Post by Peter Bakwin on Nov 5, 2009 21:17:16 GMT -5
Andy Anderson beat his own overall round trip FKT on Longs on Aug. 8, 2012, bringing it down to 1h56m48s!
Anderson's previous FKT was 2h02m54s, set on Aug. 23, 2011.
The previous FKT was set by Chris Reveley way back in 1979, 2h04m27s!
Tina Lewis has the women's FKT, 3h1m20s ascent, 5h21m18s RT (Cables Route), August 14, 2016.
Anton Krupicka seems to have the FKT sticking strictly to the main route (Keyhole), about 3h15m (car-to-car) on June 8, 2012.
There are many other interesting and impressive FKTs on this magnificent peak! Read on!
I could say something deep and philosophical about how running rejuvenates my soul, provides me solace in times of need, or how it grants me spiritual enlightenment and allows me to see beauty in the world, but really I run because it is just plain fun. - Andy Anderson
Many times and tidbits on Longs are listed on Bill Wright's site.
Longs Peak (14,255'), in Rocky Mountain National Park, dominates the skyline in the northern Front Range area of Colorado. It has been a test piece for local athletes for decades, and there are too many amazing records to mention. But, perhaps THE most amazing is the overall, car-to-car speed record of 1h56m48s, set by RMNP climbing ranger Andy Anderson on Aug. 8, 2012, shattering his own record of 2h02m54s set about a year earlier (Aug. 23, 2011). Anderson's ascent & descent splits were 1h14m08s and 42m40s, respectively, giving him the ascent record as well, though probably not the descent record. The previous ascent record was set by Mike Sullivan in 1982, 1h18m31s, also via the Cables Route. An interview with Anderson after his 2011 record is here. Prior to Anderson, the car-to-car FKT on Longs was held for 32 years by the legendary Chris Reveley at 2h04m27s, set in 1979. Like Anderson, Reveley used a very direct version of the Cables Route with "every trick in the book". Reveley's splits were 1h23m ascent, and a 42m descent (which remains the FKT for the descent of Longs). Reveley beat the previous round-trip record of 2h09m set by Roger Briggs. Reveley recounted his run in an email to me in 2005, which I would like to quote here because his words are such a beautiful expression of his experience:
The RT time on my digital watch was 2:04:27 which agreed with the big fat round wall clock (roughly, of course) in the ranger station. For his (previous) record-setting run, Roger Briggs stayed on the regular trail, I think. Check with Roger on that. So, my round-trip was a different course below the Boulder Field. At any rate, Roger's RT was very fast, indeed, if this is true. To run up and down Longs fast you have to love the place and be willing to spend the time to learn the name of every rock and foot placement along your chosen course. I did. Awash in a history of inspired performances, Longs Peak is a place that moves people to go a little beyond themselves, to punch through our self-defined envelopes. For me, it is a kind of holy place. To give credit where credit is due, the devoted people of the National Park Service have worked to keep the place much as it was 30 years ago. Today's warriors can have the biggest adventures of their lives on the same breathtaking stage. I love that. - Chris Revely, August 2005
Women seem generally less inclined to take up these semi-technical mountain FKTs. Our only report for Longs is from Tina Lewis, who set times of 3h1m20s (ascent) and 5h21m18s (round trip) via the North Face (Cables) Route on August 14, 2016. Her GPS track is here.
