Highcountry Living

Not all Deer Creek Canyon residents hate cyclists — here’s one who welcomed us

My column on anti-cycling sentiment and a potentially fatal act of sabotage at the Deer Creek Challenge this past weeekend got a lot of reaction — several emails and 39 comments (as of Wednesday morning) posted to the online version. Today I got a very interesting email from a canyon resident, which I am posting here without identifying the sender, because I wouldn’t want one of his neighbors to vandalize his property to punish him.

After all, if someone up there is misanthropic enough to throw tacks on the road to hurt cyclists, we can’t be too careful. But I do believe this person’s opinion should be shared:

I was absolutely appalled when I read your article this morning about the tacks thrown on the high grade.  I am a resident of Deer Creek Canyon and personally, my wife and I were camped at the end of our driveway Sunday watching the bikers brave the Deer Creek Challenge and voicing our encouragement.  While it is unfortunate but true that a lot of canyon residents are opposed to bicycle traffic in the canyon I say “welcome” and more power to you!  We planned for this event and did not feel the slightest inconvenience by the ride. 

 On a “regular” day in the canyon we do ask that you bikers ride single file and that you make every effort not to impede motorized transit through the area.  We live here and the roads are just that, not bicycle trails.  For our part we need to avoid tail-gating, to slow when we pass you and allow you as much room as possible for your safety.  In days past we have often offered shelter to bikers caught in the unexpected canyon downpours.  On the other side of the coin, I experienced an incident once where a biker “borrowed” a sweater from my unlocked car in the midst of a freezing storm, only to return it in a few days; cleaned, dried, folded, and with a gift card of thanks attached. With a little courtesy on everyone’s part I see no reason why we can’t all share the road and all enjoy this beautiful canyon. 

Unfortunately, in my situation I can’t even get my bicycle across the street so I salute everyone who participated in, and successfully met this challenge.  Well done!

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Running the Colorado Relay lets you feel like a kid again

About midway through this past weekend’s Colorado Relay, it hit me why I like these relays so much — beyond the obvious joys of competitive running, that is.

It’s like a sleep-over for adults.

For 24 hours we got to forget about frustrations at work, obligations at home and play with our friends. We ran hard when it was our turn but got to act like kids playing hookey when we weren’t running. We got to be around hundreds of like-minded strangers who, we could plainly see, were having just as much fun as we were.

We ran from Georgetown to Carbondale on a 10-person team, starting Friday morning and finishing Saturday morning (running time for our team: 24 hours, 13 minutes). We got to run under a nearly full moon in Eagle County and got to see the sun rise on Mount Sopris. Nearly 1,000 runners took part on a weekend that also included the Leadville Trail 100, the Pikes Peak Ascent and the Pikes Peak Marathon. And mind you, this is only two weeks after Colorado’s other great relay, the Wild West Relay from Fort Collins to Steamboat.

It’s a bummer the Guanella Pass closure caused the Colorado Relay to be re-routed this year and last year, but that was a minor disappointment weighed against all of the things that make this relay such a blast. So much fun to share a passion for running on a team with your friends.

It was a great sleep-over — and I’ve almost fully recovered from the associated sleep deprivation.

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First Descents outdoors camp for cancer patients takes donations

The link for the First Descents web site didn’t make it into Tuesday’s Outdoor Extremes story on Ryan Sutter’s 10.10.10 challenge. For those who would like to contribute to the camp (Sutter is hoping to inspire 10,000 people to donate $10 each), the link is:

www.FirstDescents.org

I’ve helped out as a safety kayaker at the camp founded 10 years ago by pro paddler Brad Ludden and can testify that it truly makes a difference in the lives of young adults with cancer. It’s incredibly empowering and an undeniably worthy cause. Rest assured, all donations will go toward expanding camp offerings and giving more cancer victims an opportunity to experience the week-long camps free of charge.

