Part VII: Ouray to Governor Basin

Eventually I get my ass up and moving and it’s time to say goodbye to the Ouray aid station. I pick up my new pacer Paul S and we head out at 11:35 PM. Seventeen and a half hours into the race.

Paul is very excited to be on the Hardrock course and is giddy telling me how much he’s studied the directions and how many waypoints along the course he’s entered into his GPS. I tell him to just keep looking for the course marker flags, which look like…which look like…

Shit, I can’t find one. “Are you sure we’re on the course?” I ask him.

“Oh yeah, definitely” he replies, eyes glued to his GPS.

After a few more blocks of no markers we finally figure out we’ve made a wrong turn. We end up taking wrong turns three times while on the paved streets of Ouray. Nothing big, no huge amount of time lost, just very funny how Paul said he knew the course like the back of his hand and then got me lost three times in the first half mile. Smack talk ammo for a long time right there!

Eventually we hit Camp Bird Road and begin the longest climb of the race. Ouray is the lowest point of the course at 7680 feet, and it’s uphill for the next ten miles up to Kroger’s Canteen at 13100 feet. Over a mile of vertical gain.

Paul keeps me moving at a steady pace. I’m feeling good but in the back of my mind I know that I’ve had trouble during the late night portion of ultras. Paul keeps the conversation good and the miles pass quickly. Twice during this section I’m so tired I fall over. But I’m determined to punch through the night and I know that as soon as the sun comes up I’ll get a second wind.

We pass some familiar sights along the way, as the first few miles of the road are used in the Imogene Pass race. One of my favorite campsites in Colorado lies along this road. Eventually we see the sign for Imogene Pass, and this is where the Hardrock course splits from the IP race course.

Paul asks me if I want to add some distance and go climb Mt. Sneffels. I politely decline.

Shortly after the Imogene Pass sign we're caught by Kirk Apt, who has more Hardrock finishes than anyone. It's nice to chat with him for a bit. No surprise that he was catching me at this point. I was beating him at Desert RATS and at Jemez through 35 miles or so, and in both races he caught me and crushed me over the final section of those races. Seemed like the same thing was happening here.

We turn a corner and the next aid station comes into view. Governor Basin. I take a seat by the fire while Paul fills my bottles and gets me some food. It's 2:37 AM. Despite my past history of crashing around this time, I'm feeling strong and think I can make it 'till dawn.