Epic, humbling, painful, tiring, beat-down, exciting, tough, wet, cold, long, adventurous, difficult, mentally-draining, fun, beautiful and a monumental-experience.
These are the words veteran mountain bike racer Shawn Gregory used to describe finishing the 2011 Colorado Trail Race in 5:15.44 (days, hours, minutes).
It was the toughest bike race I have done, said Gregory, who crossed the Durango finish line at 10:24 p.m. Saturday night. I felt like I dealt well with the sleep deprivation, but dealing with wet clothes was kind of hard. It wasnt like I had a spare pair of socks and stuff. The amount of hiking that I did took a toll on my feet. Riding a singlespeed, you cant shift down, you have to hike.
Hiking a bike with an attached 50-pound supply back, riding in pulverizing rain and hail, and sleeping in wet clothes were just some of the challenges Gregory faced. The 40-year-old had to try and consume 220 calories per hour to maintain the necessary energy levels to complete the 490-mile Rocky Mountain race from Denver to Durango. Another thing was keeping his food secured, so it wouldnt attract bears and mountain lions. Gregory slept roughly 1.5 hours a day under a tarp to achieve his goal of finishing the Colorado Trail Race in five to seven days. The Colorado Trail consistently runs between 11- and-12,000 feet above sea level.
The most grueling stretch was between Buena Vista and Silverton. Gregory went nearly 15 hours without eating during the stretch. With hunger combined with sleep deprivation, Gregory began to see things, but somehow made it over Stony Pass and into Silverton.
I kept thinking, Am I going to have to stay there for a couple days until I feel better? Gregory said about arriving in Silverton. My stomach was upset. I was totally drained. Nothing.
There, Gregory stalked up on bare essentials like, Coke, a donut, Nutella spread on tortillas, some GU Shots (energy gel), cinnamon bears, a premade sandwich and a breakfast sandwich, and a hamburger and fries.
The re-energized Gregory continued over Molas Pass and down the home stretch through the San Juan and La Plata Mountains.
The rocky terrain proved to be painful for Gregory with a reaggravated wrist injury and more hiking on his swollen feet.
It was like an electric shock going through my feet with each step, he said.
In the end, Gregorys will and Trek singlespeed bike ultimately carried him to the finish line where his wife Dani and 3-year-old daughter Ava, who Shawn had a picture of on his bike, awaited.
Gregory placed 13th out of 75 contestants, some of which have yet to finish the race.
However, Gregorys Spot Tracker GPS Unit stopped working last Friday, as well as many of the other Spot Trackers, so times and finishes may have been altered for some of the racers.
Kevin Thomas of Salida won the race in his debut. He also won the 2011, 12 Hours of Mesa Verde male solo singlespeed race at Phils World in May.
In addition to buying food along the race, Gregory used a Jet Boil camping stove to cook food and boil water. This is something Gregory likely wont use in the future.
I probably wouldnt take that again, Gregory said. Not because it weighed so much, it made me have to cook up a whole big thing at once. Id eat way too much at the same time and Id be miserable for like half a day.
Extra motivation to finish came from The NEST (Nurturing Environment for Safe Transitions) in Cortez. Gregory raced to increase awareness and help raise funds for abused children in the area. The NEST, located at 140 N. Linden St., is a child advocacy center that provides a safe, child-friendly environment that eases the emotional trauma experienced by children during the investigation and prosecution of child abuse cases.
Gregory said donations to The NEST greatly increased during the race, which is very important.
Im hoping that it still keeps going up, Gregory said about donations to The NEST. Were happy with whatever comes in.
Theres not much time for Gregory to rest. He will race in the Dolores Escalante Days Boggy Draw Race on Saturday in the adult male cross country division.
Whether Gregory will race in the Colorado Trail Race again, well, that remains to be seen.
I think I would do it again, he said. I dont know how happy my wife would be with that. I know I could go faster next time.
Reach Bobby Abplanalp at bobbya@cortezjournal.com