The Imogene Pass Run

I am currently sitting in my home office writing this blog, looking out at the Sandia Mountains. I recently wrote a blog about running up La Luz, and from this vantage point I can see a small portion of that trail as it winds into the wilderness, and then up and beyond. From this recent blog you can read that I view that trail as pretty difficult, and agree with Runner's World when they once declared La Luz as one of the top 12 most difficult trail runs in the lower 48.

I know what number 1 must be now... because the trail I can see from here is a hill, a mogul, a pimple compared to what I did last weekend.

The Imogene Pass Run.  Or as I like to call it: The Imogonna Passout Run.

I know this is last year's poster, but it was all I could find.

This may be the single most difficult run I have ever done. 17.1 miles from Ouray (7800 feet), over the Imogene Pass (13,120 feet), and back down to Telluride (8800 feet). I will break it down for you here in chunks:

Miles 1-5: The "easy" part of the course.  I left Ouray and in 5.5 miles found myself arriving at Lower Camp Bird after gaining 1955 feet in elevation.   The gradient was an average of 6.8%.  In the first few miles I felt excited about the event.  In the last few miles of this section I found myself wondering what I had gotten myself into.  I was already tired and in dire need to stop and stretch, which I did once only to find out I was simply in dire need to stop and stretching was merely an excuse. 

Miles 5-7.65: Mile 5 is really where the event begins.  From this point to the top the average gradient is 13.8%, double what the "warm-up" first 5 miles was. I left Lower Camp Bird for Upper Camp Bird, a gain in 1470 feet elevation.  The scenery is gorgeous, but my legs were increasingly tired and the mountain was increasingly steep.  At this point I left the conifer forest for good.  Upper Camp Bird rests at elevation 11,235, and if you're lucky you make it there before the cutoff time (2 hours and 30 minutes).

Turns out I was "lucky" enough to make the cutoff time.  I made it there in about 1 hour and 40 minutes.  I had read the description of the course before the race, and knew that the next 2.5 miles to the top, another 1885 foot elevation gain, would be the toughest.  Mile 7.5 to mile 9 was increasingly steep (16.5% gradient).  But it was mile 9 to 10, the last mile to the top that I was worried about.  22% gradient.  That is steep.

Miles 7.65 to 10: I left Upper Camp Bird planning to get to the 9 mile marker and taking a breather before likely walking to the top. Turns out I should have planned to walk most the rest of the way from Upper Camp Bird.  There were several undulations  in the section that I would run, but otherwise I was participating in a steep hike with a thousand other people.  I actually laughed at one point after running a 20 yard section.  The guy next to me was intrigued by my laughter and I explained to him that I wasn't sure why I even tried running those sections, or why they called it a run at all... and why had I been next to the same rock for 10 minutes?

I made it to the top in 2 and a half hours, 10.05 miles 2:31 to be exact. I stopped at the aid station and looked at the licorice vines and wondered who had enough saliva to get those down.  Before I knew it I had two in my mouth and three in my hand as I left the top of the mountain.  I had reached 13,120 feet and now ahead of me all I had to do was coast downhill 7 miles into Telluride.  I made it!

Down the hill: I thought the downhill would be easier than it was.  But my legs were so tired from the climb that running down an 18% gradient trail with loose footing was more difficult than I had planned.  About 40 yards into the downhill section I decided I had more ahead of me than I had planned for.

Lucky for me the first 2 miles down were the steepest and it leveled out enough after that to marginally begin enjoying myself.  When I reached the 12 mile mark I hit my second wind (or 32nd, I wasn't sure at this point) and realized for the first time after beginning the decent that I would make it.  

With three miles to go I was really moving (well, considering I had already run 14 miles up and over a mountain pass "really moving" was debatable). I had 5k to go.  I felt "good."  

Two miles to go.  One mile to go.  And then I could hear them.  The crowd.  And then I could see it.  The turn.  The turn when the runner leaves the trail, hits the pavement, and runs the 2.5 street blocks to the finish line.  I had read in the course description that this was the area responsible for the 2nd most falls (the 1st being at the top as runners begin their decent).  When I made the corner and hit the pavement I knew why.  I had tired legs that were used to the grip of the trail.  The pavement was hard and it felt sticky.  The first few steps on the pavement resulted in near falls.  My shoes seemed to reach out and grab the ground before I was aware of it.  I corrected my form and sailed into the finish line.  

My final time was 3 hours and 31 minutes.  2 and a half hours up, 1 hour down. The weather was cooperative - sunny.  No rain.  No snow.  It was cold, but manageable for sure. Out of 1100 people I finished 220th.  Out of 475 females I finished 41st.  And in my age group I finished 9th. 

Not too shabby for someone who only trained for a few weeks.