I've recently returned from the 2011 GoreTex TransRockies Run where I ran with Eric Butze, local fast road runner, in a 2-man team. This report is a little long, but there is a lot to talk about.
The race is a 6-day stage race across the mountains of Colorado from Buena Vista to Beaver Creek through some areas of historical significance and unbelievable terrain. The stages are 21-25 mi except for two shorter days that are 13 and 14 miles each. Generally the short days have enough elevation gain to make up for their shorter length. All 6-day runners were required to run in pairs and to carry minimal safety gear (jacket, gloves, hat, space blanket). There is also a solo 3-day option. Each day the race organization cooks excellent buffet-style meals, sets up a tent city, and portages your bags. Aid stations are set every 7 mi. It's not exactly roughing it (as Beaver Creek's motto goes). The competition is world-class and included winners of major ultras like Western States and a 13:36 5k runner.
http://transrockies.com/transrockiesrun/transrockies/race_route.htm
Stage 1 was the hot one - 21 mi in the east side of the Arkansas River valley running out of Buena Vista. I was cramped up after we blew up on the first climb trying to out run the faster women. This was a big mistake going into the big leagues. The rest of the stage was a slow deathmarch in the sun. The end was a 3-mi false flat road run, where Eric pushed me in. We figured we were pretty much going to die sometime over the next 5 days.
Stage 2 went over the 12,500' Hope Pass out of Vicksburg, but was only 13 mi. For those familiar with the Leadville 100-mi run course, we started at the 50-mi turnaround point, went over Hope, and back down to the east past Twin Lakes. Running would be a generous term, but we made it over conservatively and felt like we had given it a good shot. We were shocked to find that we were barely in the top half of the open men's division (12/25) despite what seemed like our best effort. We were bussed to tent city in Leadville & spent the day downtown.
Stage 3 was another long day (23 mi) that was described as "very runnable" by ultra veteran Michelle Barton. It was the day that I figured out just how much salt I needed to take to survive this race. It was also our breakthrough point. We were able to put a few minutes on the 10th and 9th-place teams and establish ourselves as competitive in the top 10. Much of the stage was along paths established by the 10th Mountain Division to cross-country ski from our campsite at Camp Hale to various training grounds miles away. One of those soldiers went north to establish Vail after the war and several secret military operations happened there before it was opened to the public later.
Stage 4 was the last short stage (14 mi) entailing a single large climb, a traverse above tree-line at 11,500', and a steep technical descent, partially in a flowing 40-degree creek. We decided to hit this stage super hard against the advice of several more experienced racers, picked up a lot of time on our competition on this stage, and set the tone for the rest of the race - we were getting stronger while our immediate competition dropped out, got injured, and slowed down. The stage started in Camp Hale and headed north to Red Cliff. There were fish tacos and margaritas to be had after the race in Red Cliff.
Stage 5 was a big climbing day, but this time with big milage - 23 mi, 4000' climbing. We decided to hang with Nikki Kimball, 3x Western States 100 winner, for the initial 10-mi climb which resulted in me bonking and running 13 mi at over 11000' bonked. I know we ran pretty well, but a lot of it is a blur. Eric had a pretty good crash on this stage and gutted out the miles through some pain. Teamwork pays off huge in this sort of racing and I think we had a good team dynamic going.
Stage 6 was another 24-mi day with 5000' climbing. We took it easy with our big lead and Eric's swollen knee, finishing up with 8th place in open men and very happy.
Overall, the race is very expensive and time consuming, but you get a huge experience out of it, hang out with world-class like minded crazies for a week, and eat well in beautiful backcountry sites. It's worth every penny. I can't recommend it enough and would love to try out the organization's TransAlps run or TransRockies bike ride.
