KTRV Fox 12 Hundreds Beat Pete During BSU Fun Run

Hundreds Beat Pete During BSU Fun Run

Boise, Idaho -- Coach Chris Petersen may be a football hero, but hundreds of runners were confident they could take him down as part of the 5k Beat Pete Fun Run.

The trash talk started early, kicked of by Boise State University's Peterson himself and his fans.

The cheerleaders started the rumors saying, "I hear he runs like a 25.  What, I though it was a 20. What?"

As the starting horn sounded, it was a mad dash. Some were so competitive they even plotted to cheat.

"And what you do is jump on his back, give him a bear hug. I pass him and right at the end we'll do a but bump and we'll stop him," whispered one runner.

Front runner Eric Forte didn't need any tricks. He beat Pete by a mile.

"I'm way faster than Coach Pete. When Coach Pete beats me, I'm going to start calling plays for the offense," he laughed.

And they just kept coming. A total of 322 runners charged across the finish line before Petersen, causing him to back down from all his hype.

"There's a lot of rumors always about me and that's probably one that got exaggerated a bit," said Petersen.

While his players were out signing autographs, they weren't too busy to rub salt in the wound.

"Oh, come on Pete. You can do better than last year. You've got to improve at least a little bit," two of them joked.

The coach was supposed to donate $5 to student scholarships for everyone who beat him, which would be a little more than $1,600.  Instead, he signed over $5,000.    

Still next year's runners better watch out.

"We'll be back stronger, better.  I'll start my training regimen in two days, so I'll be ready," Peterson said.

Last Year the Beat Pete Fun Run raised more than $15,000 for student scholarships. While this year's numbers are still being totaled, organizers were shooting to take in at least $20,000.