Big congratulations to the organizers of the Hardscrabble Mountain Trail Run and the brave runners who took on the challenging 5K and 10K courses.
The event was a fund raiser for the San Isabel Land Protection Trust, the Palmer Land Trust, and the Norawas de Raramuri, which supports the Tarahumara runners of Mexico's Copper Canyon area.
The course included miles of cross-country running on high mountain grasslands, as well as single track and jeep trails.
And the racing was hot with high school runners from the Rocky Ford and Custer County cross country teams battling on the steep slopes.
Corey Lewenkamp, 16, of Westcliffe, won the 10K with a time of 43:39, while Kristy Falcon, 34, of Salida, took the women's title in 53:54.
The 5K was all about the kids, as a pair of 14-year-old runners took the wins. Erik Rocha (Rocky Ford, 23:03) was the fastest of all. Kayli Short (Cotopaxi, 29:13) won the women's race.
The event also gave runners the opportunity to stride along next to the famous Tarahumara runners Lara Miguel, Isidro Quintero, Horacio Estrada and Arnolfo Quimare. Though they quickly pulled away in the 10K - all finished among the top seven - they graciously took the time to pose for plenty of photos after the race.