Imogene

Imogene Pass 9/9/00
Well the run I've wanted to do for years, and had been working up to all summer, was almost anti-climactic. But it was still a lot of fun!

If you don't live down there, running Imogene requires a fair amount of commitment. In part because it is closed to "outsiders" by May (locals can get in a week before the run), so you have to gamble $38 and plan your fall in the spring. Then there are the details of figuring out where to stay in expensive tourist towns and getting there in time for the start.

Fortunately, my friends M'Lissa and Rob have a condo in Telluride with a guest room so I visited with them and Bezer (burly brown lab). I left Friday morning for the 6-1/2 hour drive. Near Parachute, I went through one of the most intense storms I can remember--lightening was hitting non-stop all over the place and the highway was reduced to a crawl--and yet another monster storm hit around Montrose. (For those of you unfamiliar with Colorado weather, these storms are actually good omens since the weather the day after is often stellar.)

I decided to skip the pre-registration and pasta feed in Ouray (I've had it before at the Ice Festival and the only thing to recommend about it is the money goes to the local rescue squad) and headed straight to T-ride. Got there in time for a real meal and then headed to the condo and hung out for a bit before going to bed early.

The ugly part of doing Imogene is waking up at 4:30 to catch the 5 am bus to Ouray, getting there just as it starts to get light outside. It was a tad chilly (low 60's) and breezy but was mostly clear. So I made some last minute adjustments to my clothing, opting for more warmth and less rain protection (you are wisely required to carry hat, gloves, and jacket for this event). Then I milled around with the other 800 runners and 400 walkers, waiting for the start (I later found out there were over 250 no-shows, maybe the storms spooked them).

The run begins at 7 am and goes up right from the get go. In fact, "up" is the operative word for ten miles because there is very little relent till the top of the pass. After a brief bit of pavement, almost the entire run is on dirt road (but is unique in that they allow short-cutting until you get to the top). Unlike the true trail runs, this means there is very little crowding or jostling for position so passing is just a matter of lung and will power.

The first decision you have to make is which shortcut to take over Box Canyon, home of the famous Ice Park in the winter. Since I knew this area well, I decided upon the upper bridge, while the vast majority take the lower bridge and the nasty little crowded climb afterwards. Shortly thereafter, everyone converges and we settle into the rolling, gently uphill on Camp Bird road (past the site of where I laid my truck on it's side one winter, another story) to the first aid station at the next bridge (about 2 miles into the run).

Whether it was because everyone was sleepy from the early start or simply sucking wind from the persistent uphill, there was very little conversation this morning. Perhaps because there is so much room on the road, there wasn't much clumping of runners either.

The next section of 2wd road goes by the famous ice climbs (perhaps the best concentration in the state, if not the country), though I doubt most of the runners realized it, and gets progressively steeper. After the second aid station (9800ft, 5-1/2 miles), there's a brief bit of downhill to Camp Bird mine, past a nice old Victorian house, and then it turns into a really steep and rugged 4wd road. This is the first section where walking was predominate for most people I was around.

It was only when we approached the aid station at Upper Camp Bird (11,300 ft., mile 8), roughly an hour and a half into the run, that we finally hit sunlight--a welcome warmth. Throughout the first half of the run, I had to remind myself to turn around every now and then to check out the view behind me since there aren't many switchbacks. I was also noticing I felt a bit more fatigued and sore than usual, which I attributed to the previous week's "marathon."

Shortly after the third aid station at Upper Camp Bird, we pass the safety check (where unprepared or unhealthy individuals will be forced to turn back) and reach treeline. Up here, it's quite chilly (upper 30's) and breezy...and the pass is finally visible but still a long way off. Hardly anybody is running, myself included, except for a few brief flat sections. The nasty surprise is there a couple of super-steep hills along the way but at least they aren't too long.

At about the 10 mile point, just below the 13,114 ft pass, a volunteer directs everyone onto the final shortcuts and informed me, much to my surprise, that I was about the 100th runner to the top. It took roughly 2:20 of mostly up to get there, which pretty much ruled out the sub 3:00 finish I was hoping for. The volunteers on top deservedly earned a new award for best aid station--next year they get to display the Trujillo Tread, a pair of bronzed running shoes.

The sad part of this run is there's really no time to enjoy the view that you've worked so hard to earn. After a slam-bam-thank-you-mam of gatorade and munchies, you're immediately charging down the other side of the pass on an even steeper section of road. The footing is so tricky on the upper third that you have to concentrate on what you're doing and can't really look around.

This is where I felt the mileage from the previous weekend (Breck Crest); I just couldn't charge down the mountain like I'm used to. Quite a few runners got by me in the top section before the fifth aid station at the ghost town of Tomboy, about 1-1/2 miles down the road (11,600 ft). After this, the road was in better shape and I could pick up my cadence and push past a couple of runners.

The last few miles give nice views across the valley and eventually you get glimpses of Telluride far below but you still must watch your step. The last aid station is just past a tunnel blasted in the rock at 14 miles. From there it's just a matter of perseverance to go as fast as your body will tolerate to the rapidly approaching finish line.

There's a couple of switchbacks to tantalize you but suddenly you turn a corner onto pavement and are charging straight down a hill towards the finish. With crowds cheering for the last few blocks and a large clock visible ticking away, you can't help but race to the bottom and through the gate. It took me 3:15:19 run the 17.1 miles between the two mining towns.

Less than 15 minutes after I finished, Rick Trujillo, the man who started this run 27 years earlier, completed yet another crossing. Even more impressive was Mac Mccrady who finished in 4:02:31...at age 68. And Eckart Lemberg whose time of 4:37:39 isn't too bad for a 72 year old who beat 133 youngsters! Even Joe Reschke should be proud of finishing in under 6 hours, considering he's 78.

For the 862 runners and walkers who finished, they had only two massage tables set up. After a half-hour wait, I found out that I was next up for a "magnetic massage". Since I don't care for snake oil, I decided to wait a few minutes for the real massage and offered my spot to the next guy. He declined and soon at least six more people also passed on the offer even though they'd have to wait much longer.

There is no party after the run (shameful!), just an awards ceremony to perpetuate how cool the locals think they are...Telluride has become the most pretentious town in the state (yes, this coming from a Boulderite). They don't call this a "race" because very few locals would medal if world-class competitors showed up. Matt Carpenter, the course record holder (in an amazing 2:05:56), no longer attends because there is no real competition--the winning time this year was 22 minutes slower.

Overall, Imogene was well worth doing, despite being a bit over-hyped, and I may try to reduce my time someday. The scenery really is spectacular, even if you don't get to enjoy it much, and all the aid stations are a nice luxury. But the opportunity exists for even better trail runs in the area (though I suspect they will have to remain self-supported).

92 out of 400 men
109 overall out of 678 runners
24 out of 76 in 40-44 male age group

Fast Cumulative:
max HR 162
avg HR 153
min HR 141
total gain 5060 ft
avg ascent rate 36
total loss -3830 ft
avg descent rate -76

HRM Memory:
180 peak
153 avg
104 min

duration 3:15:19
time above 163 HR 01:02
time in HR zone 3:14:22
time below 130 HR 00:36

Altitude	Heart Rate	ascent/descent rate (ft/min)
7710	149	0
8110	157	39
8390	159	27
8580	151	18
8950	156	36
9400	158	45
9600	155	19
10050	151	44
10460	159	41
10870	156	41
11280	154	41
11720	150	43
12110	154	38
12430	151	31
12770	141	33
11690	149	-107
10990	152	-70
10530	158	-45
9750	162	-77
8950	157	-80