Weekend 0802-0314 Leadville Night Run, Boom Days 2014

Short version:  this guy got it done.  Pic by John B.

We headed out mid AM Saturday to Leadville, but had to detour through Fairplay for a variety of reasons.  Unfortunately we hit a jam at Kenosha Pass that we sat in for an hour plus.  Looks like there had been a near fatal (if not fatal) accident near Jefferson.  We got over to Leadville around 4:30 and connected with Bob. 

His views suck.We swung through town, got a pizza for dinner and caught some of the contests as a part of Boom Days.  This includes a fill the ore cart contest that looks to be pretty damn hard.

We then headed up Fullers to help out with his annual night run.  I enjoy helping out on this, and again it had me realizing what people seem like when they are actually training for something.
The King and his Hand.
Holding court
.
After some kicking around at the Chez de Fuller, we headed off to Fish Hatchery to get the runners off.
Giving instructions ….
and not listening …
 
Obligatory start shot.

The family has found something way more interesting.
  Neeraj’s frankenpack

And they are off …

We checked on folks at the Fairgrounds.  Jack, the other burros, Bill, and the Wanns had all made it in.  We then hauled back down to Timberline Trail to set up the aid station for the Fuller run.  This is about 20 mile run, where they go from Fish, to Powerline, then down the Colorado Trail, and then around the lake.  They do a bunch of other stuff too, but I don’t know the trail that well to tell you that.  JZ enjoyed being back on the CO-CDT trail, even if it was in the middle of the night.

There were some campers off the trail and about 10 feet from the trailhead.  They were “okay” with me setting up a lantern that lit up the whole parking lot, but wanted to know what was going on.  Once I gave them the skinny that they were about to have 20 something people run through their campsite, they seemed to worry about me a bit less.

We were then back to Bob’s (thanks man) and crashed for the night. 
Up the next morning, we got some grub, and then engaged all the craziness of setting up burros, saddles, feeding the stock, and getting ready for the burro race.

Pic by John B.
Pic by John B.
Getting some last minute instruction from the boss (and he is the boss).
Jack and I got out a bit slow, but I have been okay with that.  Folks seem to go out really hard with their donks and I suspect that puts most of them into a debt at 10000 plus feet and then climbing a hill.  Over the course of a mile we swung up to the leaders, and then eventually Hal who was running the whole show with Full Tilt Boogie.  It was hot and Jack was generally content to jog behind Boogie.  Occasionally we’d falter but then we’d fall back into it.  I glanced back after a couple of miles and I could see a good string of folks but it seemed we were getting a good spread.

We made the turn down on the course, and I thought Hal and I would continue to separate, but as we entered the gulch check station, I was amazed to see that all of a sudden there were no less than a half dozen of us still in the race.  Hal and I went from being in the lead to being in a peleton of racers at about an hour into the event.

Hal seemed to suddenly have a new fire with Boogie and on the long road up to Mosquito, he started to gap the whole field.  Jack suddenly seemed disinterested in running and I thought it was going to be a run for second place.  I tried to rally our chase group in bridging to the ever growing distant Hal, but we all suddenly were struggling with our donks.
Pic by John B.
Pic by John B.

But then Jack got a spurt going, and then another and we began to eat at the lead of a couple hundred yards that Hal and Boogie had built.  By the switchbacks up Mosquito, we had caught him.  Neither of us was moving fast, and we were very aware of John Vincent and his mini’s only about a minute or two behind us.  Where ever the road flattened or the road was a bit less rocky, we tried to get the burros to go.  Still it was slow going.  Hal told me that he had summitted in the past in an 1:30.  We would take 1:55. 

Pic by John B.
 