These days the ethic of staying on the established trails has become much stronger. So, while we can admire (and amaze at) the incredible achievements of the past, we might expect new records to be established by runners staying on the standard routes. In the case of Longs Peak, this mainly means the Keyhole Route. Things can become a little fuzzy because there are many short-cuts to the trail below the Boulderfield, but the "cleanest" runs will be done sticking strictly to the main trail, which is well-established and obvious. The fastest ascent of Longs via the Keyhole (and sticking to the trail) that I have heard of so far is 1h41m58s by Anton Krupicka on June 8, 2012, beating Kraig Koski's 1h49m, set in August 2000. Ryan Burch has done the round trip (sticking to the main trail) in 3h26m10s (ascent time of 1h59m) on Aug. 10, 2011. His trip report, with detailed splits is here. Fast times have also been reported by Bill Wright (3h35m in Aug. 2000), and by Jeff Valliere (total time around 3h23m, 1h52m to the top, Aug. 27, 2010), but these were done using some of the short-cuts below the Boulderfield. Krupicka seems to have beat all of these times on his June 8, 2012, run, with a round-trip time of around 3h15m, staying on the trail. Krupicka ran up in 1h41m58s, "spent 30min on the summit", then ran down in a very fast 1h2m54s. He confirmed the rest time on the summit was "definitely no more than 30min" in an email to me. He also reported the following splits:
Ascent:
Goblin Forest, 14m45s
Battle Mt, 31m00s
Chasm Jct, 41m25s
Granite Pass, 54m05s
Boulder Field Shelter, 1h10m05s
Keyhole, 1h18m50s
Bottom of Trough, 1h25m30s
Start of Narrows, 1h35m35s
Summit, 1h41m58s
Descent splits were (after stopping watch at summit):
Bottom of Trough, ~1h57m
Keyhole, 2h02m00s
Granite Pass, 2h17m20s
Chasm Jct, 2h24m30s
Battle Mt, 2h29m50s
Goblin Forest, 2h38m25s
0.5mi to go sign, 2h42m25s
Ranger Stn, 2h44m52s
Krupicka also set a very fast (FKT) time for one of Longs Peak's most classic routes - Keiners. About a week after an easy climb to learn the route (and some of the short-cuts for the trail sections) with Buzz Burrell and Peter Bakwin, he blitzed this moderately technical (up to 5.4 climbing, moderate snow) route in 2h26m11s car-to-car (ascent in 1h34m54s) on 6/24/2012. The standard descent for climbers is via the North Face, but Krupicka used the slower Keyhole route down to the Boulderfield, then all the short-cuts.
Longs Peak RT from Boulder! Boulder is one of the most prominent endurance sports meccas in the US, and numerous records exist for the round trip from Boulder to the summit of Longs and back, normally using a bicycle to get to the trail head. This article discusses some of these trips. The standard starting/ending point is Old Chicago, at 11th and Pearl, though the Bustop Bar on North Broadway is sometimes used. Neal Beidleman and Kevin Cooney set the FKT for the Longs Peak Duathlon on 9/28/1988. They biked to the TH, ascended/descended via the Cables Route, and returned to Boulder in 7h28m. Beidleman and Cooney also established a tough mark for the Longs Peak Triathlon, in which the ascent involves a technical climb of the East Face via the Casual Route, which they completed in 10h30m on 8/10/1990 (the start/end point was at the Bustop). Roger Briggs did the Triathlon ascent only in 5h45m (solo) on 8/8/1991. Kooney & Beidelman's Triathlon time has been superceded by Stefan Griebel and Charlie Nuttleman (10h36m, 2009), and by Stefan Graebel and Jason Wells (9h50m, 2012), as reported below. Finally, Stefan Graebel & Anton Krupicka did the Longs Triathlon in 9h06m (starting/finishing at the Bustop) on August 16, 2016. The pair went unsupported, carrying all climbing and other gear on the bikes, and used a very minimalist style. Krupicka reported on the trip in detail here. Graebel also reports that the previous unsupported FKT for the Longs Triathlon (from the Bustop) is 16.5h by Jason Wells and Brady Robinson.
Tina Lewis is the only woman we've heard of to complete the Longs Duathlon, which she did on August 24, 2015, in a total time of 12h58m. Her GPS track is here, and shows her departing from the Bustop at 6:00am, setting out from the TH at around 9:45am, reaching the summit at 2:01pm (via the N Face / Cables route), back at the TH at 4:45pm (Keyhole Route), and in Boulder at 6:58pm.
For a while I claimed a "placeholder" FKT for the Longs Peak Duathlon sticking strictly to the Keyhole Route, 10h31m on 6/18/2006. Someone probably has done it faster, but I haven't heard of anything. The start/end point was my home in North Boulder, which adds about 5 miles of biking compared to starting at the Bustop, but is maybe 2 miles shorter than starting at Old Chicago. The splits were (not including about an hour of transitions and lounging on the summit):
3h17m bike up
2h52m ascent
1h38m descent
1h45m bike back
Justin Simoni finally beat this Keyhole Route Duathlon time on July 22, 2015, as reported below. Justin did 9h58m starting and ending at the Bustop, with his splits reported below.
