Updated Information and relay testimonials from each team member will be posted after race day. Thanks to "runningonfaith" team for this creative idea.

Joel Petterle
Leg 1
I was ready to start the team off on the right foot by running a good first leg. First 2 miles went great. Fast and steady. I was excited I was the lead runner in the pack of 25. Right at mile 3 the wind started blowing pretty strongly. My pace dropped rapidly as I was passed by 5 runners. The last mile was hard work but still came in at my goal pace.

Leg 11
One word - PAIN! IT started early and lasted all 13 miles. It started off bad as a female runner blasted past me at mile .5. It was discouraging. Much running, much walking going up. I started to feel better as I started to pass people. As the top came in sight I started thinking about the fast downhill to go. To my surprise the back side had several climbs which required walking. Finally after a couple miles of this, fast downhill appeared. Very technical with rocks and roots making for a little slower down than I had hoped. With 2 miles to go the trail transitioned with a small hill to a dirt road. My legs started cramping badly as my legs protested the small rise. Cramps continued for the next 2 miles to the finish. The loud crowd drew me to the finish. I could hear Chris yelling which put a smile on my face. Overall I passed 14 people and had 2 pass me. Good motivation!

Leg 21
Nice night for running a downhill 4.5 miler. It was a fast leg and I felt great. It was a good finish to a long day!

John Ebel
Leg 2
Catching the first glimpse of the headlamps piercing the darkness was really exciting. I could hardly wait for Joel to hit my hand with the wristband. Leaving the checkpoint I saw not much more than darkness and wind-blown dust particles in the headlamp. It felt great to finally be running when it matters. The excitement carried me through the first mile and one wrong turn. The wind was gusting head-on but the Lord answered my prayer and trimmed 3 minutes off my estimated time. handing off to Chris was exciting as well and the team juices were really pumping.

Leg 12
2.3 miles of mainly downhill but very rocky. Every step had to be carefully placed. Byte eh time the warm-up was over the leg was too! Certainly not my favorite leg.

Leg 22
Supposed to be 6.2 miles but more like 5.5. It was really dark leaving the western edge of Vail. Right away the pace felt great. By far this leg was the most pleasant. One runner passed me but I passed two! Not a lick of wind, nice and cool. I could see the condensation of each breath in the headlamp. It was really neat being out on Highway 6 in the dark at 1:30 am. Ran sub 10's. The Spirit was certainly with me. Just a super experience!

Chris Petterle
Leg 3
I am going to call this the running in place leg. What excitement to get the bracelet from John – Joel and John were amazing! I was looking forward to starting and very quickly I began the mental battle. The wind literally kept me running in place. I am grateful I ran the leg in training first.

Leg 13
I give the Lord great praise and thanks . After doing my first let (which I joyfully renamed "running in place") "Tiger Bite" was wonderful. The Lord knew I needed to be encouraged big time! After Leg 3 I seriously struggled with headaches, fatigue, and nausea. Thankfully, a beautiful nap in my sleeping bag at the holding area for Exchange 10, lots of fluids and food the Lord helped me get my mind under control. Tiger Bite was a gentle curving predominantly downhill leg. I was able to find my pace and hold it. I am once again back in the game. Please note, this was a 4.5 mile leg not the supposed 3.9. Two down and one to go! Thank you team!

Leg 23
Well, I've renamed this leg too! It's new name is "Short shot - Yeah Right!" Turned out to be 2.88 miles and not the posted 2.1. Thankfully I was mentally prepared for that – the Running on Faith journal clearly talks about this. Praise the Lord for a body that is fearfully and wonderfully made and I am grateful for my brothers and sisters in Christ. What a team!

Jeff Musgrave
Leg 4
What a rush! Waiting for Chris watching the sun come up, feeling the wind blow at hurricane force gusts! Then I was off. The wind in my face slowed me down and I worried my legs were going to be too tire too fast. My team mates passed me and that was encouraging and then they cheered for me as I left town and started up the pass. I had lost a minute in the wind. Then it was walk, run, walk, run,. I passed a runner and coming up behind her I stayed even or even gained on her even when I was walking. I passed another runner just before mile 5 and then got passed by some show off just before the flat section. Now I was running on the flat and down into the exchange and done. What a happy feeling. I beat my goal by 55 seconds per mile!!

Leg 14
This leg started well. I averaged 7:36 on my first mile and 7:56 on my second. That is a little fast for me, but I like this run and I was feeling good. Just into my third mile I ran past the high school just as they were singing the National Anthem for a soccer game. I stopped and saluted the flag. It cost me a minute, but a benefit was to get a bit of a breath before I hit the hilly section. I finished at 51:25 and averaged 8:30 including my stop. I actually felt better when I stopped than when I started this leg.

