Steve Kubick
Leg 1
Dark, cold, wet, uphill, 53 minutes. Fast, done. Thankful.

Leg 11
Feeling good.
Rested.
Hydrated.
Caffeinated.

Take bracelet from Justine, run 5 blocks down the city street, need to peel right onto the bike path. It feels like I forgot something. Did somebody attach my legs to my body? These aren't my legs. These legs are made of lead. How in the world can I be so tired not even 1/2 a mile into the run? And so, gentle reader, the not so gentle journey started. All day long it had rained, snowed, sleeted and blown. There were a few ominous looking clouds, but overall a beautiful sky. I unzip my rain slicker and tie it around my waist so I don't overheat. No sooner is it tied and the sleet starts. You know sleet. The frozen water form of a sand blaster. It would take too long to put the slicker back on and I'm already running at a barely acceptable pace, so I plowed through it. Sleet stops, sun shines and a runner blows past. What? That last part was not suppose to happen. I thought they stopped the race for sleet. Well, actually only one runner went past. Being the highly competitive person I am, I kept him in my sights so I could pass him later. Hey, where did he go? I can't even see him anymore. Alas, all is not lost. I passed 3 others, so it was a net effect of -2. I can't remember if I thought it was a pretty run or if I was delusion. No, it was a gorgeous run. Two down, one to go.

Leg 21
Who extended this leg by a mile. I thought this was only 5.89 miles. Coooooome on. Maaaaaaaan. I don't want to run another 6.89 miles. Why does this van have to run all the long legs. Besides Joel's 13 miles up Georgia and Shaun's 11 mile, they have it easy. Hey Travis, read off the distances for the legs for Van B. I think there is some serious van inequality going on. Van B's leg distance for their third legs are like 3 miles each. What's up with that? Why am I am running close to 7 miles for my third leg. Travis, start reading me off those distances for van B. Okay, Okay, Oh?! Hmmmm.... Van B's second legs were longer than ours overall. Check out their mileage. It's just about the same as ours. Ok, scratch that last whine. There is no van inequality. BUT I STILL DON'T WANT TO RUN 6.89 MILES.

Ahhh, a nice solid 3 hour sleep. Feel more refreshed than before my first leg. Wide awake! Drink coffee. Eat apple. Eat banana. Get dressed. Drive to starting line. Plenty of time. Focus, focus, get in zone. Hand Camelbak to Rick. Come out of porta-potty. "151" is announced over the bullhorn. What? Justiiiiiiiine! Your 10 minutes ahead of your estimated time. So much for focus. "Can you say out of focus, boys and girls?" Grab Camelbak, sign in, grab bracelet, drop earbuds, run 30 yards, put in earbuds. Go back for earbuds, re-run 30 yards. Settle down. Power on i-pod. Relax..... relax..... concentrate on the run.

What a beautiful night! Check out the full moon. Check out all the stars. We don't have that many stars in Denver. Check out the barking dogs rapidly approaching from behind. Check out your blistering fast pace. Check out the heartrate. Check out the traffic roundabout. Check out the confusion. Was that a right or a left at the roundabout? Check out the great volunteer at 3:00 am directing us at the roundabout.

Huh? What? Is somebody talking to me? Turn off i-pod. I am hearing voices in my head. They keep repeating the same thing. "Mostly downhill with a few rises." They are all liars. Although this looks like a downhill, there is nothing here that feels downhill. I am hot. Must take off hat at full speed. Hey, what just clunked on the road? Why is so dark all of a sudden? Oh, I dropped my light. Where is it? Great, there it is on the road. All is dark. Oh man! Don't tell me I broke the headlamp and need to run the rest of this 6.89 mile run in the dark. Depress switch to resume electron flow to LEDs. Photons, traveling at the speed of light, shoot out of the headlamp directly into my fully dilated corneas, pass straight through my retinas, inundating the rods and cones, bypassing the optical nerves and searing some lobe of my brain. "Can you say optical lobotomy, boys and girls?". Praising God for solid state electronics and groping my way through the night until the cerebral and retinal damage subsided, I resumed the run. Wow this feels like a down hill! Hey, that's where we go under the interstate. After that it is suppose to be a short uphill into a nice downhill into the exchange point. Hydrate, pace, pace, pace, crest hill, sprint across line. That wasn't so bad. You are SUCH a whiner!!

I am NOT.