Doing the Longs Duathlon in winter proved elusive. Bill Briggs put it this way, "I thought about it for many years and always waited for the perfect mild, windless day when I was available. It never happened." The return bike ride, which drops about 4000' in 40 miles, and will certainly be done during a cold winter night, is particularly intimidating. The winter dualthon was finally accomplished for the first time by Justin Simoni on March 12, 2014, in a total time of 19h46m29s. His engaging account of the trip is here, and he recorded Strava tracks of the ride up from Boulder, the climb of Longs, and the ride back down. Impressively, Simoni's trip was entirely solo and unsupported. Simoni repeated the winter duo in March 2015, in about the same time. A few days later, on March 10, 2015, Anton Krupicka did the winter dualthon nearly 11 hours faster, 8h51m (from the stoplight at Broadway and US36, which would be a couple minutes faster than starting at the Bustop) as reported below (with splits). Tina Lewis repeated Simoni's feat, becoming the only woman to complete the Duathlon in winter on January 4, 2016. Lewis started at the Bustop at 4:44am and was met at the TH by Peter Bakwin, who accompanied her for the hiking portion. The pair left the TH at 10:40am, summited (via the Loft Route) at 3:30pm, and reached the TH again at about 7:30pm. After a 40-minute transition Lewis biked back to Boulder, arriving at 11:26pm, for a total time of 18h42m. Lewis' GPS track is here. "I can't believe I finished that! My poor fingers & feet!" - Tina Lewis
Paul Pomeroy was the first to run from Boulder to the summit of Longs Peak and back. He started at Old Chicago in downtown Boulder and used a carefully scouted, mostly trail route. He completed the trip in 28h44m on July 3-4, 2003. His complete report, which was posted on the BoulderTrailRunners Yahoo! e-group, is below. Paul Hooge repeated the Boulder-to-summit-and-back on September 12-13, 2011. Hooge used a much more direct and efficient road route (through Jamestown), which amounted to about 37 miles of road running each way to and from the Longs Peak Trailhead. He reached the summit a little under 12 hours and completed the round trip (starting and finishing at the Boulder County Courthouse on the Pearl Street Mall) in 23h18m. Hooge was supported by his wife during the run.
Here's Pomeroy's report:
I thought some of you would be interested in how things went over the weekend on my run. I would first like to express my gratitude and admiration for all who helped me out - both by running and crewing - and for the support of the BTR in general. I love you guys!
The Facts:
- Boulder to Long's Peak Summit and back
- Almost all trail (3-4 miles asphault each way)
- About 13,300' elevation gain
- About 115 miles
- Took 28 hrs. 44 min. to complete
Why I did it:
- You can see the summit from my kitchen window.
- There is a history of people attaining the summit from Boulder using bicycles and running but apparently no one had run the RT (although Legend Buzz Burrell came close, cycling only on the return).
- I love the "backyard ultrarun" and this particular combination of trails appealed to me.
The Blow by Blow:
Having envisioned the course and set the date I set out the weekend prior to ascertain conditions on the peak. It has been a snowy year in Rocky Mountain National Park and I was not surprised to find even the Keyhole Route, the standard and easiest method of ascending the mountain, buried in snow. Happily I arrived at the snow field in the early afternoon, found the going easy and was able to climb in my running shoes and slide comfortably back down.
