So tough that the Coloradoan Great Pumpkin Contest drew less than half of the normal entrants - six. Logan Kochevar weathered the weather the best, defending his title with a pumpkin measuring 9 feet, 4 inches in circumference, which was more than 3 feet smaller than his record-setting pumpkin last year.

Kovchevar, who lives with his family in the southeast corner of the city, said he was unsure he'd even have a pumpkin for this year's contest.

"I was a little worried about defending the title," said Kochevar, a 12-year-old at Liberty Common School. "We had two hail storms that bruised the pumpkin. The second storm was pretty bad. We had to cut off some of the skin because the bugs were getting inside. We made it so they couldn't get in and that might have saved the pumpkin."

Kochevar, who has entered the contest the past three years, said he used the same growing process this year as he's done in the past. That includes using Atlantic Dill seeds (one seed at a cost of $7), plenty of manure to feed the plant and prudent pruning of the vines to eliminate competition from other pumpkins.

"At the beginning, we cut tons off but then my dad forgot to cut them off later," Kochevar said. "At the end of the summer, the pumpkin didn't grow as big because there were four other big pumpkins growing off the plant."

Kochevar, who estimated the pumpkin weighed around 400 pounds, said his dad is going to carve the pumpkin into a jack-o-lantern.

Aubrey and Hannah Doran of Fort Collins were second with a pumpkin measuring 6 feet, 7 inches in average circumference. Jennifer Stellingwerf of Fort Collins placed third with a pumpkin measuring 6 feet, 5 inches. Her brother, Jeff, placed fourth at 6 feet, 1 inch.