Rick McQueary
Leg 2
It's turned from rain to sleet to snow by the time we get to the check point. Did I say checkpoint? We found our guy that was to be a helper and didn't know exactly what to do. I gave him my number and hoped all was well. I started off well. If I came to water puddles I was jumping over them. By the 1 mile marker I didn't have the strength anymore and just ran through them. My feet sere wet already so what's the use.

By mile two I saw my first victim. I passed her within the next 1/2 mile. But shortly after I was passed by two guys. The second guy ran about 20 yards in front of me and then just stopped. We ran together the rest of the way. I made it. One down.

Leg 12
Sunshine! As I waited at the Copper exchange it was encouraging to see the sun and feel its warmth. In fact as the runners from leg 11 started arriving, all of them had removed their jackets and were soaked in sweat.

Minutes before Steve was to arrive Travis convinced me to ditch my jacket and take his long sleeve shirt. What a blessing that turned out to be as I wasn't a mile into my run before I too was drenched in sweat.

Since I had ran this leg the previous year I knew the route and where I was throughout. Each time I felt weary, I told my self I could make it and kept driving forward.

As I got to the rest area at the top of vail I was met with an encouraging " Good job runner, only 200 more feet to go" Little did I know that it was Byron encouraging the runners and had given me the push to finish as hard as i could.

Leg 22
Talk about anxiety, I was really looking forward to a level run with some apprehension about the hill climbs at the end. For the first 1.5 miles I felt good and was running strong. About 2 miles in, I got passed by 3 people within a 1/4 of a mile. My pace was slowing and my legs felt tired. At the 3 mile mark, I heard footsteps behind me and as I turned onto the bike path from running on the road, I was determined to keep whom ever was following from passing me. I pushed hard and before long I couldn't hear the footsteps anymore. This gave me a real burst of energy and i pushed even harder. As i completed mile 5, I looked at my time and new that I was ahead of the time i had told my team. As i came into the exchange, I started yelling out my number so that Travis would be ready. He was there at the exchange ready to run and I was done with a 9:28 average pace. My fastest this year for that distance.

Travis Baker
Leg 3
How appropriate! Lung Buster. I'm sure they thought that was a cute name for a leg when they named it. After about 300 yards I wasn't laughing, or breathing in any productive or meaningful way. 3-4 inches of slushy snow on the road, a steady downfall of more from the sky, and not enough O2 in the air to support a match = a bit of a disappointment for a finish time. I passed two other runners and didn't get passed by anyone, but I wish I could have gone faster. I simply could not breathe. My heart rate stayed below 170, my legs felt leaden and weak, but not exhausted, I just couldn't breathe. Lung Buster indeed.

Leg 13
1800+ elevation drop over 8 miles and change. I was determined to make up for my abysmal showing on my first leg up Guanella, so I pushed as hard as I could. The altitude was still getting to me. The run started sometime after 9pm (I think, it's all kind of a blur). Very dark, very fast down hill, all on roads and paved bike trails. Some drop offs were quite sudden and I found myself struggling to keep balance while basically falling down the hill. I came in under my target time. And didn't puke. But it was a near thing. Oh, and at one point I found myself following the little light sticks out onto the shoulder of I70, apparently I should have stayed to the LEFT of the light sticks. I wonder what the drivers flying by were thinking.

Leg 23
I wasn't ready for Rick when he came in, I thought I had about five more minutes and was just wandering out of the bathrooms when I heard them calling our number. I ran up the path, told the exchange lady I was outbound, grabbed the bracelet from Rick and went. About a half mile down the trail I remembered to turn on my Garmin, about a half mile later I checked it and it was still "Locating Satellites". Since the trail went along the river under I70 through a canyon I decided not to mess with it. So for the six miles I had no idea where I was, or how far I had gone, or how close I was to getting done. I just went as hard as I could and hoped I didn't run out of gas before the exchange. It was cold and dark, but I knew the sun was coming up soon. I ended up coming in at my expected pace, so it all worked out. I was very tired, and very sore, and very glad to be done. The psychological impact of sunrise when doing something challenging or when suffering through a hardship never ceases to amaze me.

Dave Young, Jr.
Leg 4
Seeing the road conditions on the way up, I knew footing would get most of my attention. When Travis handed me the bracelet, I took off through the slush. My plan was to stay in the tire tracks through the dirt road section since that would have the best footing. It worked well though there were a few slips. By the time I reached the paved road two miles into the leg, the snow had changed from the little frozen pellets to large wet flakes. I was able to pass four runners and ended the leg in a light rain. Time: 58 minutes.

