Quick Burro Days 2013 report

The World Champion Pack Burro Racing Team this year is Hal Walter and jenny Full Tilt Boogie. 

Like the other times I have run Fairplay, Hal and I seemed to find each other shortly above Park City (the point where short course racers turn back for the 15 mile edition of the race rather than the 29 mile run to Mosquito Pass).  We ran together up to American Flats, where again like past years, our burros slowed to a walk along the meadow.  Karen Thorpe came from way back, blasted past us and despite my attempts at a charge, she was “First Ass to the Pass” (with Hal shortly behind).

Karen, a former champion herself, and her burro Kokomo took a large early lead down the Mosquito Pass Road, but Hal / Full Tilt and I/Jack were able to make the ground up and pass her by the lower bridge.  Here I tried to employ the same tactic I used last year:  a longer sustained pushed on the down on the road that would give me a lead I could sustain over Hal through the flatter single track trail back to Fairplay.  But unlike last year, where we pushed the road for 30-40 minutes, I could only motivate Jack to hold the pace for a couple of minutes before he’d come to a halt.  I’d turn around to find that any lead I had built over Hal and Boogie would vanish. 

Over the last ten miles Hal and I exchanged the lead dozens of times.  That is no exaggeration.  In 30 years of racing, I don’t think I have ever exchanged the lead in a race so many times.  Many times I thought that Jack and I were done, as Hal would get a 100 yard lead, but Jack would slowly rally back to catch up.  We’d sometimes pull ahead as much, but only to stop and defer to Hal and Boogie.

We came up the final climb, and I had a slight edge, and with the downhill through old South Park City I was able to motivate Jack to one last push.  We changed the lead there probably twice, much to the delight of the crowd that had collected on Front Street, but with 30 yards to go Hal and Boogie hit a stride and gear (and a more straight line) to the finish that Jack and I could not match.  Hal collected his 7th name on the board (in a time near what was posted last year, 5:25) and Jack and I were about a length behind.  Karen came in about 10 minutes later with Kokomo for third.

While a touch disappointed with second, it was a wonderful day in the mountains, shared with many wonderful people, including my incredibly supportive and loving family.  I finished the day with a warm feeling inside (and not just from having fried my legs on 29 miles above 10k feet).  It would have been fun to win another title, but losing to Hal, who has been training with Boogie hard since January and focused on this race is no dishonor.  The guy is such a gentleman, with a great heart … it was beautiful to run with such a legend in the sport all day and see him put it away – and then share that moment with Boogie the finish.

I have a lot more to post (and will), including pix and some other observations, but I figured I better get this out there as I have already received a couple of notes that people are irked at not knowing the results of this World Championship event since Irunfar does not cover it.