Leg 24
The worse thing about this race is waiting for your team mate to come around the corner. I tend to get very nervous and somewhat negative about how my leg will go. My wife Anna is our driver and she knows me well. She has encouraged me with each leg. "your going to love this leg! Your going to do great!" What a blessing to have a team that loves each other so much and is so supportive. I did love this leg. I passed a runner just after we got started. After that I didn't see another runner the entire 8.22 miles. I knew I was running well but I decided not to look at my time. I just focused into my little tunnel of light and ran. It was wonderful! At one point I started singing out loud "O, Lord, Our Lord, How majestic is they name!" At 4.6 miles I saw a pair of eyes looking at me from the ditch beside the road but other than that not another living thing during the whole run. Just before I came into Eagle I went across an old Bridge and the light was eery on the metal beams! I saw another runner in front of me as I entered Eagle and worked to catch him. Just as I caught him I stepped in a pot hole and fell. I rolled and sprang back up. He stopped to see if I was OK and we ran on together. he told me I was pushing him to hard and wanted me to finish alone. This was my fastest pace of the day and it feels great to be done.

Shaun Walker
Leg 5
Man, am I glad that's over! The only part of the run I enjoyed was running up and out of the parking lot. I quickly found my breathing very difficult. I didn't feel to defeated when an Ultra runner passed me but I did when a girl came whistling by me. I don't remember much about the middle - maybe I lost consciousness!! When I ran up (the whole leg was up!) into the exchange point my vision was blurry and my breath was coming in ragged gasps. When the lady asked me to sign in, I honestly could hardly see the line let alone get my fingers to work a pen. Thankfully I think I'll recover OK for my next leg - #15. Good news is I averaged 11:09 with a time of 46:40 - better than my original estimate.

Leg 15
Starting my "Leg of Death" included some pretty scenery - trees, mountains, a bright moon, and runners passing me! I decided I was going to forgo any attempts at record breaking and geared into a "Get Her Done" mode. As I approached Copper I had a runner pacing behind me which I eventually pulled away from. My final stretch through Copper to the exchange point I put on some steam and picked up my pace. As I ran up into the Exchange point I couldn't find Rick as everyone had on a headlamp, was wearing a vest, and the place was packed with people in a confusing blob. I just kept running madly looking around for him. Still moving I turned around to see Rick catching up to me! Rick caught up, got the wrist band and off he went. I'm looking forward to being done. One more leg to go and 6.5 miles. Hope I can "Get Her Done."

Leg 25
Having to go .5 miles down the road to use the bathroom made my prep for this leg a bit less than satisfactory. I knew Pastor was running well so I got ready for an early arrival and froze in the night air while I waited. When he came in and handed me the wristband I started off into the night. The first mile or so I was really cold - my breath puffs floating up into my headlamp. As I came nearer Eagle Baptist Church my team van pulled alongside and cheered me on. It really boosted my pace while they were there but I knew I'd better pull back after they left to make sure I could "Get Her Done." I got passed a couple of times (again!) during this leg. There was a long stretch of road that I could see way up ahead and it seemed the longer I ran the farther the road became. Eventually I got on the bike path and did the last little bit into the exchange point. Rick was easy to find this time and off he went!!

Rick McQueary
Leg 6
Everyone is doing great and the pressure is on and I really am anxious. Shaun looks strong and I am ready. The first 1/2 mile I feel really good. The 2nd I start dying. The 1/2 way point is tough and I end up walking. The rest of the way is a combination run and walk. I feel so slow but I beat my time. What a great feeling to see everyone at the finish and to hear them cheer. Who knows what happened after the finish as I am light headed and coughing (Boy this is fun!).

Leg 16
Tried to sleep between legs to no avail. It's cool when I get to the starting line. I have a long sleeve shirt but no gloves or long pants. I am counting on running hard to stay warm. At the start Shaun comes screaming in and passes me up. It took me 20 minutes to catch him and get the wrist band (just kidding)! My legs feel a little tired as I get to the first mile marker. Breathing is OK and I have my first person pass me. By mile 2 I am in agony. I keep telling myself I am almost halfway. I don't remember 3 miles but about mile 4 I begin to see a runner ahead. I am about to catch him when we hit the rest area. The stairs are the last few feet. I start out taking them 1 at a time and the last bit two at a time. When I get to the exchange there's no one to hand off too! Finally Steve comes running over and takes the band. It was a good run and I feel much better than the first run. Praise the Lord!

