Boulder…
Below is an article I compiled for my first ever writing competition! We Are Explorers held a content competition and I thought I would give it a go! The brief was to write about a travel experience and adventure you will never forget. For some reason I dont think it was ever published (super disappointment about that!) but I have pasted it below for your reading. Thanks heaps and I really hope you enjoy it!
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For the 10years prior to 2019, ultra running had captured my imagination. I devoured everything I could find on the topic; blogs, magazine articles, Podcasts, books, live feeds and nearly on a daily basis, YouTube videos. In the early stages there wasn’t a lot, but as popularity in the sport grew, so did the content. I was punch drunk in love and the epicentre to all things I observed was based in Colorado, particularly Boulder. My lifetime hero Anton Krupicka lived there and he brought the place to life, particularly in the mid to late 2000’s through his blog and the movie Indulgence. I filled every part of my being with the lifestyle this epicentre portrayed.
As a small town guy who had done his fair share of travelling and exploring, now married and with two young daughters, experiencing all the high Rockies had to offer seemed a pipe dream. But a dream it was. However, in late 2018, and much pondering about our next family adventure, my wife gave the green light to apply for the infamous Leadville 100mile Endurance Run. This race had also fascinated me after being bit by the Born to Run phenomenon and I yearned to get in. A month or so later, to my surprise, I was accepted through the lottery. We were going to America.
As part of our quest, we decided to fly into LA, spend a few days there and then head to Boulder for some acclimatisation and experience before venturing up to the highest town in the continental US, Leadville for the race. I was going to Boulder. I could barely contain my enthusiasm.
After much jet lag and some City sights, we flew to Denver, hired a car and drove to the mythical land that I had watched, dreamt and imagined in my heart of hearts to visit some day. As we approached, I got my first glimpse of the front range and the jaw dropping Flatirons, tears ran down my face. I felt an emotional connection to this place more than anywhere I had been previously and we had arrived. The majesty, the indescribable beauty, the calling and the illustriousness of those giant slabs of conglomeratic sandstone was nearly too much to comprehend seeing in real life. But, it was real, a dream realised.
We spent the next five days wandering town, going on some family trail hikes to Eldorado Canyon and The Keyhole and soaking up all this wonderland had to offer. It was all I had imagined and more. Athletes everywhere, clean thin air, tranquil waterways and just a vibe of healthy hype. I was sold and frothed every moment.
In the couple years before our trip, I had made friends with a local named Jackson through his Podcast and Instagram. We were fortunate enough to meet up with him, hang out and have him take me on a training run. Now, when I say I have watched hundreds of videos and consumed a plethora of content on running on the front range that could be an understatement. Yet, it was now my turn to put my feet on the hallowed dirt of these sacred trails. This was going to be wild.
Early Sunday morning, the 11th of August, Jackson picked me up, we parked in the Chautauqua carpark and we were off. Considering I was to race 100 high mountain miles in less than a weeks time, a run of 20+km with substantial climbing was probably not advisable, but I didn’t care. Hitting Green Mountain first and then Bear, I was in heaven. We stopped and ate wild raspberries and a comment was made about being a true Colorado hippy. Perfect. We took photos, we laughed, chatted, and all the while, I was not able to comprehend I was truly there. You could not wipe the smile off my face. This was pure bliss in every sense of the word. To this day, this loop is the greatest run I have ever done, and there has been a LOT of great runs. I finished with pretty cooked legs but every step was worth it.
I went on to achieve another dream a week later, finishing the Leadville 100 (top 100) and again, not truly believing I was racing an event I had read and dreamt of for so long. What a journey.
To say this trip was the adventure of a lifetime is a severe understatement. The fact that I could experience it all with my family was a blessing. To be able to taste, hear, smell, feel and see the wanderlust of Colorado was a space in time I will treasure to my grave. Truly magical and somewhere I recommend any outdoor enthusiast venture to at least once in their life. Until next time Boulder, from the bottom of my being, thank you.