Passing the Torch
The year was 1984. I was a cross-country ski racer with a summer routine
of running and biking in the mountains. In September of that year I signed
up for the popular Imogene Pass Mountain Running Race. Amazingly, I ended
up setting the women’s record!
This exhilarating 17-mile challenge starts in Ourey, Colorado at 7,810 ft. The racers climb up and over Imogene Pass, which peaks at 13,120 ft, 10 miles into the race. The last 7 miles are extremely steep, inviting turned ankles and lots of blisters. But the reward is the finish line at 8,820 feet in the amazing town of Telluride, Colorado. This beautiful 19th century mining town is tucked into a box canyon, surrounded on all three sides by 14,000-foot peaks of the San Juan Mountains. The jaw-dropping backdrop of those soaring peaks makes the race well worth the effort!
Fast forward to the summer of 2009, my 25th anniversary of holding the women’s record. I had already attended my 15-year anniversary, 10 years ago, but decided to attend again to support my brother who was running the race for the first time. I waited anxiously at the finish line, anticipating the moment when the first woman would come across. I was thrilled when Keri Nelson bounded across the line at a time of 2:35.59, breaking my previous record of 2:36.27.
I had always dreamed of being at the finish line to hand over the award to the next woman to hold the record. I felt honored to pass the torch to Keri and she was overjoyed that I was there to do so.
Records can be set at this race only when the weather is good. As fortune would have it, the weather was superb for Keri’s finish. However, the next day, the peaks were covered with snow. No record would have been set had the race been delayed by one day!
“And when you reach the top of the mountain,
Then shall you begin to climb.”
— Kahlil Gibran