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May
8-9, 2004
Deer,
Elk, Buffalo, Daschunds, Mountain Goats,
and??.Sleep
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Bill
Lapsley douses himself with
Aquafina water after a 5 mile leg on
Saturday, May 8.
See more photos in our gallery |
Steamboat
Springs Colorado - Only
three thousand feet ? that was our assignment
for the day.
It didn?t sound too difficult.
Of course it was three thousand feet up.
Study a map all you want, it?s hard to
figure out where the up hills are when you are
on the road.
We knew we were starting at 6,200 feet
above sea level and that we were running over
Rabbit Ears pass at 9,400 feet, but where
exactly would the ascent be?
Our day began, once again,
under sunny skies with temperatures in the upper
40?s. Our
meteorologist, Dave D?Arcangelo, promised
mostly sunny skies with temperatures topping out
in the mid eighties.
The ?Whiners? (group 1) began their
half of our 150 mile day just inside the
Colorado border, while the ?Moaners? (group
2) drove ahead 75 miles which provided them a
preview of the terrain the ?Whiners? would
encounter.
It was spectacular scenery, but there
wasn?t much change in elevation.
?Hmmm, 3,000 feet compressed into our
75 miles,? moaned group 2.
With high mileage behind
us, high elevation roads under us, and high
mountain peaks ahead of us, we were impressed
with how strong we felt.
Not only were we running stronger, but
our systems of operation were improving.
Our support crew has been amazing, and
each of us is getting into the rhythm of the
demands of the day.
We need less direction, because we know
what to do.
Each day does bring, however,
circumstances for which there is no preparation.
The ?Whiners? enjoyed
the breath-taking vistas and were awed by sights
of deer and elk wandering the fields along the
route. There
was even a buffalo sighting!
What they were not prepared for was the
animal rescue.
Having completed their 75 miles, team
?Whiners? came upon stopped traffic and
frantic people attempting to corral a wild
daschund that eluded all attempts at capture.
The intrepid TREK USA runners leapt into
action. Lest
you think the capture of this beast was easy,
one poor woman suffered a bite to the face. With
a bloody towel to her face, she beat a retreat
as our heroes saved the day.
There are some procedures that you just
can?t put into an ?Op?s manual?.
In the meantime, the
?Moaners? continued to eat into their 75
miles. Though
the scenery continued to be beautiful to behold,
the elevation continued to hover around 6,000
feet. Not
to diminish running at over a mile above sea
level, but we were beginning to get anxious to
tackle a challenging uphill.
Perhaps it is a sign that we are indeed
improving our physical condition and that we are
acclimating to the higher altitudes, but we were
looking forward to a ?real? challenge.
Our hopes were answered with a vengeance
in the last 20 miles of our day.
Paul ?Uphill? McGovern
got the Moaners going.
Just outside of Steamboat Springs, we
began our assault on the famous Rabbit Ears
Pass. His
four miles of uphill was then continued by Mike
Barry for another 4 miles.
The next mountain goat was Mike T, who
thankfully, had a few downs with his ups, as did
Tom and Bob W. who got the first view of the
famous Rabbit Ears.
Josh got the screaming downhill on the
far side which was certainly as painful as the
ups.
The ?Moaners? had the
first opportunity to run at 9,400+ feet ? a
breath-taking experience.
Each of us agreed that it was the running
HIGHlight of the trip so far.
Just when we thought it couldn?t get
better, it did.
As we ran past the peak,
we spied a turn-off that lead to a snow field
and a perfect spot to photograph the team with
the majestic mountains in the background.
On our return to Steamboat Springs, we
pulled off for our photo op. Driving up the road
to the snow blocked end, we came upon another
vehicle with New Hampshire plates!
We trudged through the snow to the best
spot for the photo, and we found a group of snow
boarders who were grabbing the final turns of
the season on the upper elevation snow field.
We introduced ourselves and learned that
they were from Haverhill, Amesbury, and Hampton
Beach! The
chance meeting blew us away.
Tom, one of the ski
fanatics, couldn?t resist.
Borrowing a snowboard he ?grabbed a
run?. What
a sight to see the old guy snow-boarding in his
singlet, shorts, and Nikes! Our ?Boarder Dude? friends took our photo, we exchanged
stories, and left with the satisfaction that we
had a chance meeting with nice kids from back
home. It
truly was a Rocky Mountain High point.
With our day?s work
done, we reflected on our progress.
We?ve been treated to some of Mother
Nature?s best offerings, and we have been
fortunate to see it up close and not through a
speeding car as we fly down an interstate.
Dave Leonard remarked that while waiting
to provide support for one of the runners, he
sat in the silence of the rural road that was
our route.
Then, he realized, it really wasn?t
that quiet.
The sounds of the birds, the chirps of
insects, and the rustling in the brush of
unknown animals were the sounds of Nature
recapturing her ownership.
We are reminded that we are the visitors
being allowed the privilege of a brief encounter
with her majesty.
On this Mother?s Day, we have one more
Mother to thank.
As a team, we continue to
grow stronger, we grow closer, and we have
become more efficient in the execution of our
daily tasks.
Though our days are full and tiring,
there are a couple of things that make our load
lighter. The
emails we have received from our friends,
relatives, school children, and folks we?ve
never met have been a source of strength to all
of us. We
thank all of you for staying in touch ? it
means a lot.
If we don?t respond quickly, it is due
to difficulty getting on line.
Be patient with us.
We periodically get reminders of the most
important reason we are running, most recently
in an email Paul McGovern received from a
running friend.
Five days ago, a mutual friend lost his
daughter to cancer one year after being
diagnosed.
?What you?re doing is important,
Paul. You
should be proud?, read the note.
It is, we are.
Today is our only day off. It?s a chance to get work done and muscles healed.
We are back at it early in the morning
for our biggest challenge yet ? cresting
11,000 feet! It should an interesting day.
Stay tuned.
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