Me catching up to Renae.
A couple of weeks ago Renae signed us up for this run in a little village outside of Mt. Crested Butte called Gothic, the run was RMBL Gothic to Crested Butte Run, Walk, or Crawl 1/3 Marathon. It was advertised as an all down hill run, I wasn't sure I would want to do it having done 3 runs in a row on the weekends. But eventually I agreed because I thought it might be pretty. We decided to drive the jeep with the two dogs so needless to say space was at a premium and we packed three days worth of clothes for both of us in one small suitcase that could fit in the spare space in the jeep. We headed out on the 3rd of July over the Mesa to Cedaredge then to Crawford along the back side of the Black Canyon down to Blue Mesa and then into Gunnison. We were staying in Gunnison for the weekend but drove on to Crested Butte to pick up our race packets, approximately, 23 miles away.
I went into the Visitor's Center to pick up the packets and change Renae's registration to early walker instead of runner due to infection in her toe that had surgery. This was actually the first race in which we got consecutive numbers until I changed her status. Side note, we generally register at same time in one swoop but we always get numbers that are up to 60 numbers apart this time we were 16 and 17 until she got number 539. Then we decided to head up to Gothic to check out the "down hill course". The paved road ends outside of Mt. Crested Butte and turns into a gravel/dirt road that runs basically the back side of the Maroon Bells. We hit Gothic within 3 miles and we were in awe of the wildflowers that were in bloom. We decided to drive on past Gothic and were amazed at how many people were out hiking and camping in the area. We drove about another 9 miles until snow pack blocked the road.
We headed back to Gunnison, checked into the Rodeway Inn and ate at a little Mexican eatery that was in front of the hotel. The service sucked except the bus people the food was alright. The didn't have their liquor license so no margarita's, :(. And they had a door that when swung open sounded like a donkey. At first I thought it was Zeus out in the jeep howling, but then Renae said it was the door, but I looked every time I heard it. Earlier we had timed how long it would take us to drive to Gothic as I would be dropping Renae off with the dogs as dogs would not be allowed on the buses that would transport us from Crested Butte to Gothic. Then I would drive back to Crested Butte and get on the bus. So knowing that it would take 58 min to get from Gunnison to Gothic we decided we would need to leave no later than 0550 in the morning.
I set my alarm for 0520 but had a hard time motivating. We left the hotel around that time but realized in order to get me on the bus we would have to do a little speeding. So picture this open jeep, mountain driving, 35 degrees or so, wearing running attire. Needless to say going 60-65 miles an hour it didn't take me long to reach a hypothermic state in which I no longer shivered and I couldn't bend my fingers. I got Renae to Gothic around 0640 and she took the dogs and she would start at 0700 am. I turned around and headed back to Crested Butte. I found a parking space next to the Visitor Center and used the bathroom and loaded the last bus. We headed up to the start of the race. When we got there they only had two porta-janes so people were going out into the weeds and just dropping trousers and peeing right there. Needless to say I stood in line for about 15 min waiting to use the facilities. I was still standing there as the race started and nearly got run over. I was able to stand my ground and used the bathroom and then started off.
The first mile had a few rollers in it but I caught up and passed most of the walkers that started at 0800. The first water station was at mile 1. As I started towards Mile 2 the up sections were increasingly difficult so I would walk during these sections. I knew that at Mile 3 we would hit pavement and it would start going downhill. I was following a lady who was run/walking and her husband was driving a golf cart with their elderly Irish Setter was in the back. I kept the dog in sight because it helped motivate me. Once we hit the blacktop there was another water station and then downhill. People were walking back from their morning coffee breaks and sitting out on their balconies and they were awesome cheering people on. I hit Mile 4 and the degree of downhill increased to the point that I was easily running a 9 min mile until Mile 5 where the next water station was. When I hit Mile 5 I could see Renae with the dogs about 3/4 of a mile ahead of me. I texted her that I could see her, I know I'm amazing that I can text and run at the same time, at least until they make it against the law. It took me about 7 min of running to catch up to her. Both the dogs ran to great me and I stopped to walk for a minute or two and checked on how Renae was doing. She said her toe was a little bothersome but she really had to pee. Unfortunately there was only one porta-jane's along the route but it was at Mile 7 1/2, which neither of us knew about.
I started off running again and got about 2 min from Renae and I heard her whistling so I looked back and both the dogs were bounding down to me. I caught them and gave them a good rubbing and got them headed back to Renae. I was still following the lady in Red with the golf cart husband. We reached Mile 7 and were actually in the town of Crested Butte. We started heading to the downtown area and as I rounded the corner for the last 3/4 mile and apparently it was a farmer's market and then ended up on the parade route for the 4th of July Parade. This was a bit bothersome as either people didn't realize there was a run going on or just didn't care. People would walk right in front of me or stop their bicycles and talk so it was frustrating. I caught up and passed the lady in red right at the finish line.
I finished my 8.56 mile in 2hr4min29sec. Not bad for some up hill and at 9500 feet of elevation. I was hoping to do it about 20 min faster than that but it is what it is. I got something to drink and turned around and headed back to meet Renae. She was rounding the last corner when I reached her and she ran the last 1/4 mile with the dogs.
After she crossed the finish line and got something to drink we headed back to the jeep. When we got there all the parade entries were lined up behind the jeep so we were stuck. We sat down on the ground to watch the parade. As the last entry passed we backed out and followed them. People were clapping and cheering as we passed. It was funny.
We headed home Monday morning and decided to take a few detours. We found some really pretty country that was really bumpy. I had to pee 4 times during a 2 hour period. We also stalled the jeep twice coming down a one lane road near Lake City. We made it home around 2pm.
