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At 32 years old, Boulder resident and Ecuadorian runner Silvio Guerra has spent a third of his life running in the Bolder Boulder, the annual display of speed held every Memorial Day since 1979. This year, Guerra is coming off a second place finish at the Boston Marathon on April 16 where he clocked a time of 2:10:07, a heart-breaking 24 seconds behind winner Lee Bong-Ju of South Korea.

Like his goal for the upcoming Bolder Boulder, Guerra went into Boston with a top five finish in mind.

"I trained hard and was able to come through on the day of the race," said Guerra of his performance. Guerra battled with Bong-Ju up to the last two miles where his legs were unable to respond to a final surge.

After the race in Boston, Ecuador celebrated and Guerra took a small break for ten days to start his recovery. With this year's Bolder Boulder a week away, Guerra said, "I'm not 100 percent recovered, but we'll see how things go."

Based on Guerra's past Bolder Boulder finishes, don't count him out of the mix or another top five finish. Guerra finished third last year in 29:54 and is perennially a top finisher in the race.

"Silvio knows how to train and knows his body. He's a smart runner," said Pro Athlete Coordinator Rich Castro. "He should be ready to do well."

Guerra grew up in San Gabriel, Ecuador, a town about forty miles from the Colombian border in the Andes Mountains. As a youth, he participated in many sports, including high school track and road races. But it wasn't until 1987, when he started to travel to races, that he realized running would be his career.

In 1988, Guerra came to Colorado for a training trip and to race in his first Bolder Boulder. By 1991, he had extended his annual training trip to four months. Ten years later, he is a Boulder homeowner who spends the better part of each year living and training here. He is currently awaiting a residence card, which will turn his year-round training grounds into a more permanent home.

A popular figure in Ecuador, Guerra holds national records in a wide range of distances, an impressive feat when considering the range of speed and endurance needed to run 3:43 for 1500m up to 2:09:47 for the marathon, with 13:30 for 5000m and 27:47 for 10,000m in between.

Guerra competed on his first Olympic team at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics where he ran the 10,000m. Since then, he has focused on the marathon and represented Ecuador in the event at the Sydney Olympics. Guerra aims to improve his time and place in the next Olympic marathon in Athens.

In the meantime, Guerra is looking forward to this year's Bolder Boulder, a race hard to miss for anyone who makes Boulder home. Guerra will lead an Ecuadorian team that includes his younger brother, Vladimir Guerra, and Franklin Tenorio.

"My brother is running well now," said Guerra. "The team should be fairly decent and strong."

With hopes for a top eight finish in the team competition, Guerra said the altitude, a factor for many teams coming up to Boulder's mile-high elevation, wouldn't affect the Ecuadorian runners.

"I was born at 10,000 feet," said Guerra. "And compared to Quito (where his teammates live), Boulder isn't very high at all."

After the Bolder Boulder, Guerra will focus on several races in South America and Japan before his season finale at the New York Marathon in November.

The elite men's race for the Bolder Boulder will start at 12:17 on Memorial Day in Folsom Field, preceded by the elite women at 11:35.

* This article appeared in the Colorado Daily (May 21, 2001).