Leg 26
This was a great finishing leg. I was ready to get it over with. There were several blessings. 1. The Lord gave me a runner who was about my pace. I could see the person all along the way. 2. With a half a mile to go I caught my foot on a clump of grass and went down. ONly a minor cut on hand. I finished strong and it was great. I am done! Praise the Lord for His strength. It sure wasn't me!

Steve Kubick
Leg 7
Beautiful day. Clear, blue sky serving as the backdrop for bright yellow aspen trees. Colorado at its finest. The cold wind penetrated the light jacket just enough to keep cool until the body warmed up. She the jacket at mile 2 and handed off to our team Suburban. Was passed at the start by a runner and followed a 1/3 of a mile. Felt good throughout the run until mile 5. Took Gu; great again until mile 7. Closed gap on runner to about 200 yards. Wa tired yet had to get in front of him. Passed him with 1/2 mile to go and led by 100 yards at exchange point. Good to have goals to press yourself. Best time ever. The longer run has yet to begin.

Leg 17
As easy as the first leg was, the second was as difficult. Rick finished 10 minutes earlier than expected. I was going to take care of some last minute preparation when they called my number. had no time to prepare to get psyched up. I took the wrist band and started running. Immediately developed side aches which soon subsided and then started again. As I passed several early landmarks, I was encouraged at the speed they were arriving at. That was the end of the encouragement. Every step was felt in the calves and gluts. Because it was so uncomfortable, I tried to slow down and shorten the stride. Fighting the downhill and holding back was more work than striding it out and letting gravity do the work. Kind of like us resisting God. he wants to lead us and provides the impetus for us moving forward. As we fight, we tire, we need need to let go and let God pull us through life. Often times I could not really tell if I was going uphill or downhill because it was at night. But when I strided longer it was easier, I knew I was going up hill. I was pleasantly surprised at the time and as soon as I stopped running to hand the wristband to Dave, my calves and gluts tightened up. Glad it's over. The little 5+ miler next should seem easier. Yeah, right!

Leg 27
Coming soon!

Dave Young
Leg 8
It's a miracle! I thought it would take one for me to equal my projected time for leg 8. From the beginning my legs were weak and breathing was a struggle. Not a good sign since the first couple of miles are not very hilly. By the time I reached my climb at mile 3 my pace was 10 minutes miles. Then the climb. That mile took 17 of the longest minutes I can remember. From there it was downhill for the last 2 miles. What a relief! I was finally able to stride out for a while and finished up felling great. Total time - 1:05:51.

Leg 18
Leg 18 was quite the opposite of leg 8. It was a six mile downhill/flat course, completely on roads. I waited nervously for Steve to appear from the dark thinking that I needed to redeem myself a bit from the poor performance of my first leg. When '113' was shouted from the distance I panicked a bit, grabbed the bracelet from Steve and was off. The leg started with a nice downhill section which helped me to a fast start.

Thankfully, all systems felt good as the run transitioned into a two mile flat-ish section and I maintained a fast (for me) pace. Lest I became too confident, a runner passed me so quickly that he barely had enough time to tell me how great I was running <cough>. Another runner passed me at a pace much closer than mine so I paced off him. The route moved to the other side of I-70 and to another long stretch, this time slightly downhill for another 3 miles or so. This stretch provided my first opportunities to actually pass some people and I did so with relish. Oh, how slow they were!

By the last mile or so, I started to tire a bit and was passed by a couple of others. The finish line came much more quickly than I anticipated so I shouted '113' and passed off the bracelet to Byron before checking my stopwatch. It read 45:25.

Leg 28
Coming soon!

Byron Osterberg
Leg 9
Leg 9 Beaver Pond 11am – 6.2 miles – elevation 9602 and climbing. The first 3.9 miles was pretty continually uphill. As each turn showed the trail it was always up. At mile 2ish I came upon a person walking. I slowed to a walk with him and tried to get some air into my lungs. We walked for a while and I said “Lets do it for the glory of God” As we talked further I find he is a brother in Christ. We shared our testimonies and prayed for the Lord to give us air, strength, and safety. Finally I told David that I would continue to pray him of the mountain and finished strong. After I finished I was able to go back up the trail and encourage David as he finished. It was a great blessing. Thank you God for your perfect timing. By the way, the beaver pond at mile 3.1 was about 30-35 feet across and knee deep. I did not run thru it due to the depth but walked thru it. That was great.