My confidence thus bolstered I scheduled a 9:00 pm start in order to arrive at the snow field at roughly the same time in the early afternoon. This would also allow me to run the lower and hotter portions of the course at night when conditions would be cooler. The disadvantage of this schedule was that I would have to run all night the first night and then finish quite late the second night. "There will be plenty of time to sleep after the run." I told myself, (and so there was, while I drove home at 2:30 in the morning,only narrowly averting disaster several times). So I packed my waist pack, dropped food and water off where I could, and steeled my resolve for the venture. Incredibly, several friends, apparently suffering from a lack of common sense, offered to run with me. Peter Bakwin, making it sound trivial, signed up for 100 kilometers - from Boulder to the summit and back to the parking lot at the base of the mountain. Keith Pike (whose gaudy climbing resume includes numerous risky - and risque - free solos in the American West) was cajoled into the summit push from the parking lot. Stephanie Ehret, fresh off a fantastic 40 mile pacing effort at Western States, said she would be there for the critical leg from the Long's Peak parking lot to Hall Ranch. David Silberman was interested in the last leg - Heil Ranch to Boulder- but only because he wanted to check the late night party scene on 4th St. on the way in. So, after a pint of Sierra Nevada and a great sendoff from the boozy ranks of the Boulder Trail Runners, Peter and I hit the road. Temperatures in the 90's during the day had led to comfortable running conditions at night. Despite both of us knowing the trail well we took a few wrong turns, primarily due to grasses growing over the trail, yet we proceeded with no mishap along the foothills heading north. Dawn found us climbing steadily up towards the Peak to Peak highway. We took pleasure in our surroundings and each other's company, finally arriving at the renezvous point with Keith only slightly worse for wear. Here we ate and drank seemingly nonstop for half an hour or so. Bloated from this gluttony I was pleasantly surprised to be able to walk briskly along the trail occasionally breaking out in a modest trot. We negotiated the talus field on rubbery legs, arriving at the snow field to find it considerably icier than we had hoped. Warily assessing the possibility of surviving a high speed slide into the rocks below we found bits of stick and stone to use as impromptu ice axes and ascended the snow. After the summit slabs we relaxed and rested for the descent. It seemed impossible to me that I should only be halfway but that was the case. The three of us drifted back down the snow field, now softer and thus safer, and rallied in the parking lot along with Steph. There, after another sit down tuck in, I said goodbye to Keith and to Peter ( who didn't look nearly as tired as I felt) and set off with Steph into the heat of the day. Try as I might to keep the heat at bay I found myself periodically suffering from dehydration and nausea. I was able to maintain momentum except perhaps for an hour or two near the end of the day when walking seemed overwhelmingly preferable to running. Upon arriving at Hall Ranch and food and drink I felt much better. Steph seemed to know when to run and when to walk, and it seemed to me I just followed her back to Boulder. Chatting relieved the tedium and we were lucky enough to see a few fireworks from the high points of Heil Ranch. How pleasant and strange to find oneself on Fourth Street,on a summer evening, in the wee hours, amidst the parties winding down and the bars letting out, concluding such a nice little adventure. I feel very grateful indeed to have the good fortune to do this run in such good company and under such excellent circumstances. May the forces that govern our destinies be praised!
-- Paul Pomeroy
Longs Peak great East Face
Longs Peak North Face (Cables) Route - the (approx) route used for the fastest times.
Anderson's previous FKT was 2h02m54s, set on Aug. 23, 2011.
The previous FKT was set by Chris Reveley way back in 1979, 2h04m27s!
Tina Lewis has the women's FKT, 3h1m20s ascent, 5h21m18s RT (Cables Route), August 14, 2016.
Anton Krupicka seems to have the FKT sticking strictly to the main route (Keyhole), about 3h15m (car-to-car) on June 8, 2012.
There are many other interesting and impressive FKTs on this magnificent peak! Read on!
I could say something deep and philosophical about how running rejuvenates my soul, provides me solace in times of need, or how it grants me spiritual enlightenment and allows me to see beauty in the world, but really I run because it is just plain fun. - Andy Anderson
Many times and tidbits on Longs are listed on Bill Wright's site.
Longs Peak (14,255'), in Rocky Mountain National Park, dominates the skyline in the northern Front Range area of Colorado. It has been a test piece for local athletes for decades, and there are too many amazing records to mention. But, perhaps THE most amazing is the overall, car-to-car speed record of 1h56m48s, set by RMNP climbing ranger Andy Anderson on Aug. 8, 2012, shattering his own record of 2h02m54s set about a year earlier (Aug. 23, 2011). Anderson's ascent & descent splits were 1h14m08s and 42m40s, respectively, giving him the ascent record as well, though probably not the descent record. The previous ascent record was set by Mike Sullivan in 1982, 1h18m31s, also via the Cables Route. An interview with Anderson after his 2011 record is here. Prior to Anderson, the car-to-car FKT on Longs was held for 32 years by the legendary Chris Reveley at 2h04m27s, set in 1979. Like Anderson, Reveley used a very direct version of the Cables Route with "every trick in the book". Reveley's splits were 1h23m ascent, and a 42m descent (which remains the FKT for the descent of Longs). Reveley beat the previous round-trip record of 2h09m set by Roger Briggs. Reveley recounted his run in an email to me in 2005, which I would like to quote here because his words are such a beautiful expression of his experience:
The RT time on my digital watch was 2:04:27 which agreed with the big fat round wall clock (roughly, of course) in the ranger station. For his (previous) record-setting run, Roger Briggs stayed on the regular trail, I think. Check with Roger on that. So, my round-trip was a different course below the Boulder Field. At any rate, Roger's RT was very fast, indeed, if this is true. To run up and down Longs fast you have to love the place and be willing to spend the time to learn the name of every rock and foot placement along your chosen course. I did. Awash in a history of inspired performances, Longs Peak is a place that moves people to go a little beyond themselves, to punch through our self-defined envelopes. For me, it is a kind of holy place. To give credit where credit is due, the devoted people of the National Park Service have worked to keep the place much as it was 30 years ago. Today's warriors can have the biggest adventures of their lives on the same breathtaking stage. I love that. - Chris Revely, August 2005
Women seem generally less inclined to take up these semi-technical mountain FKTs. Our only report for Longs is from Tina Lewis, who set times of 3h1m20s (ascent) and 5h21m18s (round trip) via the North Face (Cables) Route on August 14, 2016. Her GPS track is here.
