Alan Culpepper left El Paso, Texas, in 1991 to run for the University of Colorado. He has been one of Boulder's top runners ever since, retiring as a two-time Olympian.

This month he moves to the San Diego area to work for Competitor Group, which stages the Rock 'n' Roll Marathons around the country. He will be director of operations for a few of their races, including the Rock 'n' Roll Denver Marathon Oct. 17.

Denver Post endurance writer John Meyer conducted a lengthy "exit" interview with Culpepper last week.

Q. What will you do for Competitor Group?

A. I'll be a director of operations, just the nuts and bolts of putting on events, which really suits my skill sets really well. I've been doing events since I was 12 years old, and I'm very analytically minded but detail-oriented. You have to have a certain eye for the perspective of what the runner experience should be. Given my background, it's a great fit. I'm excited about it and I'm excited to dive in.

What I like about this is that it directly pertains to the course itself, to the logistics of getting runners from Point A to Point B, safely and securely, that water stations are where they're supposed to be, that medical facilities are where they're supposed to be. It's a lot of planning with city officials, working with police departments, with fire and medical services. It's a lot of planning. To map out 26 miles and close down 26 miles of road is no small task.

Q. Over the past two years you've gained a better appreciation for the dedication of the recreational runner, haven't you?

A. If you go to any Competitor Rock 'n' Roll event, you get a real clear sense of that very, very quickly. These people are out there accomplishing something they never thought possible. A lot of people, they're doing another one, checking another city off that they've always wanted to do, but there's a big chunk of people who are doing this for the first time. And what's inspired me the most is seeing the benevolent piece of it, all the charities that are involved, just the huge amounts of money that are being raised.

That's the stuff that's hard to quantify and people forget when some bystander is irritated that their car has to be moved because it's parked on the course. You have to recognize this is a good thing. This is a good thing for a lot of people — 30,000-40,000 people. And it's a good thing for the city. These are great events that bring in a lot of revenue. It's for a good cause, and it's inspiring to see.

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