Leg 14
Dateline: Friday night, 9:15-ish. Since I ran the same leg last year (then known as Leg 18), I knew what was in store for me. Waiting in the cold is probably my least favorite part of the relay so once Travis appeared out of the darkness, I was ready to get running. The first .4 miles is downhill, past all the waiting vans before a left-hand turn under I-70. The route continued to parallel the interstate from the other side and I started to get into a rhythm. I picked off a couple of runners in this stretch before the route took us back under I-70 and we paralleled it from the original side. Just as last year, there were a number of other runners on the leg with me so the challenge of catching and passing others seemed to quicken my pace a bit. A few more passes later, the route passed under I-70 for the third and final time and entered it's final stretch. I passed another "runner" who was walking and made my way through the parking lot to the exchange point where I guessed the correct headlamp pointed at my direction and passed the bracelet to Pastor. Two down, one to go. Passed 7 runners. Passed by 0.

Leg 24
Going into my final leg I had two goals: Goal 1 - don't bonk (like last year). To that end, I made sure to eat more this year, banking on the extra calories to help me get through the last leg. For whatever reason, to this point no one had passed me so that led to Goal 2 - don't get passed. This leg was short - just over 4 miles - and flat so it wasn't difficult. The leg follows the Colorado River through Glenwood Canyon and is very beautiful, I'm sure. Not that I would know because my gaze was cast mostly on the trail in front of me. There's not much to say about the route other than I almost took a wrong turn just before the rest area in the middle of the run (stay left!) before noticing where the runner in front of me had gone. Catching her became the goal of the leg but I could only close the gap and was never close to passing her. The final hill to reach the exchange point seemed cruel and unnessecary but it was good to be finished. Final tally: both goals achieved. Passed 2 runners. Passed by 0.

Jeff Musgrave
Leg 5
Dave came into the exchange in 5th place, he had flown down the hill. Two of the teams were not ready to make the exchange. I left the exchange area in 3rd place. Of course we started at the earliest start and the fast people hadn't been able to catch up with us yet. We had to climb through the fence to head up into the woods because the gate was locked. It was raining lightly and the trail was a solid puddle. The only way to stay out of the water was to run on the slanted part of the trail and it was very slick. I ran the first two miles averaging 10 and 11 minutes and passed on runner. Around mile two the rain became snow and the trail was impossible to navigate. I ended up walking most of the way up the steep part of the leg. You couldn't keep your footing enough to run. My heart rate averaged between 175 and 177 the whole way up and I was gasping for air. There was only one set of foot prints and it seemed to me that he was walking too. I could sum up the run this way: ashamed on the way up and afraid on the way down. I was so happy when I finally saw the crest of the hill (10,829). I immediately began to run and could hardly slow down. The whole way up I was afraid I would get passed but I knew no one would pass me going down. The snow at the top was 3 to 4 inches deep and I really didn't run out of it until right at the end. When I came around the corner and saw the exchange they all began to cheer and honk air horns. It was very emotional and I had to break through several bunches of Aspen and Willows blocking the path and I was so tired, but I was so happy to be done!

Leg 15
I had a hard time deciding what to wear. I was cold, but everyone was finishing their legs saying they were hot. I decided to wear leggings and a long-sleeved shirt with my light running jacket. I walked down to find a restroom and came back to a locked van. I ran to find my team to get the key. I was already thirsty and needed water for the nearly 9 mile run.

My Jacket came off in the 1st 1/2 mile, and the shin splints in my right leg began to throb with each step by the 2nd mile. I was passed in Vail by a runner, and then was alone on the trails for the next several miles. About 2 miles out, I passed a runner who had stopped to stretch. I didn’t want to stretch, but I did want to stop.

I crossed I-70 for the 4th time, and started the 1/2 mile back tract to the exchange point. I have to say, that was the longest 1/2 mile of the entire race. I was never so glad to hear Joel’s voice telling me I had done well, and that I only had a few yards yet to go. I ran slower than I had wanted to, and frankly was not pleased with myself.

Leg 25
I had a long talk with myself after the last run, and decided that I wasn’t going to be able to run any faster than I was running. I decided not to be upset, but to choose to enjoy the run instead. I started to quickly and had to walk to catch my breath on a steep incline within the 1st 1/2 mile. I was the 1st runner without a light and a vest. The sun was not yet shining, but it was a beautiful blue skied morning.

