Agent

Worked as agent or coordinated altitude training for 15 medalists in WC and Olympics including:

– Three Olympic women’s marathon gold medals

– Three World Championships women’s marathon gold medals

– Champions of all six races that have become the World Marathon Majors

– Three World Marathon Majors Series Champion winners

The athletes Brendan represented have won hundreds of track and road races and marathons around the world, and national championships in their own countries.

Helped about dozen athletes get their green cards and/or US citizenship.

Represented athletes from at least ten countries: Japan, Romania, Kenya, South Africa, Burundi, Scotland, England, USA, Moldova, Israel.

Training Camps (predominantly altitude training)

Best known for helping the Japanese but over the years, Brendan set up training logistics for athletes from at least 15 countries: Japan, Romania, Italy, UK, South Africa, Australia, USA, Ireland, Germany, Korea, Latvia, Canada, Russia, Belgium, Netherlands.

Set up logistics for between 3,000 and 3,500 athletes and coaches from around the world. This also meant over the years Brendan introduced several hundred athletes to running in Colorado.

Running

Began running in Spring of his senior year of high school, with 8th in New England prep schools two-mile championships

Ran just one semester each of cross-country, indoor track, and outdoor track at Boston College, then joined the Greater Boston Track Club. Coached by Bill Squires, among others. Won about a dozen races in New England, Japan, Singapore, and Austria.

Reached the 100,000 lifetime miles club back in 2015 

Currently running with Mark Plaatjes and his Gijima club in Boulder.

By coincidence, the week of this year’s HoF ceremonies will mark the start of my 50th year of running.

Frank Mencin covered every aspect of the sport: running, coaching, he did it all. An alumnus of Western State College (now Western Colorado University), Frank made history in 1973 by becoming the school’s first All-American runner with a 12th-place finish at the NCAA Division II Cross Country Championships. A versatile competitor in track and Nordic skiing, he transitioned into an elite marathoner post-college, clocking a 2:20:14 at the 1978 Nike-OTC Marathon to qualify for the 1980 Olympic Trials

Frank’s coaching career was equally storied, beginning in Leadville in 1976 before moving to Lake County High School, where he led the boys’ and girls’ cross-country teams to a combined 14 state championships between 1980 and 1990. Even during a 1982 sabbatical, he demonstrated championship leadership by guiding the WCU men’s team to their first RMAC title, earning Coach of the Season honors. 

A 1992 nomination for National High School Cross Country Coach of the Year shows that Frank was a leader even among leaders. He moved into school administration, serving as Principal of Frisco Elementary (1991-1999) and later Summit High School (1999-2005).

Early Years
Dan King’s running journey began during the track season of his junior year of high school, where he quickly developed into one of Colorado’s top two-milers. That early success gave him the confidence to walk on at CU Boulder, where he earned varsity letters in both cross country and track.

Running as a Masters Athlete (M50, M55)
His competitive fire reignited as a masters. After turning 50, Dan surprised even himself by winning the M50 gold medal at the World Cross Country Championships in Sacramento in 2011. As an M55, he claimed his first USATF National Cross Country Championship and his first USATF National Club Cross Country Championship — both in 2015 — and added a bronze medal in the 5000m at the World Track & Field Championships that same year.

After Turning 60: World-Class Masters Running
It is in his 60s, however, that Dan has truly distinguished himself as one of the finest masters runners in the world. He made history as the first person over 60 to break the 4:50 barrier in the mile, setting a world record in the process, and has gone on to set 16 USATF national age group records across the M60 and M65 divisions.
M60 Records
Road Mile 4:59.7
Mile (outdoor) 4:51.4
3000m (outdoor) 9:57.7
5000m (outdoor) 16:48.7
15K 54:30
10 Mile 58:36
1 Hour Run 16,455m

M65 Records
Road Mile 5:10.0
Mile (outdoor) 5:04.5
Mile (indoor) 5:09.5
1500m (outdoor) 4:43.5
1500m (indoor) 4:48.2
3000m (outdoor) 10:08.9
3000m (indoor) 10:24.5
5000m (outdoor) 17:38.9
10,000m (outdoor) 36:15.7

