Follow the Yellow Brick Road - Sangre de Cristo Ultras

Follow the Rainbow Trail. 

The darkest part of the day is the time just before the sun rises. The nearly full moon had slipped behind the Sangres hours before, leaving us surrounded in the pre-dawn darkness. The only lights the pinpricks headlamps of the 60+ assembled runners and HPRS Arch. We listened to the final race instructions from Sherpa John, huddled together in a tight group for warmth. The darkest part of the day is also the coldest. With one final reminder to "Stay on the Rainbow Trail" John sent us on our way - into the unknown to tackle either 50k, 50m or 100k of the Rainbow Trail and for the 100k Hermit Pass. Follow the Rainbow Trail. I'd started in the back so I could keep my warm coat on until the last minute before giving it to Nick and began working my way up towards the front on the road leading to the Rainbow Trail. At the turn onto the trail, I was actually leading the race - but I knew it wouldn't last.

John getting the archway inflated and illuminated

Before the race, I'd pondered using a little petzel headlamp or my Exposure Lights Joystick. I ultimately decided to go with the Joystick - it's what I usually use around home running and I was sure I'd want more light then the petzel for the 45 minutes of darkness. Even on 36 hour mode, my light was drowning out the tiny headlamps around me. While I had one guy blaze past me shortly after starting on the Rainbow Trail, most of the guys seemed pretty happy behind me. I actually had a line of four tucked in behind me for the first few miles! I didn't look around too much in the first miles, keeping my eyes focused on the trail illuminated by my headlight. At the first stream crossing when we started climbing back up, I took a glance across the valley. A row of lights bobbing in and out of the trees behind me. The best visual representation of the entire field I'd seen - and very reminiscent of moments in the Vapor Trail 125.

Soon enough, the horizon to the east started lightening and colors reached into the sky. I kept peaking over my shoulder, hoping for a brilliant sunrise. But there were no clouds in the sky and the darkness just faded into blue without fanfare. The day had arrived. I pulled my headlamp off and stuffed it into my pocket. The first aid station was coming up shortly and I didn't feel like taking my vest off until I got there. That was the same thing I told myself when I took my wind coat off! I'll be stopping in a few minutes, I'll take care of everything at the Colony Creek aid station. I was moving well and feeling really comfortable running. The trail was in great shape - smooth and fast with some intermittent rocky sections and a few chunky babyheaded areas. But nothing crazy. It was actually the most enjoyable trail running I'd done all year.

Aspens just after dawn - I had follow the yellow brick road in my head for the entire race!

Faster then I'd anticipated, I arrived at Colony Creek. I filled up the bladder in my vest, stuffed my rain coat in the main pocked and my light in the small pocket. I'd originally planned on getting my hat at the drop bags at half way, but it was hunting season - bow and arrow, but still hunting season. So I'd stashed my bright orange hat in my vest to put on when the sun came up. The hunters might be a little annoyed that we were there, but I would at least be noticeable! After thanking the volunteers, I continued running - again into the unknown. Follow the Rainbow Trail. I knew from looking at the course profile that the next 9 miles was trending up for about 7, then the two mile descent into the Horn Creek aid station. On the profile, that drop to Horn Creek looked steep. I kind of put the descent out of my mind, opting to focus on the trail ahead. Still the ATV double track and still that mellow mix of smooth trail with the occasional chunky sections. I was in my happy place, ticking off the miles, enjoying every step. It was hard not to with the scenery. Around every corner was a different view, between aspens and mountains.

It helped that I had some familiarity with the Rainbow Trail. While the section west of 285 was tight single-track and this was ATV double track, the general principle still seemed to be the same. Traverse for a while in and out of trees. Climb up to the edge of a ridge-line and start descending into the a creek. Cross the creek and start climbing back up to start the next traverse. The descents and climbs weren't as steep here as further west, but it was definitely still the same. Finally we reached the high point in the course and started descending. The drop wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, until we reached the turn off the Rainbow Trail. Yes, we turned off the trail! There was a laminated sign with an arrow pointing us downhill. That chunk from Rainbow to the aid was the chunkiest of the entire race - at least for the 50k. I carefully picked my way down, not wanting to do anything stupid.

Horn Creek - the turn around for the 50k and the first chance for all races to access drop bags. I'd gone minimalist in my bag - figuring it was a supported long run, I really didn't need to go crazy. It was only 15 miles back to the finish and only 9 to the next aid. A small bag of Skratch powder, some food and spare socks if I wanted them. I filled my vest bladder with the Skratch, put water in one soft bottle and some ginger ale in the other. Took one bag of bites from my drop back and left the rest. I considered leaving the rain coat since there wasn't a cloud in the sky, but decided to keep it. It wouldn't hurt to carry it. I wasn't quick with the stop, but got what I needed accomplished. Checking out, I started the climb back up to the Rainbow Trail. I opted to power hike most of the climb, munching on the Oreos I'd taken at the aid station. There'ed been one runner for sure in the 50k before I'd gotten to the aid station - he had been already on the Rainbow Trail coming back. Then two more on the connector to the trail and about five other runners at the aid station. So while I was the first woman on the trail, I didn't know where I was in the 50k. Not that it mattered really. I'd wanted to be on the Rainbow Trail before I saw the next woman, but I didn't quite make it.

