TransRockies Run

After the Imogene Pass Run, I spent the following week in Mueller State Park outside of Colorado Springs. The elevation was 9800 feet and I had a very secluded campsite with a stunning view of Pike’s Peak. I made it a point to either hike or run for at least an hour each day to get some activity at this elevation. I had zero problems with the altitude. A half day atop Pike’s Peak (14100’) and a 2:15 run from the summit, down ~4.5 miles, and back up was challenging, but very rewarding. My confidence and excitement for the TRR was growing each day.

Then came the curve ball. Some last minute discussions among all of the Gorons had the pairings in question. For the entire summer, the plan was for me to run with Erin. But, we had some late additions to the team and we decided as a team to put together an excellent ‘open’ men’s team and an excellent ‘over 80’ (combined age) team. I was on board with the decision we made, but devastated. I wasn’t even excited to run the race any more. Nothing against my new running partner, Bob, but I had planned and trained and pushed myself to be ready to run with Erin. Now, I would not be running as hard or pushing myself as much. I was on the ‘2nd best’ Gore team. It was definitely the right thing to do, but I was disappointed.

My mood improved and my excitement returned once we arrived in Beaver Creek, started going through registration, meeting all the runners and volunteers, attending the opening ceremonies, etc. By race morning, I was pumped. I knew it would be amazing.

The first day was Sunday. A 15 mile run with a decent climb over the first several miles, some flat running along I-70 for the middle of the race, and then a big 4 mile climb to the top of a ski mountain in Vail to conclude the day. Bob and I were 3rd for most of the race but slipped to 5th over the last 1-2 miles. 3 minutes behind the ‘Flying Monkeys’, the only 80+ team in front of us. Erin and Dustin finished comfortably in second with a huge gap in front of the 3rd place team and an equally large gap behind the first place Skaggs brothers. The finish atop the ski mountain was beautiful. Sunshine, great views, and excitement for the rest of the week were plentiful. But within an hour of finishing, the weather abruptly changed…hail, lightening, and thunder rolled in and it continued until about 90 minutes into day two’s run.

Sunday night’s sleep was horrible. I didn’t fall asleep until 4:40 am and was up by 5:15. The rain fell all night and was still coming down hard at the start of the race. Unfortunately, the start of the race was delayed. We needed to take a Gondola to the top of the mountain and they would not allow it to operate until the lightening ceased. Due to the later start and concerns regarding the slower runners being on the course after dark, the course had to be shortened. The organizers did a fantastic job adjusting and we were off after an hour. Day 2 was supposed to be the most difficult with some massive climbs and descents and a total of 26 miles. It was shortened to 19 and the most difficult part was eliminated. This was very disappointing at the start but by the end of the race, I was quite happy with ending earlier. We started in the rain and as we climbed the mountain it changed to sleet then snow. There was a good 2 to 3 inches of snow on the ground and we were running along the top of the mountain and through the back bowls of Vail. Spectacular views! Then the sloppy descent began. It was a nasty, muddy, wet mess. Bob and I were the 7th team to cross the finish line and dropped to 7th overall and lost another 4 minutes to the Monkeys.

Day 3’s course was very similar to day 2. 24+ miles and similar climbs. Like the first two days, I was getting ahead of Bob on the uphills and waiting for him at times. But, we were well matched on the flat and downhill sections. Unfortunately, we finished 7th again, were 7th overall, and lost another 6 minutes to the Monkeys. At this point, we were 12:58 behind them and I was not optimistic that we’d catch them. We were comfortably ahead of the 3rd place 80+ team (which was the other Gore team) but it looked like the Monkeys would win the category.