I ran along the Colorado River, and around the tunnel on I-70. It was gorgeous. There was a train coming through the tunnel as I passed it, and the cliffs twisting through that part of the canyon had me wondering how I was going to get out without a tunnel. As I crossed I-70 on the trail, I noticed the chain link fence, strung on ribs like a covered wagon, covering the walk. The fence was dented in on every section where rocks had fallen on the walkway. I am really glad one didn’t fall while I was running there. The run past the Hot Springs and under I-70 was a little confusing and demanded concentration. I was near the end, before I knew it. The last 1/2 mile was hard, but again, my team mates were waiting for me with a cheer of encouragement.

Finished at last, I was ready for a gallon of coffee, and a pound of bacon!

Tom Kirk
Leg 6
Thank you Lord!! I just finished my first leg. I want to thank my church family for all of their prayers for me that really means a lot to me. I feel pretty good. My knees are feeling better than I thought. Maybe it's because my legs are numb. The beaver pond I had to cross had ice and snow on it and the water came up to the bottom of my shorts. The trail was muddy, very slippery in places, and snow covered for part of my leg. About the four mile mark the sun broke through the clouds and I was very thankful for that. I'm looking forward to dry shoes, socks, and shirt. I feel truly blessed to have such wonderful, encouraging, Christian friends. We just drove over Kenosha Pass and the view was unbelievable. Hopefully I can get a nap.

Leg 16
With the help of the Lord and my teammates I just finished my second leg. I can say, "I feel all of my 61 years, after this leg." Running on pavement is really hard on my knees and back, but I thank the Lord for my health. This is my 5th relay race and by far my favorite race. Since I haven't slept since I got up at 2 AM on Friday morning, I'm really looking forward to getting to the church and stretching out on one of the church pews. Over all, I was pleased with this leg. Not fast, but beating my projected time by almost six minutes. Thanks to everyone that has been praying for our team.

Leg 26
Well, thanks again to the Lord and my teammates. I was able to complete another relay race. I was very stiff and sore at the start of my last leg, but felt pretty good after a short way into the run. I was fighting a stiff headwind most of the way. Like a good, I forgot my legbook map and of course I got lost and this cost me a few minutes on my time.

Overall thoughts on this year's race: Tired, sore, hungary, but loved every minute of the race, and if the Lord continues to give me good health, I'm already looking forward to next year's race.

A BIG thanks to all of my teammates and especially teammates in Van B for a wonderful, couple of days. I look forward to seeing everyone in church Sunday morning.

Chris Petterle
Leg 7
Wow! Thank you Lord for clearing the weather. My mind is on Joel as I look at the fury raging at Georgia. God's power, wrath, and glory so vividly displayed. Lord I know he is yours and I will trust and rest in that. Guard his back and calves. Thank you Lord.

Wow, I was spoiled with wonderful weather. A couple drizzlers and nice cool temps! I got to wear my "rave pink" shirt. Blessings small and big. The hills were tough! I walked several ups faster than my "run." The downs felt great - can't say the same for the ups. I did get a glimpse of the valley west of Kenosha pass - God's beauty abounded.

Hats off to Van A - what a great job in bad weather. Yeah Joel - God brought him down safe - a skinned knee – but down! Thank you Lord.

Leg 17
Run so that they're not ready. Show up when my Van B friends least expect me. That was my mantra. Not because I don't like cheering but because that would mean I crushed it. Fast forward 42:26 and they "least expected me." Thank you Lord for amazing bodies, may I use mine to serve you!

It felt good. I wasn't sure what to expect after my hill adventure on leg 7. The cool air, or should I say, cold, coupled with a little rest made it pleasant. may you Lord even now be prompting hearts to donate to our school. Thank you.

Leg 27
The last one. Yeah! The end is in sight. This was a short and generally flat 2.25. I was glad for that! Overall a good run though my legs grew progressively heavier with each step. Thank you Lord for amazing experiences. Please us this to discover new truths about You from Your Word! Go Trail Runners!!

Joel Petterle
Leg 8
Georgia (for the last time and this time I mean it). They delayed the start of the Georgia leg due to snow visibility at the top of the mountain. This really affected my attitude about running it. When time came to start they started everyone in groups of 5 with 1 minute intervals. Going up was a struggle and it wasn't due to the snow. I walked early and often. As I approached three line things got worse. Much snow on the ground with snow in the air. FInally arriving at the top I new I needed to run faster down. I thanked the woman I followed up the mountain and started down. The down seemed long but faster. Wiped out a couple times due to the snow but no damage. The last 1.5 miles is always tough. As I leave the trail and start down the road my legs started locking up in cramps. Happiness is Georgia in your rear-view mirror!

Leg 18
Approaching the start line I hear my wife yell 151. We were not ready as she had just crushed her prior run. Luckily I got signed in and was ready to meet her. Only 5.5 miles - published as 6.1. This was a nice night run. It felt pretty good. No other surprises.

