Inaugural Grand Traverse Mountain Run set for August 24

“They can catch the scenery in the daylight”

For 16 years, teams of two skiers have headed into the night air in March for the Elk Mountains Grand Traverse backcountry ski race from Crested Butte to Aspen.
Many of those teams spend a majority of the race in the dark, with the sun coming up by the time they are back below treeline.
On Saturday, August 24, those same skiers, and anyone else who’s interested, get a chance to race from Crested Butte to Aspen in the daylight, on foot, in the inaugural Grand Traverse Mountain Run and see what they’ve been missing all of these years.
“They can catch the scenery in the daylight,” says Grand Traverse co-race director Bryan Wickenhauser.
The idea is an extension of the Grand Traverse ski race model and the hope is that the Grand Traverse Mountain Run can draw both ski racers into mountain running races and mountain runners into the Grand Traverse ski race.
“At this point we felt it was in the best interest of developing the Grand Traverse brand,” explains Wickenhauser. “We’re going after our brand of athlete who has developed a running habit in the summer. And I think it’s appealing to a lot of mountain runners and maybe it will get them to pick up skiing.”
The course is similar in distance, approximately 40 miles, but will follow a slightly different route.
It will start at 5:45 a.m. in downtown Crested Butte and will head down Elk Avenue, up Tony’s Trail to the Upper Upper Loop and then onto Brush Creek Road.
There will be a turn off Brush Creek Road to get in some singletrack on the end of Strand and the Canal Trail before returning to Brush Creek Road, Death Pass and then up trail 400 to Star Pass. following the summer trail to Taylor Pass and then following the Grand Traverse course along Richmond Ridge, dropping down Aspen Mountain into Aspen.
While there are numerous grueling mountain races in the summer, this one hits a niche for a number of reasons. First of all, it’s 40 miles, not 100 miles, long. Second, it’s a unique course. Third, it can be done solo or with a partner.
“It’s an iconic point-to-point, Crested Butte to Aspen,” says Wickenhauser. “Plus it’s a way to obtain a 40-mile mountain running goal. Bring a partner with you to help pull each other through the rough times.”
Wickenhauser and friends ran the course last summer for a little research and development at a somewhat relaxed pace, posting times between eight and 10 hours. Wickenhauser believes that, depending on the field of runners, just over seven hours is attainable. And, just like with the ski race, there will be cutoff times. In addition, there will be an award following the Grand Traverse ski race in March for the team with the fastest combined time from the mountain run and ski race.
There will be five aid stations along the way but racers must have their own drinking vessel with them to keep the scene clean with a “cup-less” theme, among other required items such as COSAR card, buff or light hat, dark sunglasses and a wind shell with a hood.
Race organizers hope to have 200 runners in the inaugural event. Registration for the Grand Traverse Mountain Run is currently open. For more information about the race, including rules such as no whining, check out their website at www.gtmountainrun.com. You can register for the race on the gtmountainrun.com website or at zapevent.com. There is a discount for both individuals and teams if you register before August 1.
Proceeds from the Grand Traverse Mountain Run will benefit the Crested Butte Nordic Center.