Races
Ouray 100
Fellin Park. One hundred two miles. Forty-one thousand feet of gain. Fort Peabody is the high point. Fifty-two hours.
The mountain
Not a single loop. Legs and stingers out of Ouray: Camp Bird, Imogene, Chicago Tunnel, Fort Peabody at thirteen thousand three hundred sixty-five, Richmond, Corkscrew, Gray Copper, then later the Bridge of Heaven. You punch a bib on peaks. Low seven thousand six hundred forty. Average about ten thousand two hundred. You keep coming back toward town and leaving it again.
The work
Forty-one thousand eight hundred sixty-two feet of gain. That is the race. Steep mining roads and alpine trail. You train vert until your poles are part of your arms. Fifty-two hours is not generous. It is math.
Race morning
Eight a.m. Fellin Park, next to the hot springs. Crew at Fellin, Crystal Lake, Ironton along 550. You will see other runners on the out-and-backs. The last five-thousand-foot climb is saved for late.
Watch outs
Afternoon lightning above treeline. Missing a hole punch. Heat in the box canyon. Thinking Hardrock's thirty-three thousand was the ceiling. The Bridge of Heaven when you have nothing left but a descent to the park.