 |
 |
|
| Questions? Comments? Contact us: srrunner@srrunners.org |
SRRC Race Reports
Colorado Relay , Georgetown to Carbondale, CO —September 12-13, 2008
by
Stefan Raab
My older sister, who occasionally runs with SRRC when she is visiting from Colorado Springs, has been to a number of my races to cheer me on, but I have never seen her race. This year was a really big year for her, and I had planned first to see her at Boston and then at Pike's Peak Marathon, but neither of these worked out. So when I saw that my calendar was free for this past weekend, I asked her if I could come out to drive a van (and be official photographer) for her team in the Colorado Relay. The team was happy to have me drive, and I was also able to fulfill their requirement of providing an official volunteer to the race. This isn't really a race report, because I didn't actually run, but it was such a unique opportunity I though you all might want to hear about it and see some pictures.
At 4:45 a.m. on Friday September 12, the team of 10 met in a park-and-ride lot near the famous Red Rocks Amphitheater. We piled gear for 10 runners, one recently injured team member, and a tagalong brother into a Honda Pilot and a Honda Odyssey. The weather was not promising—rainy and in the 40s with reports of snow at higher elevations. The team piled in and headed up to the starting line in Georgetown, CO. We took some time at the starting line to get to know each other as there was 4 degrees of separation between some team members. We took a quick picture at the starting line, and the then the first runner headed out at 7:00 a.m.
 |
| Team photo |
The race uses two vehicles (vans,) one active and one resting. The active was the Van A with the first 5 runners and went from the starting line to exchange point 1 (XP1,) while Van B headed off for Starbucks and then the long way around to XP5. The first five runners braved some grueling legs in conditions ranging from pouring rain to snow. Sparing you the details, which you can find in the leg book, here are some quick stats:
— 30 legs totaling 174 miles between Georgetown and Carbondale, CO
— elevation gain of 13,599 feet and loss of 16,154 feet
— legs ranged to from 1.5 to 12.9 miles
— runners ran 3 legs totaling between 11 and 23 miles
— 3 mountain passes (Guanella, Georga, Aspen)
— 150 teams
 |
| Wayne drenched and ready to handoff for the 6th leg |
 |
| Sheryl jumping in a puddle after the Beaver Pond leg. |
By the 6th leg, the sun had come out and the temperature was in the mid 50s. Though not much consolation, as the 6th leg, known as the Beaver Pond, has a crossing through a thigh deep frigid mountain stream. The start of leg 8 known as Sweet Georgia was delayed while the mountain search and rescue team determined if Georgia Pass was safe to cross. My sister came in from leg 7 about 10 minutes after the restart and we sent team captain and super star, Patrick, out with his the new gear requirements laid down by S&R (Inner and outer layers for top and bottom, gloves and headlamps despite the mid-day start.) Patrick completed the leg in 2:05 passing many of the runners in front of him. While 2:05 may not seem THAT fast for 12.9 miles, it is amazing given the 2,128 feet climb into blizzard conditions at 11,891 feet in elevation then back down 2,294 feet on mostly narrow single track. As I said it was amazing.
After finishing our legs we headed into Frisco and met Van A for the handoff. After we had Dana back in the van, we headed out for some great burgers (beef or buffalo) and beer at the Dillon Dam Brewery. Off to the next switch point we all tried to grab a little bit of sleep though I don't think anyone really slept more than an hour. Van A called in about 30 minutes before we were expecting them, so we had to roust Sheryl and get her ready quickly. The night legs were not the most exciting, but running alone down mountain roads in the full moon was definitely a pretty cool experience. After itching to run all day, I decided to run out an meet my sister for the last half mile of her leg. The air is definitely thinner up there, but the cool mountain night felt great.
 |
| Patrick finishing Georgia Pass |
Our van finished our second set of runs about 2:30 a.m. and we all piled in for the harrowing drive down Glenwood Canyon. Clearly running on adrenaline at this point, the drive was both challenging and uniquely beautiful. It is not often you get to drive a canyon in the light of the full moon. I left the team in Glenwood Springs and head out to the finish line in Carbondale. After arriving I slept from 4:00 a.m. to 5:00 a.m.. Each team with a member living within 50 miles of the course is required to provide 2 volunteers so I signed up for finish line setup duty. Working with the team from Outward Bound (race beneficiaries), I unloaded supplies, set up tents, set up tables, and helped with anything else I could on the finish line. It really made me appreciate race logistics. I watched the dew form on the grass, turn to fros,t and then melt during my 4+ hour shift. At around 9:00 a.m., I got word from my sister that the last runner was inbound and met them, crossing the line with the team at 9:20 a.m., 26 hours and 20 minutes after they started.
As long as I have rambled, I haven't even begun to get into everything that happened, from seeing the Armadillo (actually a raccoon) in the middle of the night to learning the ins and outs of massage techniques from David. There are so many stories and beautiful sights I haven't mentioned. Perhaps since you have the endurance to read my ramblings, you are ready for a race like this. While not as challenging, the American Odyssey Relay runs from Gettysburg to DC next April 24th. Who's in?
September 2008
The SRRC would love to hear about your running, racing, or crewing experiences! If you would like to submit a race report, to be posted on the SRRC website, please email srrunner@srrunners.org.