Sure, it may look like a motley crew of runners gathering for a barefoot jaunt across the Aspen High School football field. But these are the Aspen Trail Heads and they include some of the toughest high altitude trotters to be found anywhere above 8000 feet.
There are marathoners, Grand Traverse-rs, Leadville 100 competitors and some 5K and 10kers in this group that gathers every Tuesday at 6:30am for workouts under the, er, steady watch of running guru Trey Barns.
Heard this week: "Yeah you can run 12 miles there without fallin' off the Continental Divide once!" The reply? "That sounds sick bro."
Anyway, as this is "inspiration week," I have to acknowledge them for letting me tag along these last few weeks as I get ready for race2walk2016. (Not laughing at the oldest and slowest is not what every running group would do.)
I'll be thinking about the group on Tuesdays as I train in Europe for the races. First race: July 7 in Rome.
Thank you guys.