to capture the Valparaiso Progressive Marathon title.
"I really wanted to win this race because my daughter was mad at me from last weekend," Gutierrez said. "Hopefully she'll be happy (with the Progressive title)."
Gutierrez edged Portage native Phillip Nafus by more than seven minutes in the Progressive Marathon, which included Saturday's Taltree Ten, last weekend's Valparaiso Mini-Marathon and the Ringing In Spring 5K race from earlier this month.
Gutierrez twisted his ankle in the early portion of the race. Then in the third mile his quad muscle started to send a searing pain through his leg.
"I just tried to keep pacing myself and even if I didn't win the 10-mile race, I felt like I could stay ahead with the marathon race," Gutierrez said. "I was just trying to prove a point. Last year I had an Achilles' injury that nearly ended my career and I had a torn hip that could have ended my career."
Gutierrez won the Taltree Ten in both 2006 and 2007, but sat out last year while rehabbing.
Karen Nagel (1:04:55) continued to set the mark as the best female runner in Northwest Indiana with her fourth Taltree Ten title in six years. The Chesterton resident finished in first place in all three Progressive Marathon races and finished fourth overall, more than 12 minutes behind Gutierrez.
Saturday's race was held in stark contrast from last year's muddy run through the Arboretum. Picturesque conditions led to a race-record 344 entrants and led to smiles all around, especially from race director Todd Henderlong.
"It certainly doesn't hurt us to have a nice day," Henderlong said. "Who I'm really happy for are our volunteers. The runners are going to race regardless, but the nice weather makes it much easier for our volunteers to help out."
