DENVER, CO, JAN. 10, 2005 - Colorado gov. Bill Owens receives the Martin Luther King Jr. torch from Essie Garrett from the Emily Griffith School on the west step of the Colorado Capitol Building on January 10, 2005. The torch traveled to different locations around the state before returning to Denver to kick off that year's Martin Luther King, Jr. celebrations in the city. (Kathryn Scott Osler, The Denver Post)

Essie Garrett holds a commemorative torch with others at Cheeseman Park at the the Symbolic Torch Relay and Rally, Sunday October 28, 2007. The rally included genocide survivors, Darfuri refugees and others. (John Prieto, Denver Post file photo)

Essie Garrett, whose knee-length dreadlocks and sunny perseverance made her one of Colorado's most recognizable ultra-distance runners and extraordinary fundraisers, died April 1. She was 74, according to personnel records.

Garrett grew up in Riesel, Texas, joined the Army when she was 16, and served for three years before moving to Denver. Around that time, she became a follower of Sri Chinmoy, the Indian spiritual master who believed enlightenment could be achieved through disciplined athletics, including long-distance running and swimming.

A solidly built woman with an inquisitive gaze and a deliberate way of speaking, Garrett taught refrigeration mechanics at Emily Griffith Opportunity School for more than two decades.

Most of her students were male. They were surprised to find that their instructor was a female, then even more surprised at her self-assured competence with electronics.

She often ran from her longtime home in north Park Hill to the school's downtown campus, her dreads bound in a ponytail that bounced heavily on her back.

"She was always coming up with different ideas for fundraising," said Chris Millius, who worked with Garrett at the school.

"She led a walking group at lunchtime. What I remember most about her was that I'd be driving to work, and I'd see Essie running through Five Points or City Park."

Nearly always, she was in training for a goal. First, it was the Leadville Trail 100, the punishing 100-mile race that initially defeated her when she was caught in a thunderstorm on one of the passes.

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Ultrarunner Essie Garrett raised $1 million for Colorado charities