These days the ethic of staying on the established trails has become much stronger. So, while we can admire (and amaze at) the incredible achievements of the past, we might expect new records to be established by runners staying on the standard routes. In the case of Longs Peak, this mainly means the Keyhole Route. Things can become a little fuzzy because there are many short-cuts to the trail below the Boulderfield, but the "cleanest" runs will be done sticking strictly to the main trail, which is well-established and obvious. The fastest ascent of Longs via the Keyhole (and sticking to the trail) that I have heard of so far is 1h41m58s by Anton Krupicka on June 8, 2012, beating Kraig Koski's 1h49m, set in August 2000. Ryan Burch has done the round trip (sticking to the main trail) in 3h26m10s (ascent time of 1h59m) on Aug. 10, 2011. His trip report, with detailed splits is here. Fast times have also been reported by Bill Wright (3h35m in Aug. 2000), and by Jeff Valliere (total time around 3h23m, 1h52m to the top, Aug. 27, 2010), but these were done using some of the short-cuts below the Boulderfield. Krupicka seems to have beat all of these times on his June 8, 2012, run, with a round-trip time of around 3h15m, staying on the trail. Krupicka ran up in 1h41m58s, "spent 30min on the summit", then ran down in a very fast 1h2m54s. He confirmed the rest time on the summit was "definitely no more than 30min" in an email to me. He also reported the following splits:
Ascent:
Goblin Forest, 14m45s
Battle Mt, 31m00s
Chasm Jct, 41m25s
Granite Pass, 54m05s
Boulder Field Shelter, 1h10m05s
Keyhole, 1h18m50s
Bottom of Trough, 1h25m30s
Start of Narrows, 1h35m35s
Summit, 1h41m58s
Descent splits were (after stopping watch at summit):
Bottom of Trough, ~1h57m
Keyhole, 2h02m00s
Granite Pass, 2h17m20s
Chasm Jct, 2h24m30s
Battle Mt, 2h29m50s
Goblin Forest, 2h38m25s
0.5mi to go sign, 2h42m25s
Ranger Stn, 2h44m52s
Krupicka also set a very fast (FKT) time for one of Longs Peak's most classic routes - Keiners. About a week after an easy climb to learn the route (and some of the short-cuts for the trail sections) with Buzz Burrell and Peter Bakwin, he blitzed this moderately technical (up to 5.4 climbing, moderate snow) route in 2h26m11s car-to-car (ascent in 1h34m54s) on 6/24/2012. The standard descent for climbers is via the North Face, but Krupicka used the slower Keyhole route down to the Boulderfield, then all the short-cuts.