Leg 19
Leg 19 Vail Triangle 10:30pm - 6.22 miles. This leg was mainly on bike paths and highway 6 and tended downhill. There were some uphill sections but in the dark I could not see them. That was a good thing. It was very dark on the bike paths but the footing was good. What a great leg to run. This was my fastest leg and a personal best for a 10K distance at 8:48 miles.

Leg 29
Leg 29 No Name Canyon 7am – 4.6 miles. Even though the leg was flat tending slightly downhill it was a challenge to keep moving. Running watch did not function in the canyon so I was not able to know my pace or distance. It was great to come around the corner and see the exchange point but it was still a long way away and up on a hill. I could here the team calling my name and cheering me on. It was a great feeling and helped me to push to the finish.

Tom Kirk
Leg 10
After finishing my first leg, I think I have three or four relay races left in me! I have to thank the Lord for helping me complete my leg. This was the hardest trail that I've ever run - very steep, lots of loose rock and tree roots. My knees are hurting, but not as bad as I thought they would be. I was coming up, probably the steepest part of the trail and was asking the Lord for help and I looked dup and I could see the huge valley below Kenosha Pass. What an awesome sight and this was just what I needed to make it up this hill. I feel truly blessed to be part of this team. I'm HUNGERY and need something besides a power bar!!

Leg 20
No sleep yet. Knees not doing too good. I'm really bummed out as I feel my times haven't been as good as I would have like and I feel that I've let my team mates down.

Leg 30
My last leg of the race, turned out to be my best, both time wise and just being able to finish what we had started over 27 hours before. I was stiff and sore, hungry and sleep deprived, like my team mates, but at the same time I was pumped up about running this last leg, knowing all of my team mates would be waiting for me near the finish line. As I was rounding a curve on the bike path, I will never forget the unbelievable feeling of seeing all of my team mates and them cheering me on and all of us crossing the finishing line together. This was very emotional for me and I could hardly see for all of the tears. Seeing all of them made me forget how stiff, sore, hungry and sleep deprived I was. There was kind of let down for me after the pictures were taken and everyone was preparing to head back home. It was like I didn't want this to end, but I will always have the memories of the race and how the Lord helped me when I was struggling and our time together, with all of the encouragement and support.The Lord willing, we'll have another team for next year's race. A special thank you to our driver, Fran, for all of the long hours of driving, for getting us to our exchange points, for recording everyone's time and for putting up with all of us.

Fran Osterberg - Driver - Vehicle B
It’s Thursday evening, 9 pm, and I’m excited and a bit nervous about the relay tomorrow. I head off to bed, but as my head hits the pillow I feel a migraine flare in my head. I pray, “Oh Lord, not now. I’m a drive and the team is depending on me.” I crawl back out of bed and take my prescription medication for the pain. I know it will work in time, but it will leave me drugged and lethargic for many hours. I lay awake for over an hour waiting for the pain to subside enough to be able to go to sleep. Three hours later I wake up to get read to meet everyone. Oh well, only three hours of sleep before we start this adventure. The pain in my head is gone, but my muscles are achy and cramping. I take two Advil and my daily aspirin and pray that my stomach will not join the rest of my revolting body. We head to church to meet the group. At this point I need to mention that I get motion sickness, so before we head out for Idaho Springs I also take a Dramamine. Now that I have my own pharmacy in my body, I pray that the Lord will give grace and that I will not disappoint the team. We get to Idaho Springs a little after 4 am. Everything is moving now. The preparations begin, the pictures begin, the race begins, the logistics begin, the driving begins… There’s no stopping this now.

Even as we sat at the first check point at Georgetown Lake in the heavy wind and waited for Chris to come in, we were all thankful that we were in a car and were praying for the runners that were out in the wind. Even here God answered prayers. God continued to answer so many more prayers in the coming hours. Personally, there was not a time on the trip when I struggled with feeling drugged, sick, or lethargic. Steve drove until his first leg, but I drove almost exclusively after that, and with no problems. For the team, we went through over 27 hours of relay racing without the need to break out the first aid kit, even for a band-aid. All team members stayed healthy and well, both in spirit and in body and in many legs beat their projected times. Even the problems with Vehicle A and the eventual switch in vehicles came at a time when they were off cycle and close to Denver.

Now 37.5 hours after I first woke up to begin this journey and with only 3 hours of sleep I have driven the 3 hours back to Denver, never once feeling fatigued. God has been so good to us and watched over us and answered prayers again and again. Thank you Lord!