Part IV: Telluride to Kroger's Canteen

Blah, blah, blah…hills, hills, hills.

Telluride looks so nice and peaceful from all the pictures I’ve seen, but the damn town sure is steep! The steepest paved road I’ve ever run up was Ruxton Avenue just past the cog railway, but that distinction now belongs to Alder Street. I trudge up that, go through what I swear was someone’s front yard, and I’m on a rugged jeep road. Beautiful views of Telluride here, but I concentrate on moving forward.

The trail narrows and I head up Liberty Bell Basin. Every now and again I look up, and I can see runners waaaaaayyy ahead of me. I’m amazed of where I’m heading, almost hard to believe someone would run a race up there.

Lots of snow as I move above treeline. The Hardrock runner’s manual defines acrophobia as “an abnormal fear of being in high places. If you suffer from this and see it in the course description, you will not enjoy that location on the course.” There are several spots along the course where I have to stop, close my eyes, take a deep breath, and not think about the fact that if I slipped on the snow here I’d be in for a serious fall. It actually surprises me that nobody has died on this course yet.

Anyways, I’m now in one of those places. Just a small rocky path heading across a steep mountain up towards the Mendota Ridge, and eventually, Virginius Pass. I finally get to Mendota Ridge, mistakenly thinking the aid station is there. But after the ridge, it’s more butthole tightening mountain humping across some more dangerous slopes.

Finally, after what seems like years, I hit Kroger’s Canteen. The Canteen was staffed by two guys who had hiked in from Telluride, carrying everything with them, including a stove and the ham radio gear. The whole scene reminded me of the airplane fort in the movie Alive. I sit down for a cup of ramen and some cookies when one of the guys says, “we do have tequila here.” I fucking HATE tequila, but who am I to diss the hard work of these great volunteers? So I take a strong slug from the bottle, which I would end up needing to raise the courage to cross the next part of the course…

My time into Kroger’s was 5:17PM, out at 5:24PM. 32.8 miles into the race, about a third of the way there.