Approaching Silverton from Durango, Hwy 550
Charlie Thorn's house bbq party on July 4th
Silverton
View from Avon hotel onto the start of the course
July 5th, Grouse Gulch up to Handies, Kyle is running up
Up to handies
View on American basin on the way to Handies
Larry took next few photos of me and others en route to Handies.
Why do I think it is easier to breather by bending down? I think I hacked my lungs out somewhere here, if you find them - send them back, please!
Trail marker
Kyle on return trip from Handies
Kirk Apt, 13x finisher (now 14)
Larry King for a weekend visit
Gary Knippling
Dogie shoes.
Bruce Grant
Storm up on Handies, crazy weather!!!
Billy Simpson, Bushwhacker Mike Burke, Larry King - down safe from Handies
Avon hotel, mecca for runners
July 5th my nephew Michael would have been 28...he hadn't lived to it 3.5 years. I said a prayer at this place in the mountains. While I am not religious, it seemed fitting to do it here, with two of my best friends.
July 6th, hanging out - and Billy is working on those abs.
July 7th, on the way to Ouray
Group to climb Virginius Pass
European girls flirt, oh, yes!
Snow fields
Just look at that! 3 pitches to Virginius.
#1
On all four...
Steep!
#1 pitch is done, not too bad.
After #2, which is shortest.
Last pitch
James Varner runs on "four" straight up without detour.
Top of Virginius
Behind is where runners are coming from this year.
The way down - sliding is fun!
I like been a kid:)
Now my butt is wet!
This is what it looks like for the one who is going down!
If I say one more "OMG, WOW, AWW" - Mike will kill me!
What is better after that than beer??!!
Old mining site
From Government Basin to Ouray
Ouray
Hot Springs pool after Virginius
Setting up the pool for bets on Kyle's finishing time vs his margin of the win.
On the way to check out Ouray trails on Tuesday, July 8th
View on Ouray
Trail down to Ouray AS
Shaded!
Bridge to cross
What's under the bridge
Tunnel to go through
Out of tunnel
Crossing bridge out of Ouray on the way up to road and Bear Creek trail
Nice section to run on
or show off:)
Short detour to the river
Over the road
That "natural bridge" over the road
High drops - don't step aside.
Bear Creek trail, beginning of scary part
Having fun down to Ouray again
Nice clouds!
Last 3 miles out of Silverton
Gary Knippling is checking them out too.
Course description
Marsh fields
Taco night on Tuesday presented by Avon's Tommy Burrell
The Grizzly and the Baby Bear
Steve Pero (on the way to his first finish in 5 years) and Beth Simpson-Hall (pacing husband Larry Hall)
Two hottest chicks in town:)
Gary is one happy man!
View on Cunningham valley
Up to Cunningham, last climb for race day, 13,000 feet, 2900 feet climb in 2.3 miles (or at least I was told so). Wed, July 9th
Ready to go solo while Mike is tapering
It gaines altitude in 5 minutes!
Opposite view on downhill into Cunningham, AS
Columbine - most promonent feature of San Juans flora
Nearing the top
Basin from last false summit
Top of Cunningham Pass, view back (trail is over the ridge to the right), took me 1:30 to get there
Ridge over to downhill - whee, home stretch!
Perfect life - what can be better?
Happy to be done, even if with trashed quads a day before pacing duty
Miner's boarding house - you want to live there?
Thursday, July 10th. Pre-race check-in
Past awards for finishers
Tommy Burrell, the Man behind the Avon hotel
John DeWalt - oh, yeah, baby, guaranteed TOUGH!
Hans D-W
OR crowd
Sean and Keith, East Coast boys
Dave Tarry arrived
My runner, I wanna be like him when I grow up
Virginia Happy Trail guys
Race morning, Kyle is getting ready
Wasatch Mountain Goat Running Team, bahaa!!
James Varner
The mutant boys
Last dude to get in the morning of!
Kirk Apt
Greg Loomis
Don't let me catch you - Roch Horton and Kyle Skaggs
Race-ready
On the go!
Is it Soviet?
Kyle comes to Mineral Creek, 2M into the race, at 18 min
Water crossing - what they have about every half hour for sure, forget dry shoes or change of socks, useless
The rest of the chasing pack comes 3 min later
Whit Rambach, who got in last minute
Scott Mason, the Capt'n of WMGRT
Gary Knippling and John DeWalt
Helping Hans to put shoes on.
I am going back to the car.
It's freakin' cold!!!
Tony awaits to crew for Kyle at Terrulide, word is Kyle will be over an hour early
Howoy from AZ races
And here comes The Kid! 11:36 on the clock
I plan on sending these pictures to CK catalog and make some money off him:)
Jared is next, over an hour later
Happy.
Chuck draws awesome pictures!
Varner is running smoothly
That's my man, right on prediction
White bread and butter is a secret Mike adapted from John DeWalt, while V8 juice came from me as an addition to a race diet.
Aaron Denberg
Sean Andrish
Kim Holak.
Second woman Betsy Kalmeyer
Dave Terry
Keith Knippling
Ouray AS, Varner re-supplies:)
Krissy Moehl came to pace Rock Horton
Nick Coury, another wonder child, always happy like a butterfly
Bushwhacker, like a clock, 5:45pm
Another bread-n-butter and V8.
Sock change - no, don't push me out!
Taking him out of town onto the trail.
Off he goes.
Halladay, Jason
Aaron again
Roch Horton is trying to gain on Burke for an "old dude" award.
Diana at Grouse AS, looking very strong
Here is that "happy child" again!
Not so chipper right now
Top of Handies at over 14,000 feet, freezing cold and out of breath after pushing hard for 2.5 hrs
Caught up with boys on the other side of Handies just to never see them again
Varner is getting "schooled" by Bushwhacker at Sherman
Dawn, finally
Tired...tell me about it, I am too!
We kind of slacked here
Wish I had taken more pictures of flowers!
Paradise admiration
Out of Maggies. Unfortunately, I had no idea how big those 3 "bumps" will be and bonked mentally pretty bad. Thankfully, I had Mike to sooth me back to life.
You don't get to see these views unless you climb over 13,000 feet mountains!
From here on we decided to push for the PR, and later - for under 34hrs. No more pictures.
You haven't lived unless you kissed the Rock. 33:51. PR. 11th overall. Not bad for an old fool:)
The young and the restless:)
Breakfast on Sunday
John DeWalt fan club
Awards
John DeWalt, finish #13!
The winners of Hardrock 100 2008 - Diana Finkel and Kyle Skaggs
