Running shoes are his trade mark, and Richard (Rich) Castro has certainly put Boulder on the international running map with the top runners he has recruited for the annual Bolder Boulder race. As Professional Athletes Coordinator, he has brought racers from Africa , South America and European and Asian countries.

Rich has been associated with the Bolder Boulder since 1979 (when he first ran in the Memorial Day race) and has coached winners in the citizen's race, the wheelchair race, and in the elite divisions. He has also served as distance coach for Ecuador in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, as track coach for the U.S. Army World Class Athlete Program, as Global Athletics Consultant for Reebok International and as Road Racing Athletes Consultant for Nike Inc.

He has presented track and field clinics in Mexico City , Brazil , Rotterdam Holland, and Quito , Ecuador .

However, he is just as proud of his work with CU students, with Boulder Valley children and with the Boulder Road Runners Club, which over the years has provided recreational running, numerous running and family events, and training for beginners and serious competitors of all ages. The club has grown from its founding in 1973 to a present membership of 745. One of the many awards that he is proud of is the “Inspiration Award for the Columbine Mile Marathon” presented by Columbine Elementary School at the 15 th anniversary in 1992.

He has served as race director for numerous local events, including CU races, the Nike High Altitude Challenge, the Rocky Mountain Shootout Cross Country Meet, the Run for the Roses, 4 th of July Run, the Boulder Memorial Hospital races, and several national meets.

Rich retired this summer as director of intramural sports for the University of Colorado 's Student Recreation Center , a position he held from 1973 to 2006. Through the years at CU, he has served as assistant men's track coach, head women's cross country and track coach, and in many capacities with the CU Recreation Center.

Rich and his wife, Patti, have been married 25 years. He came to CU after serving in the Peace Corps in Morocco , and received a Masters Degree in 1973. Rich and Patti's son, Antonio, received his degree with honors from CU in 2005. Son Greg, a CU senior, is on the men's track team.