Longs Peak RT from Boulder! Boulder is one of the most prominent endurance sports meccas in the US, and numerous records exist for the round trip from Boulder to the summit of Longs and back, normally using a bicycle to get to the trail head. This article discusses some of these trips. The standard starting/ending point is Old Chicago, at 11th and Pearl, though the Bustop Bar on North Broadway is sometimes used. Neal Beidleman and Kevin Cooney set the FKT for the Longs Peak Duathlon on 9/28/1988. They biked to the TH, ascended/descended via the Cables Route, and returned to Boulder in 7h28m. Beidleman and Cooney also established a tough mark for the Longs Peak Triathlon, in which the ascent involves a technical climb of the East Face via the Casual Route, which they completed in 10h30m on 8/10/1990 (the start/end point was at the Bustop). Roger Briggs did the Triathlon ascent only in 5h45m (solo) on 8/8/1991. Kooney & Beidelman's Triathlon time has been superceded by Stefan Griebel and Charlie Nuttleman (10h36m, 2009), and by Stefan Graebel and Jason Wells (9h50m, 2012), as reported below. Finally, Stefan Graebel & Anton Krupicka did the Longs Triathlon in 9h06m (starting/finishing at the Bustop) on August 16, 2016. The pair went unsupported, carrying all climbing and other gear on the bikes, and used a very minimalist style. Krupicka reported on the trip in detail here. Graebel also reports that the previous unsupported FKT for the Longs Triathlon (from the Bustop) is 16.5h by Jason Wells and Brady Robinson.
Tina Lewis is the only woman we've heard of to complete the Longs Duathlon, which she did on August 24, 2015, in a total time of 12h58m. Her GPS track is here, and shows her departing from the Bustop at 6:00am, setting out from the TH at around 9:45am, reaching the summit at 2:01pm (via the N Face / Cables route), back at the TH at 4:45pm (Keyhole Route), and in Boulder at 6:58pm.
For a while I claimed a "placeholder" FKT for the Longs Peak Duathlon sticking strictly to the Keyhole Route, 10h31m on 6/18/2006. Someone probably has done it faster, but I haven't heard of anything. The start/end point was my home in North Boulder, which adds about 5 miles of biking compared to starting at the Bustop, but is maybe 2 miles shorter than starting at Old Chicago. The splits were (not including about an hour of transitions and lounging on the summit):
3h17m bike up
2h52m ascent
1h38m descent
1h45m bike back
Justin Simoni finally beat this Keyhole Route Duathlon time on July 22, 2015, as reported below. Justin did 9h58m starting and ending at the Bustop, with his splits reported below.
Doing the Longs Duathlon in winter proved elusive. Bill Briggs put it this way, "I thought about it for many years and always waited for the perfect mild, windless day when I was available. It never happened." The return bike ride, which drops about 4000' in 40 miles, and will certainly be done during a cold winter night, is particularly intimidating. The winter dualthon was finally accomplished for the first time by Justin Simoni on March 12, 2014, in a total time of 19h46m29s. His engaging account of the trip is here, and he recorded Strava tracks of the ride up from Boulder, the climb of Longs, and the ride back down. Impressively, Simoni's trip was entirely solo and unsupported. Simoni repeated the winter duo in March 2015, in about the same time. A few days later, on March 10, 2015, Anton Krupicka did the winter dualthon nearly 11 hours faster, 8h51m (from the stoplight at Broadway and US36, which would be a couple minutes faster than starting at the Bustop) as reported below (with splits). Tina Lewis repeated Simoni's feat, becoming the only woman to complete the Duathlon in winter on January 4, 2016. Lewis started at the Bustop at 4:44am and was met at the TH by Peter Bakwin, who accompanied her for the hiking portion. The pair left the TH at 10:40am, summited (via the Loft Route) at 3:30pm, and reached the TH again at about 7:30pm. After a 40-minute transition Lewis biked back to Boulder, arriving at 11:26pm, for a total time of 18h42m. Lewis' GPS track is here. "I can't believe I finished that! My poor fingers & feet!" - Tina Lewis
Paul Pomeroy was the first to run from Boulder to the summit of Longs Peak and back. He started at Old Chicago in downtown Boulder and used a carefully scouted, mostly trail route. He completed the trip in 28h44m on July 3-4, 2003. His complete report, which was posted on the BoulderTrailRunners Yahoo! e-group, is below. Paul Hooge repeated the Boulder-to-summit-and-back on September 12-13, 2011. Hooge used a much more direct and efficient road route (through Jamestown), which amounted to about 37 miles of road running each way to and from the Longs Peak Trailhead. He reached the summit a little under 12 hours and completed the round trip (starting and finishing at the Boulder County Courthouse on the Pearl Street Mall) in 23h18m. Hooge was supported by his wife during the run.
Here's Pomeroy's report:
I thought some of you would be interested in how things went over the weekend on my run. I would first like to express my gratitude and admiration for all who helped me out - both by running and crewing - and for the support of the BTR in general. I love you guys!