Leg 28
With being a new leg this year I did not know what to expect. It was harder than I expected. It gave me a new appreciation for what Rick does going up to Vail Pass. The legs were tired from the previous 2 legs. Got it done!

Shaun Walker
Leg 9
A special treat while I waited for Joel to finish Georgia was seeing Shannon and my girls. Naomi was all excited about the relay and would run around and stretch with me and everyone else. Joel looked great coming down the trail after finishing a brutal Georgia Pass. I grabbed the wrist band and started down the trail. I was excited to get going. The weather was clouded over but not too bad. It sleeted for a bit, but then cleared up - not bad at all (especially when compared to what Van A had to fight through!). I had the mental boost of catching a couple runners and felt the pain of being passed a couple times too! The last .5 mile up to the golf course was really tough. I was surprised how spent I felt and could tell my pace slowed down as I did the little climb to the finish. Seeing the team, Shannon, and my little girls at the end was a great blessing! Now to recover and get ready for my long midnight run.

Leg 19
I was having a tough time mentally preparing for this section. It's my longest at nearly 11 miles. The temp was cold and it looked lonely out there. Joel came in doing well (as usual). I still had my warm-up pants on and got my feet stuck in the legs trying to yank them off. I madly pogo-sticked my way over by Joel and finally got my shoes out in time to grab the wrist band. Off I go. Before I left Chris kindly warned me it might actually be 12 miles since last year her leg was longer than posted. Great! At mile three I thought, I'm a quarter done, just do this three more times. At mile four I thought, I'm a third done, just two more times. At mile sixish I took a GU. That takes thought and preoccupied me for a while. I caught a few runners along the way and got passed a couple of times too. At mile nine I thought just one 5K left. This run I did totally by feel. During the rolling uphill sections I paced back and then got my time back going downhill. The cold weather made my contacts all blurry. When I got into Eagle I had real trouble reading road signs ( I was looking for "Broadway"). At one intersection a guy in a SUV asked me where "Capital Street was." I answered him and kept on going to the finish. Overall, this was a great run. I felt pretty good throughout and was very pleased to hit my proposed time. The Lord kept me safe, kept me company, and gave me a great memory of this run. Thank you Lord!

Leg 29
When we got to the start of this leg I whimpered as I looked at the road. It literally went STEEPLY uphill for about 200 yards. It was so steep, when Joel handed off the wrist band he told me to "walk it, and not to waste myself on that first climb." Well, you have to start strong so up I went. That's pretty much what I did the whole time. Up, up, up. SSSLLLOOOWWWW. I did pass one guy (but that's because he was walking). I got passed once and then heard another runner passing me. I looked over and it was a girl! She wasn't part of the relay, just out for a morning run. She paced with me and when I had to stop and walk up part of a climb she stuck with me chatting the whole time. She encouraged me that when I got to a huge tree, just beyond it was some downhill. OK, I thought, let's do it. She turned around to run back and when I got up to that ridge I was ready for some downhill. WRONG! As I ran through an upward bend I cold see another, higher ridge in front of me at least 1.25 miles away. I almost cried! Suck it up and get to it! I tried to find "winch mode" but the only gear I found was "survival mode." Eventually I did get about .5 downhill and then saw Justine waiting. Finishing with an uphill climb on spent legs is no fun. I'm glad it's over. My hat is off to the other teammates who did far harder climbs. Way to go team!!

Justine Prahl
Leg 10
Being the 10th runner is a long, long wait, but when I started I was ready to run. The first 2 miles were nice and level. The next two - some hills, but slow & steady conquered them. Not a 6.94. More like a 7.25. So glad to see the finish. So glad to hear the team cheering. So glad to run with the Lord & enjoy the beautiful scenery.

Leg 20
Clear Sky. Colder weather, but a nice run. Was scared to run in the dark, but it was so enjoyable. The Lord and I - such good company. I took a wrong turn but got back on track and finished the leg feeling great.

Leg 30
Lots of downhill! Wa doing a 7 minute mile at one point. My feet going faster than the rest of my body. Wasn't exactly prepared for such a rapid descent. The last mile into Carbondale was a little wearisome – I prayed most of the way to the finish line. It was a great joy to cross the finish line with the entire team. It was their encouragement and support that made it possible. I'm so thankful that I could be a part of the Relay this year. Thank you again, Pastor, for giving up your place so I cold run. It was an experience I will never forget. Thank you, team!