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Georgetown to Idaho Springs Half Marathon still ranks as one of Colorado’s best races

The Bolder Boulder justifiably gets a lot of attention for being Colorado’s signature road race, but as far as I’m concerned, the scenic Georgetown to Idaho Springs Half Marathon ranks right with it on the list of must-do races.

I never miss it, except in years when it occurs during a Summer Olympics, and the race just keeps getting better and better. Georgetown-Idaho Springs was founded the same year as the Bolder Boulder (1979), and this past weekend the 32nd edition set records for registrants (more than 3,200) and finishers (nearly 2,800).

Even though we’re running on the frontage road of an interstate highway, I’m always surprised how the race feels like a run through a mountain park. Somehow the vehicle noise and exhaust from I-70 never seem to intrude on the experience. You’re more likely to hear the babbling of Clear Creek than trucks and cars.

The first mile and a half — uphill at nearly 8,500 feet — is always a tricky challenge: Go hard, flirt with oxygen debt, but woe be to those who go over that line. The rest of the race is an interesting balancing act, racing at altitude while running downhill (more than 900 feet of descent). And every once in a while there’s an uphill that reminds you most of the race is a half-mile higher than Denver.

I’ve been running this race since the early ’80s, and I’m really glad it continues to thrive.

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Lessons in life’s priorities at a kids’ triathlon

Saturday’s IronKids Triathlon in Boulder was filled with great kids, interesting stories and heartwarming images, but one in particular is going to stick with me a while.

Thomas Jessop, 14,  is biking 3,200 miles from California to Florida to benefit the homeless and bring attention to the childhood obesity epidemic. He is doing five triathlons along the way.

Jessop lives in a school bus with his brother and father. They lost their house and a $60-million business in 2001 because of the dot.com bust.

“We’re partnering with New Beginnings, a charity that helps homeless people living in their vehicles,” said Jessop, who lives in Santa Barbara, Calif. ”They lost their house or their apartment, and now they’re living in their car. They get a place to park their car at night, so they don’t have to go into bad neighborhoods, or have to get harassed by the police. They also connect with social services and Catholic Charities.”

The Jessops may not have a lot in the way of material possessions, but don’t feel sorry for them.

“It turned out to be a great thing,” Jessop’s father, Lynn, said of losing his job and the mansion where his family once lived. “Instead of working and catching my kids after school, I got to stay home and be with them through those years and do home schooling. They’re better, smarter kids and we’re a happier family. We live in a little different way from most people, but it still works for us.”

I heard another lesson about priorities from Eric Negrey of Lafayette, whose 11-year-old son, Josh, also did Saturday’s triathlon. Josh is a leukemia survivor. 

“The thing the health issues have taught us is to live every day to its fullest, to plan for the future but not worry about the future, to have goals but every day is unique,” Eric Negrey said. “You’ve just got to focus on what’s in front of you that day.”

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No news is good news — Colorado remains fittest state

Today’s news is the same as it was last year and the year before. And that’s a good thing, at least for Colorado.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has released its annual ranking of states and their prevalence of obesity. Colorado has had the lowest obesity rate for many years and for the past three years has been the only state with an obesity rate below 20 percent.

In 2009 figures released today, Colorado checked in with an obesity prevalence of  18.6 percent. Mississippi was ranked most obese (34.4 percent), and eight other states were over 30 percent.

A decade ago were were talking about Colorado as the only state with an obesity rate below 15 percent, and half of the states were below 20 percent, so the trend lines aren’t good. But at least Colorado remains the least obese state, and for that we can be grateful.

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Nyman “stoked” about 2015 worlds in Vail

Steve Nyman will be 33 years old in 2015 when Vail hosts its third world alpine ski championships. He plans to be there.

“I’m so fired up on this,” Nyman said after Vail landed the prestigious event last week. Nyman has been on the podium twice in World Cup races on the Birds of Prey course at Beaver Creek.

“There are a lot of guys on our team who will save retirement until after 2015 just to get a shot at racing Birds for the worlds and we’ve got a lot of young guys coming up who will be even more stoked to attack that hill knowing we’ll be on the big stage there in 2015,” Nyman said. “I’ve never experienced something this big on home soil. It’s going to be awesome.”

