Hi everyone,
This is Wendy writing this time. Today we got up to Buena Vista, for the start of TransRockies Run tomorrow. We left Phoenix on Friday night and drove to Gallup, New Mexico where we stayed at the Red Roof Inn. We all got a good night of sleep and got going pretty early (for me anyway) on Saturday as we had a long day on the road to get up to Denver. The day seemed to pass pretty quickly but that was because I slept for a lot of it :- )
We arrived in Denver just in time to pick up the RV that will be our home for the next 8 days. It's not too bad, quite comfy and keeping out the rain which is falling at the moment as I type this. Last night we stayed with Sara, an old friend of mine. This morning after a great breakfast we headed here to Buena Vista. It sure is beautiful up here. We're at 8300 ft and there are mountains all around.
Stu and I got checked in and picked up all our swag. This evening we had our first TR meal (kabobs) and got to see our competition. Everyone seems in good spirits despite a storm that has blown in. We can hear lots of lightning and see thunder all around [that's an inside joke for one of our friends back in the valley (Jeff you know who you are - LOL)].
Right now we're chilling with beers and good reads just relaxing before turning in for the night. We start at 10am tomorrow, later than the usual start which will be 8am. Tomorrow's route is just a 'warmup' of 13 miles. It's pretty flat - only an elevation change of about 1100 feet, and the good news is we stay at this same spot tomorrow night as well.
Well that's about all from me for now. I'll check in again tomorrow night and let you all know how tomorrow went.
C'ya
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Thursday, August 21, 2008
We're heade to TranRockies Run
Just wanted to let everyone know that Wendy and I are headed to Colorado for TranRockies Run. Wendy and Stu Gibson are the runners who will be trying to run about 125 miles in 6 days. Here is a brief description of the event... oh, yeah, we rented an RV for the event and I'll be doing support... and yes, I'm taking my bike with me. What else would I do while I'm doing support...
GORE-TEX™ TransRockies Run
A New Epic in the RockiesThis year from August 25-30, up to 150 teams of two will take on the Colorado Rockies for a running experience like no other. During the six days of the GORE-TEX™ TransRockies Run, runners from all over the world will run, eat and live together as they cover 125 miles of spectacular scenery, fully supported by a dedicated and professional Event Team who will look after all aspects of their food, accommodations and on-course support.Based upon the wildly successful GORE-TEX™ TransAlpine-Run in Europe and the TransRockies mountain bike race, the GORE-TEX™ TransRockies Run is run on a multi-day point-to-point format which allows athletes to access and traverse wild and fantastic scenery, while building camaraderie, overcoming adversity and sharing a singular adventure.
The GORE-TEX™ TransRockies Run course runs from Buena Vista to Beaver Creek, through the heart of the White River and San Isabel National Forests. The course includes a mix of singletrack and forest road with nearly 25,000 feet of elevation gain, reaching altitudes of over 12,500 ft. Racers are fed and housed in a tent city, and treated to hot showers and other amenities every night, and are supported throughout each stage with feed and aid stations along with a fully-equipped and mobile medical team. Each day’s run is filmed by a professional TV crew who produce footage which is shown during the daily awards ceremony recognizing the stage and overall leaders.
Each morning, the racers will leave the race village en masse and tackle the day’s course before arriving at the finish where the Event Team has moved in and rebuilt the village from the night before. With gear bags, tents, showers and food waiting, the racers can spend the rest of the afternoon and evening trading stories, healing wounds and recovering in preparation for the next day’s run.W.L. Gore and Associates has won the loyalty and trust of runners and outdoor enthusiasts with the comfort, protection and superior performance of the GORE-TEX® brand and its Guaranteed To Keep You Dry™ promise. The innovative stage running format will challenge the athletes with a huge variety of conditions. Gore licensees include Adidas, Asics, Puma, Nike, Salomon, New Balance, Montrail, Ecco, The North Face and Inov8. They use GORE-TEX™ in the making of shoes and apparel ready for the challenge of the TransRockies Run.
While many participants come to endurance stage events with the simple goal of getting to the finish line, there will be fierce competition at the front of the pack for the $20,000 in prize money up for grabs in five different team categories: Open Men, Open Women, Open Mixed, Men 80+ and Women 80+. The 80+ categories consist of teams whose participants' ages combine to 80 years or more. Regardless of category or experience, participants of the GORE-TEX™ TransRockies Run will cross the line with a deep sense of accomplishment, a lifetime’s worth of stories and memories, and a group of new friends in adventure.
GORE-TEX™ TransRockies Run
A New Epic in the RockiesThis year from August 25-30, up to 150 teams of two will take on the Colorado Rockies for a running experience like no other. During the six days of the GORE-TEX™ TransRockies Run, runners from all over the world will run, eat and live together as they cover 125 miles of spectacular scenery, fully supported by a dedicated and professional Event Team who will look after all aspects of their food, accommodations and on-course support.Based upon the wildly successful GORE-TEX™ TransAlpine-Run in Europe and the TransRockies mountain bike race, the GORE-TEX™ TransRockies Run is run on a multi-day point-to-point format which allows athletes to access and traverse wild and fantastic scenery, while building camaraderie, overcoming adversity and sharing a singular adventure.
