Where miners once led burros into the hills for a chance at fortune, racers now lead them for a chance at fame.
Located 85 miles southwest of Denver via U.S. 285, Fairplay has played host to a weekend festival since 1948 that celebrates the role of the burro in the town’s former mining days. Part of “Burro Days,” held each year during the last weekend in July, is a run for the hills.
The 58th annual “World Championship” pack burro race gets under way Sunday at 10:30 a.m. from Front Street in downtown Fairplay. The race pairs man and beast in a quest to complete a 29-mile course from Fairplay to the summit of Mosquito Pass and back to town. Essentially, racers must lead their burros by a rope from start to finish, and riding the burro is prohibited. The burro must be equipped with a regulation packsaddle, pick, shovel and gold pan in a load that can’t weigh less 33 pounds.
As the town’s namesake suggests: No cheating. There’s a weigh-in two hours prior to the start. Mistreating the burros is prohibited. Interfering with an opposing team’s progress by means beyond speed is also prohibited. And, alas, no firearms.
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“WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP”
PACK BURRO RACE |
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As if 29 miles weren’t enough of a challenge, the race starts at an elevation of 9,953 feet. The way to the Mosquito Pass summit, where teams make the turnaround, climbs 3,200 vertical feet. So take a marathon, add three miles, throw in rarefied air and steep climbs on unpaved roads and trails, and … oh, yeah … take an animal best known for stubbornness along with you every step of the way.
Last year’s winner, Hal Walter, won the event in five hours and 37 minutes. This year’s winner will pull in the $1,000 first prize. A $500 prize is awarded to the winner of the short course (15 miles). And the “fastest ass up the pass” earns a $200 bonus.
It might not be the mother lode for speculators, but it seems like a load of fun for spectators.
An online exclusive that runs each Friday, examines the memorable, less visible and lighthearted aspects of Colorado’s sports landscape. DenverPost.com sports producer Bryan Boyle can be reached at bboyle@denverpost.com.
From the columns
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From the mailbags
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From the online exclusives
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A look back
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| Special / Ed Kosmicki |
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Competitors try to keep up with their mules during last year’s 57th annual pack burro race in Fairplay. Hal Walter won the 29-mile event in five hours and 37 minutes. Women’s winner Barb Dolan, who placed second overall, finished four minutes later. |
