Sports

Summer Camp for Runners

Ambitious vacationers can still sign up for the six-day Gore-Tex TransRockies Run, in which participants cover 113 trail miles in the Colorado Rockies.

Most summer vacations involve trips to the beach or the amusement park. Perhaps a s’mores-filled camping trip or a tranquil island getaway.

And then there’s the vacation that requires running 113 trail miles over six days in late August through Colorado’s Rocky Mountains. The Gore-Tex TransRockies Run, dubbed “summer camp for runners” by many previous participants, appeals to a whole different kind of vacationer.

I know because I’ve been there. Last year, I signed on for the race with good friend and running buddy Caroline Ly. Unlike most running events, the six-day TransRockies Run requires teammates to cover the entire course together. Partners can tow each other uphill with a rope attached to their waists, carry each other’s gear, or shout encouragement at one another, but they have to cross the finish line together. You can only run as fast as your weakest link.

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The relationship doesn’t end when the running shoes come off at night. Teammates also must share a tent together each night, meaning the TransRockies week can be one of the largest tests of both romantic and platonic relationships. Some teammates argue on the trail, others develop deep understandings, and a select few even fall in love.

(In a nod to those who don’t want to run with a partner, TransRockies last year debuted a shortened three-day event for individuals. That popular event has 10 spots left for this year, out of 100 entries.)

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When Caroline and I heard about the race from fellow running friends, we thought the event would be perfect us. After all, we ran our first ultra together—the White River 50 Miler—and have been signing up for races as a team ever since. We dubbed ourselves Team A Foot Apart (in reference to my 5’11” stature and Caroline’s 4’11” frame) and headed to Colorado with eagerness and a bit of trepidation.

Upon beginning our research, we soon learned that TransRockies remains a relatively young race, as are running stage races in general. The team that started the TransRockies, in 2007, also formed the TransAlpine Run in Europe in 2005 and the TransRockies Bike (a mountain bike stage race in Canada) in 2002. Other existing multi-day runs include Desert R.A.T.S. in Utah and the hard-core Marathon des Sables in Africa, which requires participants to carry all of their food and gear. The idea of having to lug all of our water and clothing sounded ludicrously difficult to us, and so we opted instead for the luxury of TransRockies, where event staff schleps everything.

Our preparation for TransRockies included a number of spring and summer long runs. Though we covered plenty of Pacific Northwest trail miles, we quickly discovered Colorado could provide a new kind of challenge. The course begins in the town of Buena Vista, at an elevation of about 8,000 feet. Altitude tops out at Hope Pass near Leadville, which sits at a lung-burning 12,500 feet. Since we flew into Buena Vista from sea level Seattle the day before the race started, we skipped any chance to acclimatize.

Colorado’s weather, we found, is similarly extreme. No mellow 55-degree mist and cloudy skies for us Northwest girls. We woke up in our sleeping bags shivering, with temperatures dipping down into the 30s. As soon as the sun poked above the mountain horizon, days became scorching hot. We soon learned the importance of packing ice inside Caroline’s white hat to keep her jet-black hair from burning up under the blazing Colorado sun.

In addition, the TransRockies course itself provides ample challenge. The single-track trails and mountain roads we traversed over the six days include 19,000 feet of elevation gain. We ran up and down mountains, soaked in ice-cold mountain streams, crawled into our tents, and then got up and forced our weary legs to do it all over again.

If TransRockies is beginning to sound like a ridiculous kind of vacation for anyone but the insane, let me now try to convince you otherwise. It may be the hardest summer trip you’ll ever experience, but it will also be one of the most rewarding. Each day, Caroline and I ran up spectacular mountain peaks, across wildflower meadows, and through sun-dappled forests. We splashed through streams, ran down the ski slopes of Vail, and soaked in the stark grandeur of Hope Pass.

TransRockies isn’t all about the running. At camp each afternoon, runners can kick back, sprawl in the sunshine, and form new friendships. Since race organizers set up tents for you, haul your luggage from point to point, and cook all meals, runners must worry about very little. The race even provides a trailer truck with hot showers and hand-washing stations, ensuring grimy runners stay relatively clean all week. Each night at dinner, we received free schwag, including Gore-Tex gloves, Salomon shoes, and a fleece blanket. TransRockies may be summer camp, but it’s a very pampered summer camp.

As for my friendship with Caroline, it only grew stronger. We discovered how to maximize our running strengths, with Caroline darting downhill ahead of me and then me catching up by powering uphill. When she suffered from the heat, I doused her with water. When I ran out of water on one particularly hot afternoon, she poured half of her bottle into mine. Crossing the final finish line in Beaver Creek at the end of the sixth day, we felt a sense of real team accomplishment.

Of course, not every moment in TransRockies is filled with joy. The first day, Caroline suffered from the high desert heat and threw up multiple times during the run. Since all runners sleep in a tent city, it’s difficult to avoid being woken by neighboring conversation, tent zippers and morning alarms. By the sixth day, we never wanted to see a packet of Gu, a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, or a banana again—nor did we want to spend one more night shifting aching muscles around on a camping pad on the ground.

But the scenery, camaraderie and personal satisfaction of TransRockies somehow cancel out any lingering memories of creaky joints and trail running woes. In fact, I became so enamored with TransRockies, I’ve signed on to do it a second time. (And so can you, as the race is still accepting entries for the 200 available team slots.)

This time around, I’m teaming up with my boyfriend, Charlie, who is more of a rower than a runner, but nonetheless is game to tackle the TransRockies challenge. Last Sunday, I took him for a 31-mile group run around Tiger Mountain, effectively doubling the longest distance he has run in years. He came through it smiling and unscathed, and is already getting excited about our week in Colorado.

I’ll be curious to see how the race this August will differ from my past experience on an all-female team. Whereas Caroline and I have run almost every ultra we’ve entered together, Charlie and I are more likely to hop in a two-person rowing shell. And while Caroline and I are simply good friends, I imagine completing the challenge with a significant other will bring new and different challenges and rewards.

Flipping through last year’s photos of the spectacular Rocky Mountain scenery, I can’t wait to take on TransRockies again. And, if you’re looking for a vacation that is anything but typical, you and a teammate can come join me.


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