Leadville native Joseph G. Glavinick , who for nearly 30 years was a top contender in competitions vetted by the International Pack Burro Racing Association, died at age 84 on Sept. 20 at Life Care Center in Evergreen.
Lean and rangy, with a crooked smile and a jaunty, athletic demeanor, Glavinick seemed perpetually in the winner’s circle at pack burro races. Fans at the finish line liked to watch him kiss the finish line, and then the ground, before using the pack rope to skip a few times to celebrate a win.
He won races, and was one of only four burro racers to win three consecutive (1962, 1963 and 1964).
Pack burro racing, which started in Leadville in 1949, may be Colorado’s only indigenous sport. Competitors must run over rugged mountain terrain accompanied by a burro carrying at least 33 pounds of equipment.
Glavinick won his first race in 1955 and amassed a collection of honorific belt buckles and prize money, with the top three winners earning $500 to $1,200 each.
Glavinick’s training regimen, to the surprise of his younger competitors, included stopping for a beer during a practice run.
“In front of the old Veterans of Foreign Wars Club at the base of the pass on the Fairplay side, I saw his burro hitched outside,” burro racer Hal Walter wrote in
.
“Inside, Joe was relaxing with a longneck, and I assumed his training run was complete. I had a drink of water and continued on my way to Fairplay. Somewhere in that last 6 miles, Joe came trotting past again. When I arrived in Fairplay his burro was hitched in front of the Park Bar.”
Daughter Monica Glavinick said that seemed right.
“He never studied on racing,” she said, “just did it for the love of doing it.
“I remember, every year when spring would come, when the snow was melting, he’d start getting out there, running on his own, to the city dump and back. Then he’d go a little farther, a little farther, and later on, he’d get the burro and start training with the burro.”
In addition to his daughter, Glavinick is survived by his brother, Frank Glavinick of Greeley.
Claire Martin: 303-954-1477, cmartin@denverpost.com or twitter.com/byclairemartin