Nyman happened to be in Vail for the Teva Mountain Games when the news came. Teammate Andrew Weibrecht was studying for final exams at Dartmouth.

“It’s so sweet to know that worlds will be on home turf,” said Weibrecht, who gave U.S. Ski Team fans a thrill at the Birds of Prey in 2007 when he finished 10th from the 53rd start position with a hair-raising run. “Beaver Creek is the best World Cup stop we have all season, not just because of the hill, they know how to put on a good show. A lot of young racers will definitely be pushing harder knowing that we’ll be racing in Vail right after Sochi.”

NOTE: World Cup races happen nearly every weekend of the ski season, and Vail typically hosts 3-4 races every season. But the world championships happen every other year, and racers consider worlds nearly as important as the Olympics. The world championships have been held in the U.S. only three times: Aspen in 1950, Vail/Beaver Creek in 1989 and 1999.

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Surfing Big Sur 2010

Maybe twice a decade, the tempest that is Big Sur rises from the swollen Colorado River in DeBeque Canyon. When flows reach above 20,000 cfs, the glassy, gentle wave emerges atop a long-gone dam. Back in the day, Big Sur drew kayakers from all corners of the West, with reps peddling their latest designs and paddlers spending all day and night on the fuzzy bunny of a wave. Even with today’s swarm of whitewater playparks, Big Sur lures the carvers. Get it while you can and bring extra fun tickets.

Big Sur, 2010 from Jason Blevins on Vimeo.

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Eager to see CU runners in new Pacific conference

In all the attention given to Colorado’s move into the Pac-10 conference, a really intriguing part of the story has been seemingly overlooked: What this does for CU’s highly successful cross country and track program.

The very fact that CU runners will be in the same conference as Oregon is delicious to contemplate. The prospect of CU competing in conference track championships at historic Hayward Field is something to relish. Equally exciting is that some day presumably we will see Oregon and Stanford competing in conference cross country championships here.

Since 1995, Stanford won four NCAA men’s cross country championships, CU three, Oregon two. Stanford won five NCAA women’s cross country titles, CU two and Washington one.

I have to think this move also will help coach Mark Wetmore’s recruiting efforts. Come to CU, train at altitude, compete against some of the greatest distance programs in the country.

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Joe Colton race a celebration of running and Colorado scenery

One race I try never to miss is Joe Colton’s Off Road Run, typically Father’s Day weekend in the foothills near Rollinsville. This past Saturday marked the 10th installment of this delightful but little-known event that gets better every year.

The race begins at Rollinsville, just west of the Peak to Peak Highway at an elevation of 8,500 feet. Runners have their choice of racing 5, 10 or 15 miles on a firm dirt road that parallels a rail line up toward Rollins Pass and the Moffat Tunnel. The 15-miler tops out at 9,200 feet, while the 10-miler peaks at 8,900 feet.  Along the way on the out-and-back course there are great views of the Continental Divide. Typically I race the 10-miler or do the 15-miler as a training run, and I did the latter this year.

Always well run, the race took a step up this year under the managemetn of the Boulder Running Co., for the first time. All BRC races award nice technical shirts and this year’s was a beauty. The race had chip timing with Gatorade, water, snacks and gel at aid stations.

It’s a small race, but it attracts some really good runners. That, too, took a step up this year with BRC awarding $1,100 in prize money. The top woman in the 15-miler (73 finishers) was Nuta Olaru of Longmont, who ran the marathon at the 2004 Athens Olympics for her native Romania. The man who won the 10-miler (107 finishers) was Tim DeBoom of Boulder, a two-time Ironman champion.

After the race there is pizza and music that is difficult to describe. I guess I’d call it tie-dyed, aging hippie fare, but it makes you want to hang out, chill and savor the experience.

So put Joe Colton on your calendar for next June, you won’t regret it.

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