Last Sunday morning Dylan Friday and I ripped off our skins and skied down to the base of Ajax Mountain, completing the Grand Traverse ski race from Crested Butte to Aspen two and a half years in the making. After being cancelled due to COVID only a couple weeks before race day last year, it was time for redemption for many racers this year and those who stuck with it were rewarded with one of the finest nights the event has seen in its 23-year history.
Dylan and I first signed up for this one in late-2019 and put together a pretty solid training regimen throughout the winter leading into March of 2020. After the race was cancelled we took the option of rolling over to 2021. Fast forward a year and we approached the race with cautious optimism the second time around. Though numerous races have gotten back onto their feet over the last 6 months, the Grand Traverse entails several aspects beyond COVID that need to fall into line to successfully pull off a race to Aspen. Keep reading…
After running the Sheep Mountain 50k in August, I knew wasn’t quite ready to wrap up my season just yet. Originally, Ben, Brian, and I had planed to run the Devil on the Divide 50k in September. But, well, you know the drill. That race got cancelled, just like all the rest. Or, should I say, almost all the rest. Keep Reading…
I thought about opening this trip report by adding up how much money I’ve spent on races this year, almost all of which have been cancelled. But then I realized I don’t actually want to know the answer to that question.
First it was the Dirty 30 in May (pretty early on in the pandemic, so understandable, I suppose). Then it was the San Juan Solstice in June (second year in a row for that guy, oof). Then it was the Devil on the Divide in September (seriously, F Clear Creek County for that one). Suffice it to say, COVID has not been easy on the wallet for those stubborn enough (i.e dumb enough) to try to do what is arguably the single most anti-COVID activity (health wise, at least) in existence: running races. Keep Reading….
Well after 15 years of slogging up piles of rocks and the hundreds of summits beginning to all blend together, I decided to pick up a new hobby, inspired by good pal Ben Conners. He reminded me that I used to poo poo on running and that within a few years, I’ll probably be signing up for 100 milers. I don’t doubt that I viewed running as silly, but I do doubt I’ll ever run a 100’er.
Anyways, my first ultra was everything I thought it would be. Happy, sad, angry, exciting, terrifying, painful, rewarding. I’m not sure many other activities can elicit all those emotions in one. In retrospect, I’m also not sure why I chose the Indian Creek 55k. I guess it just sounded intriguing and I had never visited the area before. Now it’s a place I’ll remember for the rest of my life. Funny how that works. I spent the majority of the summer working up to the race via Half marathons, local races around Westminster and trail runs in the foothills. Keep reading…
