July 31, 2008 5:34 PM

Georgetown to Idaho Springs Half Marathon turning 30

The Georgetown to Idaho Springs Half Marathon turns 30 with its running on Aug. 9. I can't make the party, so I'll say happy birthday now.

In times past, I ran this race virtually every year. But it's been a while. I have the little 20th anniversary gold-pan-style medal handed out to all participants 10 years ago, but frankly can't remember if I've run the race in any of the years since.

Those who make the run - and there's still time to register - are in for a treat. The (almost) all-downhill course hugs Clear Creek for most of its distance, making for fast times with a view.

Let's hope the heat relents by then. I did a 12-mile training run on the afternoon that Denver set its new heat-wave record, and was so light-headed and nauseated at the end that I barely managed to buck up and drive in to work.

I remain on track to make my racing goals this year: the Imogene Pass Run in September and St. George Marathon in October. And that's the main reason I won't be running from Georgetown to Idaho Springs. I want to climb a Fourteener this month as part of my training, and Aug. 9 is the only day I can squeeze it in.

I'm set to climb Mount Yale near Buena Vista with some friends and plan to camp overnight in the high country and run the Leadville Trail 100 10-kilometer race on the following day.

This little race is one of Colorado's undiscovered gems. Racers follow the first 3.1 miles of the Leadville Trail 100 course, beginning in downtown Leadville and heading west on the gravel road known to Leadville veterans as "The Boulevard." Then they turn around to run back to town.

The start is all downhill, and I've found I can run it about as fast as I've run the first half of the Bolder Boulder. But turning around and running uphill at Leadville's 10,000-foot elevation is another lung-busting story.

If you'd like to join me, online and mail registration is still open at $25, and race-day registration on Aug. 10 costs $35. Start time is noon.

Posted by Bob Findlay at 5:34 PM | Comments (0)