The GORE-TEX™ TransRockies Run course runs from Buena Vista to Beaver Creek, through the heart of the White River and San Isabel National Forests. The course includes a mix of singletrack and forest road with nearly 25,000 feet of elevation gain, reaching altitudes of over 12,500 ft. Racers are fed and housed in a tent city, and treated to hot showers and other amenities every night, and are supported throughout each stage with feed and aid stations along with a fully-equipped and mobile medical team. Each day’s run is filmed by a professional TV crew who produce footage which is shown during the daily awards ceremony recognizing the stage and overall leaders.
Each morning, the racers will leave the race village en masse and tackle the day’s course before arriving at the finish where the Event Team has moved in and rebuilt the village from the night before. With gear bags, tents, showers and food waiting, the racers can spend the rest of the afternoon and evening trading stories, healing wounds and recovering in preparation for the next day’s run.W.L. Gore and Associates has won the loyalty and trust of runners and outdoor enthusiasts with the comfort, protection and superior performance of the GORE-TEX® brand and its Guaranteed To Keep You Dry™ promise. The innovative stage running format will challenge the athletes with a huge variety of conditions. Gore licensees include Adidas, Asics, Puma, Nike, Salomon, New Balance, Montrail, Ecco, The North Face and Inov8. They use GORE-TEX™ in the making of shoes and apparel ready for the challenge of the TransRockies Run.
While many participants come to endurance stage events with the simple goal of getting to the finish line, there will be fierce competition at the front of the pack for the $20,000 in prize money up for grabs in five different team categories: Open Men, Open Women, Open Mixed, Men 80+ and Women 80+. The 80+ categories consist of teams whose participants' ages combine to 80 years or more. Regardless of category or experience, participants of the GORE-TEX™ TransRockies Run will cross the line with a deep sense of accomplishment, a lifetime’s worth of stories and memories, and a group of new friends in adventure.
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Flag to GC
This past weekend I participated in the Toys for Tots Flag to (almost) Grand Canyon mountain bike ride. Usually, we camp in Flag on Friday night, do the ride, then camp at the finish on Saturday night. This is a great event with breakfast being served at the first check point.... and I mean real breakfast like eggs and bacon, biscuits and gravy, fruit, cookies, etc. ... the list goes on.
Wendy and I drove up Friday night and got in a bit late. So instead of pitching an tent, we put an EZ-UP over the bed of the truck and slept on the thermarest. It was a beatiful night. We left a small gap right above our heads so we could see the stars. Of course, it rained a bit in the morning and we had to move down a bit. By then, my feet were hanging off the bed of the truck.
The ride starts at 7 AM. Wendy was planning on running for 3 hours at Mt. Elden, then driving to the finish and picking me up. The ride is pretty easy, but a bit long. About 62 miles on fire roads with a small amount of rocky, semi-technical riding.
I rode with Trever, Dan and Rob. The first 15-20 miles felt like we were racing, but then the pace settled and became much more civilized. One rider was in front of our group, and he was flying. By the last checkpoint, we were about 30 minutes behing. At about mile 53, I got a flat and had to stop. Another ride (Mike) caught up with us. When we hit the last check point, we all stopped except for Mike - he kept going - for food and drinks. We finished the 62 miles in just over 4 hours, which is not too bad.
Wendy finally picked me up about an hour and a half later. She was estimating my finish in about 5 hours. We decided not to stay the night because our dogs were alone at home. Overall a great ride, but I think next year we'll be camping and we'll bring the dogs.
Wendy and I drove up Friday night and got in a bit late. So instead of pitching an tent, we put an EZ-UP over the bed of the truck and slept on the thermarest. It was a beatiful night. We left a small gap right above our heads so we could see the stars. Of course, it rained a bit in the morning and we had to move down a bit. By then, my feet were hanging off the bed of the truck.
The ride starts at 7 AM. Wendy was planning on running for 3 hours at Mt. Elden, then driving to the finish and picking me up. The ride is pretty easy, but a bit long. About 62 miles on fire roads with a small amount of rocky, semi-technical riding.
I rode with Trever, Dan and Rob. The first 15-20 miles felt like we were racing, but then the pace settled and became much more civilized. One rider was in front of our group, and he was flying. By the last checkpoint, we were about 30 minutes behing. At about mile 53, I got a flat and had to stop. Another ride (Mike) caught up with us. When we hit the last check point, we all stopped except for Mike - he kept going - for food and drinks. We finished the 62 miles in just over 4 hours, which is not too bad.
Wendy finally picked me up about an hour and a half later. She was estimating my finish in about 5 hours. We decided not to stay the night because our dogs were alone at home. Overall a great ride, but I think next year we'll be camping and we'll bring the dogs.
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