BEAVER CREEK — For the rest of the 150 participants, the second annual Gore-Tex TransRockies Run served as a six-day competition testing their resolve in an off-road footrace from Buena Vista to Beaver Creek.
For Amy Baker and Ryan Flock, it was a 110-mile walk down the aisle.
The new Mr. and Mrs. Flock took the scenic route to their wedding on the slopes of Beaver Creek on Saturday — running, hiking, laughing and, yes, occasionally even crying their way over more than 23,000 vertical feet of climbing in the heart of the Colorado Rockies. They pushed past Hope Pass and across the Great Divide at lofty altitudes up to 12,500 feet, finishing one journey of a lifetime before embarking upon another.
“I think we went through every emotion possible and we learned a lot about each other,” Flock said of the multiday epic that brought them to the outdoor altar in race attire and tape on their ankles.
“We didn’t come this far to get cold feet,” Baker added.
The young California couple’s tale was emblematic of an experience shared by nearly everyone who entered this running race. Competing in teams of two, racers ranging from elite-level athletes to weekend warriors were forced to rely on each other to help them through an arduous week that included three days of near-marathon distances.
Some, like the Flocks, were relative running rookies with only a year of experience under their belts. Others, like women’s open division champions Anita Ortiz and Katie Mazzia of team Super Fly Beaver Creek, have a foundation firmed up from thousands of trail running miles underfoot.
But they all shared the same sense of camaraderie.
“I think the people who do this kind of thing are people who like to be ‘out in it,’ as far away from civilization as you can. And that’s what it was — how far away can you be or feel like you are and test your body to whatever the limits are?” said U.S. Mountain Running Team member Ortiz, 44. “You see all the people that do it and make it through all the days and you just think, ‘These are incredible people.’ ”
Now in its second incarnation (with a third promised by title sponsor Gore-Tex next summer), the TransRockies Run is based upon the long-standing TransAlps races in Europe, yet it remains unique in the American running world. The two- person, multistage format proved an instant hit with domestic racers when it debuted last summer.
“I would have to say this is absolutely the most incredible race I’ve ever done,” said Ortiz, from Vail. “And I’ve traveled to other countries and done races all over. But every day here, your jaw dropped.”
The event’s challenges ranged from merely finishing to a week’s worth of race-pace competition.
“There’s nothing you can compare it to that I’ve run. It’s totally different in a good way,” said two-time men’s open champion Erik Skaggs, 26, of Ashland, Ore.
Running with new partner Max King of Bend, Ore., Skaggs’ Nike/Rogue Valley Runners team entered Saturday’s sixth and final 21-mile stage with a four-minute lead over Britons Andy Symonds and Tom Owens of team Saab Salomon. By the race’s end, Skaggs and King had stretched the time difference to 12 minutes, 45 seconds to claim the lion’s share of the $20,000 purse.
“It’s a lot of fun but really tough,” said King, 28, who competed in the steeplechase at the U.S. Olympic Trials this summer. “To continue to race hard for six days straight when those guys were pushing us the whole time is really stressful. It starts to get to you by the end of the week . . . If you have one bad day, it’s all over and you don’t have a chance.”
Baker and Flock brought a different attitude, one they plan to cling to in the years to come.
“You just have to remember that it’s not about winning,” Baker said. “It’s about sticking together as a team.”
