John Victoria, 57, won his age group and placed 26th in a competitive field at the 5K on St. Patrick's Day run in Colorado Springs. Victoria is the Runners Roost Runner of the Month.

John Victoria rolled out of bed at 5:30 a.m. on an early April morning, had a cup of coffee and headed out the door into the wind and snow.

Colorado Springs' fickle springtime weather was not going keep him from his morning run.

"You know it wasn't that bad," said Victoria. "I actually felt like I was over dressed."

It's that kind of determination that keeps Victoria moving down the road - or trail. He'll celebrate his 58th birthday in May, but still runs among the leaders in area races. And he's nearly unbeatable in his age group. He loves to line up and go for it.

"I'm either challenging myself or the other guys out there," Victoria said. "I love when I finish up with guys half my age ... and they find it hard to believe that I'm still able to run with them. I don't plan on stopping any time soon."

For his longevity in the sport and his competitive spirit, Victoria has been named the Runners Roost Runner of the Month. The Runner of the Month program is a combined effort of Runners Roost, Mizuno Shoes and PikesPeakSports.us. As Runner of the Month, Victoria will receive a new pair of Mizuno running shoes.

Read about former Runners Roost Runners of the Month here.

Victoria grew up surfing Hawaii's waves. He never cared for ball sports, but was blessed with a runner's body, thin and strong. He started running in June, 1978. And yeah, he remembers the exact date. He lived in California and enjoyed skiing, but admits he struggled  at elevation.

"So I started running slowly," he said. "I'd jog around the block a couple of times. Next thing I knew, I was really enjoying it."

Sixteen years and many miles later, Victoria posted a time of 2:44 in the 1994 Pikes Peak Ascent. He said it is one of the highlights of his running career.

He hasn't slowed down much. In March he placed 26th overall and won his age group in the competitive 5K on St. Patrick's Day 5K in Colorado Springs. He finished in 18:30, and made it look easy.

See Victoria's race results

"Here in the Springs I can pretty much always win my age group," Victoria said. "But up north, Denver, Boulder and Fort Collins, there is a little more competition."

He maintains friendly rivalries with his age-group peers Doug Bell of Greeley, Pablo Vigil of Loveland, and Kyle Hubart of Broomfield. Vigil, invited Victoria to join his team to compete in the famous Sierre Zinal 32K mountain race in Switzerland. It's an experience Victoria will never forget.

"You have one mile of a paved road for a warm up, then you get on the trail and it goes up for six miles," Victoria said. "It just gets steeper and steeper. I was power walking it, everybody was walking. At one point, you had to grab whatever you could to keep moving. It was a grind."

That same year, he notched one of his biggest finishes, placing third in his age group in the Masters World Mountain Running Championships in Poland.

"It felt good to be on that podium, representing the USA," he said.

And the party afterward wasn't bad. After a few beers he felt like a celebrity, shaking hands with some of Europe's elite runners.

Victoria lives in the Skyway neighborhood and logs about 50 miles a week, usually on Gold Camp Road, Cheyenne Canon, the Santa Fe Trail or in the Garden of the Gods.

"I love it in the Garden of the Gods, but after 80 or 90 minutes there I'm whipped pretty good."
He offers sage advice to new runners.

"Everyone is a little different, but it's important to start off easy, manage your miles. Don't overdue it or you'll get injured," he said. "Keep running and stay focused on your goal."