The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
Montane Grand Traverse Mountain Run and Bike in September
By Than Acuff
Despite the onset of construction for the new Outpost building at the Nordic Center, Crested Butte Nordic isn’t missing a beat with their usual slate of summer events set to kick off with the 40th anniversary of the Grin & Bear It Race on Saturday, July 15.
The Grin & Bear It is Crested Butte’s oldest trail challenge, starting out as a 15-kilometer run from the town of Crested Butte to Green Lake and back to Crested Butte via the Green Lake trail. The time-honored tradition always attracted the widest array of runners from folks in jeans and t-shirts following through on a bar bet the night before, to dedicated runners complete with slim fitting clothing and appropriate running shoes.
Then in 2020, with interest in trail running exploding and the Baxter Gulch trail in place, Grin & Bear It race organizers added a longer option and the Grin & Bear It gained even more interest, riding that line between modernity while keeping past traditions in place with two course options. While due to COVID the race was a virtual event, the new course addition was a big hit.
As a result, participants can opt for the original 15-kilometer Grin & Bear It course up to Green Lake and back. Or they can stretch their trail running experience and compete in the 25-kilometer loop that heads from town up the Baxter Gulch trail before turning onto the Carbon Creek trail. Once they hit the Green Lake trail, “loopers” still must go up to Green Lake to touch the Ponderosa, they can dive into Green Lake if desired and then head down the Green Lake trail back to town and the finish line.
The “awkward load” remains in place as well. Basically, if you’re willing to jump in Green Lake, swim to a buoy and grab an item attached to said buoy and carry it back to the finish line, you get $100 cash. While in past years there was just one awkward load up for grabs, this year there is $100 up for grabs for both the man and the woman who decide to take the plunge and carry the “awkward load” back to town. Last year Timmy Parr not only grabbed it, but also won the race carrying it.
Speaking of Parr, for any heavy hitters looking to set a course record, Cam Smith and Parr share the 15-kilometer course record time of 1:03:12 set in 2020. Given 2020 was a “virtual” race format, Parr was able to double down and run the 25-kilometer course as well setting the course record time of 1:59:16.
As mentioned, the Nordic Center is a construction zone so there are a couple of slight changes to the event this year as the bib pick up location, start/finish line and post-race french toast party have been moved to the corner of First Street and Belleview Avenue.
“Because of the construction going on, we’re trying to discourage people from coming to the Nordic Center,” says CB Nordic events director Becky Nation.
As of press time, 139 runners had registered for either of the two races with the event capped at 150, so if you’re thinking about it, you better just do it. Don’t want to run but want to help? Reach out to Nation at [email protected] as volunteers are always needed.
The Grin & Bear It also serves as a training race for CB Nordic’s premier summer events, the Montane Grand Traverse Mountain Run and Mountain Bike races on Saturday and Sunday, September 2-3. Those races have exploded since their inception and are already full. While Nation says the races are pretty much “same-same,” there is new prize money up for grabs.
Thanks to the annual support from TAPP, there remains $9,600 in cash prizes for the top five men and top five women in both the running and biking races. Now, thanks to money from the Town of Mt. Crested Butte Admissions Tax grant, there’s $200 up for grabs for both the men’s and women’s Triple Crown winners. The Triple Crown titles go to the man and woman who have the lowest cumulative times from the Grand Traverse ski, run and bike races in 2023.
For all information regarding any of CB Nordic’s slate of summer events, go to cbnordic.org.