His dominance in cross country has been equally remarkable. Since turning 60, Dan has recorded podium finishes in all 12 national and world cross country championship events he has entered, capturing 8 gold medals along the way. He is the reigning WMA M65 8K Cross Country champion and the reigning WMA M65 1500m champion. Dan closed 2025 as the #1 ranked M65 athlete in the world in five track and field events — the indoor and outdoor mile, 3000m, 5000m, and 10,000m — a testament to his extraordinary consistency and longevity at the highest levels of masters competition. He was recently recognized by USATF Masters as 2025 National Middle Distance Athlete of the Year and National Distance Athlete of the Year.

Andrea transformed the Denver Colfax Marathon from the brink of financial collapse to a titan of the endurance sports world, now one of the nation’s top 25 marathon weekends. Under Andrea, the Colfax Marathon grew participation from 4,000 to 27,000 runners and established the largest marathon relay in the U.S., complete with an innovative $175,000 charity prize pool. Her tenure was defined by strategic infrastructure shifts, securing the official “Denver” naming rights and redesigning courses to feature iconic landmarks like the Denver Zoo and Empower Field. Andrea secured high-profile partnerships with major brands like Cigna, asics, CommonSpirt, Altra, Walker & Dunlop, and Google Fiber.

A recognized authority in the field, Andrea was named the 2022 Endurance Sports Professional of the Year by NCS4 and has served as a keynote faculty member for Road Race Management, specializing in crisis communication and sponsorship. Beyond the marathon, Andrea’s career is rooted in over 30 years of international logistics and executive leadership, including spearheading Worldwide Sports Marketing for The Walt Disney Company and managing operations at Kodak’s European Headquarters. Whether coordinating a 2,500-person “Runway Run” at DEN that sold out in 13 hours or drafting the COVID-19 operational guidelines adopted by the State of Colorado, Andrea consistently turns complex logistical challenges into record-breaking triumphs.

Key Highlights Included:

• Scale:
  • Grew event participation from 4,000 runners to 27,000 runners
  • Marathon Relay that is the largest in the US.
  • Created a charity partners program that is a free platform, with 150 charities each year entering runners and raising money for their cause
• Philanthropy: Supported 150+ charities annually through a free platform and a massive relay prize pool.
• Recognizing elite and talented runners
  • Started the High School Achievement Award program recognizing the top Colorado distance runners each year at the Colorado Running Hall of Fame evening.
  • Launched the Colorado Half Marathon Showdown, a prize pool for Colorado elite athletes as part of the Denver Colfax Marathon weekend.
• Industry Impact: Authored state-wide safety protocols and received the NCS4 Facility of Merit Award.

Global Reach: Orchestrated international sports marketing launches for Disney across Japan, Australia, and the U.S.

A standout distance runner from Denver West High School, Charlie established a dominant legacy early on as an All-City selection in both the mile and two-mile events, as well as a City Champion in cross country. At Metro State University, Charlie reached elite heights as a three-time NAIA All-American in the indoor mile, highlighted by back-to-back third-place finishes at the NAIA National Championships in 1983 and 1984. 

Charlie Blueback’s name remains etched in the record books as the current Metro State record holder in both the 1,500 meters and the 3,000 yards, while also still boasting the fourth-fastest mile in school history. Charlie remained a fixture in the local running scene as a consistent top-ten finisher in Colorado road races.

Charlie’s collegiate career earned him a 2017 Hall of Fame induction into the Metro State Hall of Fame

• ‘94 Junior Olympic Champion in the 1500m and 3000m
• ‘98 National HS Champion in the 2000m Steeplechase
• 8 X All-American and CU record holder in Mile & Steeplechase
• After CU, USA Champion in the 3000m Steeplechase in ’03 and 4X member of Team USA at World Championships
• PR’s include 3:56.75 (Mile), 8:15.69 (Steeple)