The Facts:
- Boulder to Long's Peak Summit and back
- Almost all trail (3-4 miles asphault each way)
- About 13,300' elevation gain
- About 115 miles
- Took 28 hrs. 44 min. to complete
Why I did it:
- You can see the summit from my kitchen window.
- There is a history of people attaining the summit from Boulder using bicycles and running but apparently no one had run the RT (although Legend Buzz Burrell came close, cycling only on the return).
- I love the "backyard ultrarun" and this particular combination of trails appealed to me.
The Blow by Blow:
Having envisioned the course and set the date I set out the weekend prior to ascertain conditions on the peak. It has been a snowy year in Rocky Mountain National Park and I was not surprised to find even the Keyhole Route, the standard and easiest method of ascending the mountain, buried in snow. Happily I arrived at the snow field in the early afternoon, found the going easy and was able to climb in my running shoes and slide comfortably back down.
My confidence thus bolstered I scheduled a 9:00 pm start in order to arrive at the snow field at roughly the same time in the early afternoon. This would also allow me to run the lower and hotter portions of the course at night when conditions would be cooler. The disadvantage of this schedule was that I would have to run all night the first night and then finish quite late the second night. "There will be plenty of time to sleep after the run." I told myself, (and so there was, while I drove home at 2:30 in the morning,only narrowly averting disaster several times). So I packed my waist pack, dropped food and water off where I could, and steeled my resolve for the venture. Incredibly, several friends, apparently suffering from a lack of common sense, offered to run with me. Peter Bakwin, making it sound trivial, signed up for 100 kilometers - from Boulder to the summit and back to the parking lot at the base of the mountain. Keith Pike (whose gaudy climbing resume includes numerous risky - and risque - free solos in the American West) was cajoled into the summit push from the parking lot. Stephanie Ehret, fresh off a fantastic 40 mile pacing effort at Western States, said she would be there for the critical leg from the Long's Peak parking lot to Hall Ranch. David Silberman was interested in the last leg - Heil Ranch to Boulder- but only because he wanted to check the late night party scene on 4th St. on the way in. So, after a pint of Sierra Nevada and a great sendoff from the boozy ranks of the Boulder Trail Runners, Peter and I hit the road. Temperatures in the 90's during the day had led to comfortable running conditions at night. Despite both of us knowing the trail well we took a few wrong turns, primarily due to grasses growing over the trail, yet we proceeded with no mishap along the foothills heading north. Dawn found us climbing steadily up towards the Peak to Peak highway. We took pleasure in our surroundings and each other's company, finally arriving at the renezvous point with Keith only slightly worse for wear. Here we ate and drank seemingly nonstop for half an hour or so. Bloated from this gluttony I was pleasantly surprised to be able to walk briskly along the trail occasionally breaking out in a modest trot. We negotiated the talus field on rubbery legs, arriving at the snow field to find it considerably icier than we had hoped. Warily assessing the possibility of surviving a high speed slide into the rocks below we found bits of stick and stone to use as impromptu ice axes and ascended the snow. After the summit slabs we relaxed and rested for the descent. It seemed impossible to me that I should only be halfway but that was the case. The three of us drifted back down the snow field, now softer and thus safer, and rallied in the parking lot along with Steph. There, after another sit down tuck in, I said goodbye to Keith and to Peter ( who didn't look nearly as tired as I felt) and set off with Steph into the heat of the day. Try as I might to keep the heat at bay I found myself periodically suffering from dehydration and nausea. I was able to maintain momentum except perhaps for an hour or two near the end of the day when walking seemed overwhelmingly preferable to running. Upon arriving at Hall Ranch and food and drink I felt much better. Steph seemed to know when to run and when to walk, and it seemed to me I just followed her back to Boulder. Chatting relieved the tedium and we were lucky enough to see a few fireworks from the high points of Heil Ranch. How pleasant and strange to find oneself on Fourth Street,on a summer evening, in the wee hours, amidst the parties winding down and the bars letting out, concluding such a nice little adventure. I feel very grateful indeed to have the good fortune to do this run in such good company and under such excellent circumstances. May the forces that govern our destinies be praised!
-- Paul Pomeroy
Longs Peak great East Face
Longs Peak North Face (Cables) Route - the (approx) route used for the fastest times.
I'll be going for the Bike Approach, Keyhole Route FKT using strictly the established trails, rather than doing the usual cuts this summer. 