At the Trail, two more laminated signs. One pointing right for the 50m and 100k and another pointing left for all races return. These would be the only course markings I would see the entire day.  HPRS usually does an impeccable job with course makings based on my experience, yet there wasn't a ribbon hung for the entire length of the Rainbow Trail. Why? Circumstances outside of John's control, involving a rolled ATV.  I didn't mind. In fact, for this race, I loved not having the course marked. There was no ribbons distracting from the natural scenery and rawness of the terrain. And honestly, the course didn't need to be marked outside of the turns off the Rainbow Trail. Sometimes things happen and the results only increase the charm and appeal of an event. This was one of those times. Just follow the Rainbow Trail! Except I still had follow the yellow brick road stuck in my head.

Trying to get the race number in the photo! Since that's much prettier then I am.

As anticipated, the climb up from Horn Creek was long. A mix of powerhiking and jogging got me to high point. The trail felt crowded during that stretch, with the rest of the runners still making their way to the aid station. I knew that it would be empty again soon, and did my best to encourage everyone I saw. I was looking at my watch a little more then I wanted at that point, trying to do math in my head to calculate my finish time. The primary goal was under six hours - but if I could maintain the pace I'd set heading out, I might be looking at a 5:30 time. I didn't know if I would be able to though - the fatigue of the prior three weeks was starting to seep into my legs. Oh well, just keep moving. It wasn't like I wasn't running well, just not as fast as I wanted to. Negative splits didn't seem likely for this race.

Now we were going the direction I was used to on the Rainbow Trail. Drop down into the creek, take a left and start climbing... There were more hikers out and about now, taking in the views and the colors. I did see a few ATVs parked along side the trail - assuming the owners were up in the woods, looking for elk. But the trail was still quiet. The miles ticked up, 17, 18, 19, 20. At 20, I was hoping to start picking up the pace and running harder. Not happening though - my legs were definitely tired. 21, 22. I could see another runner ahead of me through the trees and decided to just focus on catching him instead. Maybe after the aid station I would be able to start running faster. It would only be 6 miles to go at that point and mostly downhill miles. At least according to the course profile.

The Creststone Peaks were hidden except for a few places on the course. 

Colony Creek looked completely different this time. In the few hours since we'd been there before, the volunteers had been busy. The canopy was decorated with balloons, streamers and all kinds of things. It was a party in the middle of the woods! There was a putt-putt station set up - with the goal to chip the ball over a log into the hole. And apparently, us "serious" runners missed out on the tequila and whisky shots. I was so bummed when I heard that later. I totally would have done a tequila shot at mile 25! I'm not above stopping mid race for some fun. Another reason to come back... The pickles were good though, a nice hit of salt before facing what I knew would be the hottest stretch of the race. I hadn't seen much of the first 6 miles before, but I knew there weren't as many trees as the prior miles. The sun was up and the temperature rising. 

Sure enough - those last six miles were a challenge. I finally broke out my ipod for some music to stay focused, even though it was just over an hour of running left. These were my personal bonus miles - since the original plan for the day had only been 25 miles. I just needed to keep moving to the finish line. Again, the running math was proving challenging and I couldn't quite figure out the minimum pace I needed to break 6 hours. I should know better by know then to try doing complicated math like that on a tired brain... The teaser was that around every bend before diving back into the trees, I could see the finish area - the arch reflecting the sun and the windshields of the parked cars glimmering in the light. It kept getting closer and closer and then the trail would track into the mountains again and the finish would vanish from view. And then the final corner. The road was just below the trail and I had but one more turn to make. The last one off the Rainbow Trail.

The road leading to the finish area (Taken Friday evening) - Pikes Peak is off in the distance behind the clouds.

John handed me my award when I finished and congratulated me on winning another of his races (I also won Sheep Mountain 50 back in 2016.) Then he wanted to know what I thought. In a word? Awesome. One of the most enjoyable trail runs I've done. Placing doesn't matter - it's the experience of the race that counts. For me, the Sangre de Cristo 50k delivered everything I would want for a trail race. A fun course that was challenging. The track wasn't technical by any stretch of the imagination, but it was fun running and had plenty of areas to keep you on your toes. It was runnable, but still challenging. Views worthy of distracting you from the pain of the race. Yes, I took my phone with me for this race - and took plenty of photos. But there was always one more that I wished I would have been able to get - the lone runner silhouetted against the sunrise, the carpet of golden aspen leaves dappled with dew. And that's just in the 50k course! A course that was easy to follow. Even without course markings, there was no way of getting lost. As I said before, I actually liked not having course markings on this race. Well stocked aid stations. The two (three) aid stations I hit were all top notch - a nice mix of sweet and salty, fruit and junk. I'll wear the race shirt for sure and the finishers awards are some of the nicest I've gotten in all of my races. I think this was an instant classic and hope to see the Sangre de Christo Ultras thriving for many years to come.

Moon Rise as we waited for the 50m and 100k runners to finish. 

I will be back. There's more to see if I just stay on the Rainbow Trail. The only question is how much further?