On Day 4, I was hoping that we’d be able to cut the Monkey’s lead in half and maybe have some hope of catching them on the final day. Speaking to Bob about our strategy for the day, I received the same response from him that I’d heard all week...”I’ll just run my race and we’ll see what happens.” Bob is totally laid back and much less competitive than me. Two different personalities you won’t find. So rather than convince Bob that we had to go hard and make up some time, I was resigned to having to just run what felt best for us and not worry about the Monkeys. Frustrating at times, but it was good for me to be patient and helped to calm me down. The course for Day 4 consisted of a somewhat steep climb over the first 10 miles up to 12000’ feet at Hagerman Pass and the Continental Divide. Then the descent would begin. 18 miles of gradual downhill. During the ascent, we stayed 1 to 2 minutes ahead of the Monkeys for the first 6 to 8 miles. But, I often found myself running too fast in relation to Bob. There were several times where I got ahead of him and had to wait. As the first aid station approached, I paused to wait and the Monkeys passed me. At that point, I pretty much wrote off any hope I had of catching them for first place. Bob and I approached the first aid station and were joined at the hip for pretty much the final 20 miles. I decided to forget about the competition and just enjoy the run. About an hour later, a funny thing happened. Bob and I passed the first place co-ed team. Then we passed another team. And then we passed the Monkeys about 18 miles into the race. Hmmm. That was good news, but at that point, I assumed that they had just decided to take it easy, keep us in sight, and preserve the huge cushion that they had on us. Bob and I ran hard during the entire downhill and were well matched. At no point was I tempted to run ahead of him, nor could I have done so even if I wanted to. At the end of the day, we trimmed 4 minutes off the Monkey’s lead and had it down to 8:58 going into day 5. We were back in 6th place overall after finishing Day 4 in 4th place.

During the ceremonies on Day 4, one of the Monkeys was highlighted during the day’s video clips saying that they ran their asses off and still got beat. That got me thinking that maybe they weren’t taking it easy and sitting on their lead and might actually be in trouble. After hearing this, along with whispers about the Monkeys being tired and not in great shape, my hope for finishing first returned. Bob still felt good. He was popping the Advils, but wasn’t in bad shape and I felt like I could run another 3 or 4 days if necessary. It was truly amazing how great I still felt.

Another reason for optimism…Day 5’s course. It was a sprint. Just 18 miles of gradual ascent (less than 2000 feet). All on a paved bike trail going into Aspen. This definitely favored Bob and I as we were among just a handful of people who spend any time running roads. Conversely, the Monkeys had let their displeasure with the significant amount of ‘non-technical’ terrain be known throughout the week. And it was hot. Having trained in Philly heat and humidity all summer, I was confident I was going to be able to handle the heat better than them. Hopefully Bob would fare as well.

As the run began, Bob and I went out fast. Within 5 miles, we were in third place overall. We ran hard the entire time. Bob and I were well matched on this relatively flat terrain and though I could have maybe gone 5 to 10 seconds per mile faster, I was quite happy with our pace. When we passed the second aid station around mile 10, we were told that we were in third place and just 4 minutes behind the Skaggs brothers (who had been demolishing the field all week). I was excited because that told me we were doing really well, but also scared because I thought we might be pushing it too hard, especially with the way the weather was heating up. It was in the low 80s at this time (my guess) and the high for the day was 90F. Bob and I went hard the entire time. Towards the end, he started to tire and I was constantly looking ~50 yards behind me to yell encouragement to Bob. He did a tremendous job that day and I’m convinced he gave it everything he had. We crossed the finish line in 3rd place, just 10 minutes behind the stage winners. At that point, we just had to wait and hope that the Monkeys came in 8:58 after we did. It was definitely the longest 9 minutes of my life. Just a couple minutes after we finished, the emcee announced that another group was approaching the finish line (there was a spotted about a ½ mile back). My heart sank, but it was a different team. A minute later, another group. Still not the Monkeys. This scene repeated itself several more times and all the while the emcee was describing to the crowd the situation we were in with the Monkeys. And the crowd was into it. Soon, 8:58 came and went and Bob and I won! What an awesome feeling. The crowd cheered and I was euphoric. I was convinced that the placing was going to be decided by 10 or 20 seconds. It turns out that we beat the Monkeys that day by 25:36!

The rest of the day was a huge celebration. Not just because we won 1st and not just for us. For everybody. It was such a huge, satisfying, wonderful accomplishment. Every time a team crossed the line, the crowd went crazy. It was a celebration for everybody. The festivities continued that night with a huge banquet, drinking, awards, and picture and video highlights. This was a first class event and was executed with such expertise that you would have never guessed that this was an inaugural event. I can’t say enough about the people that pulled this off. Huge thanks to the organizers, sponsors, volunteers, and Bob! Though I actually found the race much easier than I thought it would be, the training was brutal. I’d love to say that I’ll be back next year, but the thought of training that hard again just scares the hell out of me. I can’t imagine doing that again. But as hard as it was…it was all so worth it!