In the last stretch I managed to get Jack around the Father Dyer sign a bit quicker – maybe a half length ahead of Hal in case there was a fastest ass to the pass award (there was not).  We grabbed some water and started down.  I made note of the time, and then when we saw the minis coming up behind us.  They were about 2 and half minutes down and so I put our lead at about 6 minutes.
Pic by John B.After the switchbacks, Jack and I started to get a little ground over Hal and Boogie.  I was really impressed with how well Jack was moving and how he was finding good lines with little issue.  We passed folks on the way up, and shouted encouragement to each other.  I figured that Hal and Boogie or John and the minis would start their charge at any time.  I also knew that we had a climb up and out to the top of California Gulch and I wanted to get any sort of lead I could before that climb.  I took two spills in this section and rolled my ankle twice – an outcome of focusing on keeping your donkey moving, keeping up with it, and now paying attention to a rough road.
Pic by John B.Pic by John B.
We came into the low gulch before the climb and the folks there said it looked like I had about quarter to half a mile.  Jack jogged the ups, but occasionally walked.   I figured I had to be “good” with this.  He won’t drive on the ups hard and if I look to push him, he becomes less interested in doing it.  On the more shallow climbs he’d have a half way decent trot and I was content to go with this.  I could see Hal closing the gap. 

As we neared the turn off road before the last little climb to California Gulch, some dog came barking and growling at us and “half” charging.  I yelled at it to “git” and it seemed to only get more agitated and come at us.  Its owner suddenly showed up and from his car he yelled for it to come but there was nothing doing.  Jack was unphased, but I was getting irked as the dog was now coming within 2 or 3 feet with its charges.  I told the guy if his dog got any closer I was going to whap it with my lead rope.  The dog seemed to get it, and finally went to its owner.  Of course the owner then started to beat the dog.  Sigh.

We made the turn up to California Gulch and Jack just stopped.  That was it it.  We walked out of the aid station maybe 300 yards but any lead we had over Hal and Boogie was erased.  I said to Hal, “glad to see you.  Well, not really.”  He retook the lead and Jack was once again content to sit on the heels of Boogie as we made the short climb.

I knew that any shot we had at winning this now was in the descent out of the gulch.  I knew I could run faster than Hal in the stretch but – that MEANS NOTHING in burro racing because it is all about what our burros will do.  Jack is older, slower and not a strong as Boogie.  It would really come down to who wanted to run down that hill a bit more. 

And today it was Jack.

We never galloped, but just hit a good trot and a consistent one all the way back to the bottom of the gulch.  We had some pause as we went into town – as we always do with its cones, street crossings, cars, trains for kiddies, but Jack had got it done again.

Pic by John B.     Pic by John B. 

Again, I felt incredibly lucky and blessed to enjoy this day with this result.  My family supported me, Bill supported me, the Wanns supported me, and I continued to learn from Hal who I had almost unfairly sat on all the climbs and then ran away from on the descent – again. 

Having had success at this race (2 wins in 3 tries) and a frustrating day (last year), I have learned (and continue to learn) that it is all about what the burro gives you.  Not on the day, or in the race, but in the moment.  At multiple moments yesterday, I realized that I needed to really just enjoy this for what it was, and that win, lose, draw, or walk it all the way in – it was a series of moments in the mountains that allowed me time to reflect on my attitude, those I love, this animal and how I bonded with him, and those that support me.  I know that comes across as a bit of mushy mumbo jumbo, and probably as easy to say off a couple of wins, but now having done 8 of these events (and probably close to 200 miles of them), I am finding the breathe and space to “let it go” in the moment when I want something. 

This is essentially the foundation for what my approach will be in BV next week.  BV is a different race than these last two:  flatter, faster and its highest point is lower than the low points of the last two races.  There is no bomb back into town down like these last two where I can ride on Hal’s heels and then kick into town.  It is a race that suits the gallopers more than the trotters.  If we are in it, we will look to be in it and win it.  But if it is not to be, then I will have not regrets.  It has been a wonderful summer with Jack and my loved ones.

Some additional shots from Brandon Fuller.  The other women at the finish in these shots are doing the women’s race.

Course stuff:

Jack and John at LVR last week.  Shot from David Ponak.