Winding it Back at the San Juan Solstice

Into the alpine at the 31st running of the San Juan Solstice 50, Lake City, Colorado. Click all photos to enlarge.

It had been 4 years since running my last real trail ultra at the 2022 High Lonesome 100. That race marked the culmination of several years of buildup ultras every summer, and I was fully ready to admit afterwards that I needed a break from running. And it was real this time, not just some thing people think but don’t mean after a massive type-II effort. I really did need a hiatus from running, and I intended to take one.

At the quiet finish corral on Friday evening.

I bought 3 bikes (mountain, road/gravel, and fat) and didn’t look back, spending the next couple summers enjoying exploring the backcountry on wheels. It was a new horizon of sorts, and a nice change of pace.

But then heading into this year I got a small itch that perhaps committing to another running season could be fun. Being over 40 now there are no guarantees in general, and I knew if I didn’t get back out there on foot at some point my ultrarunning days could legitimately be behind me. And I also knew if there was one race that’d be calling my name to revisit, it’d be the San Juan Solstice 50. My favorite race.

And we’re off and running up the first few miles along the Henson Road.

There’s not much to say that I haven’t already said about the San Juan Solstice. It’s got it all – incredible aesthetics and scenery, an acumen of being a well-run event thanks to a very dedicated race director, and the lure of the San Juans and the sleepy little town known as Lake City. Being into it’s 31st year now it’s as time-tested as races come. And even beyond all that for me personally, it’s got the nostalgia factor as this would be my 5th running of the Solstice dating back to 2017.

The all so memorable creek crossings in Alpine Gulch. Pretty low flow this year, for obvious reasons.

A little more on that… in 2015 I stayed at the Elkhorn Campground after hitting some peaks in the area on my way home from a work trip in Durango. Around the campfire I talked with a few guys who were set to run the Solstice the following morning. Having never heard of it before I was instantly intrigued. Two summers later I found myself at the start line of the race, nervous about my odds of actually finishing such a big day. It was one of those moments where you go out and try something you’re not sure you’ll be able to do, but then you learn something about yourself in finding out that you actually can.

Out along the ridge and one of the more spectacular sections of the race.

Runners in silhouette.

That experience kicked off several years of running longer ultras, including 3 more Solstices as I sought to improve upon my prior year’s time. Fast forward to this year, now as an old man I knew it was going to be harder this time around (the race never gets any easier I’m certain of that), and indeed it was harder.

Descending wildflower-laden tundra towards Williams.

I’d managed to put together a decent training regimen throughout the dry spring we had. Not great, but decent. Early on it was obvious to me that I hadn’t run in earnest for a long time. Things just felt heavy and out of shape. There was a long period of clearing out the cobwebs before I started to finally feel lighter on my feet.

I tried to simply prioritize time on feet rather than any specific stats or intensity, cranking out a few 20+ mile runs in some new areas I had always wanted to visit. My theme all along was to find places to run that bikes can’t go, because I knew if I ever saw a biker on one of my long runs I’d likely wonder why I wasn’t biking instead. My final long run was a fun one through the Flat Tops Wilderness area with Dylan, clocking in at 31 miles and around 7,000 feet. Would that do it? It was going to have to…

Rio Grande Pyramid seen from above Wager Gulch near the halfway point of the race.

Nearing the summit of Coney BM, the course high point and a ranked 13er.

I generally felt pretty good for the first half of the race. Up and over the first big climb down to Williams, then up the Wager Gulch Road, things seemed more or less routine. It was certainly a hot day even by San Juan Solstice standards, as Colorado state has been under a seemingly endless heat wave all summer long and this day was no different.

Coney BM summit behind me. At this point 70% of the day’s elevation gain was in the rearview.

Looking back on my prior reports of this race I’d always maintained that any deficiencies in the training regimen would likely rear their heads somewhere along the 17 mile stretch on the Continental Divide. That turned out to be true once again as despite feeling strong for the first half of the race I really hit a wall between Coney and the Divide aid station. Whether it was the heat or my age or the fact that I just didn’t train well enough, things slowed down to a crawl and I could just tell I was likely in for a bit of a rough second half.

The Divide.

Further along, the terrain looks like this seemingly forever.

Past the yurt things stayed difficult. I was having a hard time doing anything more than walking for long stretches, even downhill, no matter how much I ate or drank or tried to cool off. I was officially back in the ultrarunning pain cave I’d come to know and love so much over the years. Oh how I’d missed you!

I pulled into the Slumgullion aid with just 10 miles and 2,000 vertical to go and decided to take a long break to cool off and refuel. And by long I mean like 40 minutes long. I’d never spent so much time at an aid station before. Not even close. But it seemed necessary to get through to the end of the race. At this point I knew I’d be clocking in my worst time ever but I really didn’t care that much to be honest.

Pushing through the shit in the final miles up and over the Vickers Ranch.

In the last 10 miles I took several breaks, caught several winds (things did improve a tad here and there), and chatted with a couple different people as we ground out the final miles together. Eventually I rounded a corner and began the final descent into Lake City. As per usual the temps were scorching through this section, and as per usual it was hard to care.

Made it. Photo by Anna-Lisa.

I finished in around 13.5 hours which was more or less middle of the pack. Not good but not bad either depending on how you look at it. I was just happy to see Anna-Lisa, Tim, Michelle and Nolan, who had just gotten back from climbing Uncompahgre (nice work guys!) waiting for me at the finish line with a cold beer. After a much needed shower we were off to the Packer Grill for a big dinner and drinks.

The awards ceremony the following morning.

All in all it felt great to be back here. Being older, fatter, and slower didn’t really matter to me in the end. It was fulfilling and surreal to make it through for a 5th finish at my favorite race, especially after not running 50 miles in 4 years, the length of a college career. The Solstice truly is an amazing event and that part has never changed. Whether or not I ever cross this finish line again only time will tell, but for now, I can only express gratitude for having been a part of this special event once again.

A big thanks to all those who make this race possible every year. And thank YOU for reading. Cheers.