The Summer Roundup was a lot of fun and great to see the rest of the team again. For six people who just came together by chance, we’re a fun bunch if I do say so. At the end, there was JT, looking dapper in his lucky Schlitz hat. Anyone else remember Schlitz? He had this amazing, Emergency Energy Recovery and Rescue Kit. It resembles a cooler. Ahh, that ice could be so soothing on the knees but it serves a higher purpose of  cooling down the even more soothing barley-pops…

Despite Ryan Hafer out leaning me at the tape by just over a dozen minutes, it wasn’t a bad day at the Roundup.  I went in hoping for a decent but controlled effort, and figured that would net me a time in the low 58s.  Ended up crossing the finish line in just under 54 minutes (really thankful for that new fancy styrofoam chip timing thing, as my watch read 54:01).  Pooped at the end, but I felt I had another gear I could have gone to had an Olympic birth or a date with Jessica Alba been on…

  ROLLBIKEART.COM and the Smokebrush Foundation for

the Arts are proud to announce the 8th Annual ROLL Bike

Art Festival.  ROLL 2012 "Full Circle" will run Friday, August

3rd through Saturday, October 20th at 219 W. Colorado Avenue,

hosted by Marmalade at Smokebrush.  Opening Night is Friday,

August 3, from 5 to 8 PM.  The event is free and open to the

public, but…

With the Summer Roundup complete, it's now a long stretch home! The Peak is less than 50 days away, and the excitement just continues to build with each day!

I must say, I'm incredibly excited to have the opportunity to be a part of the organization this year! There are a lot of exciting things going on within the office and just when I begin to think my internship could not possibly get any better - it does.

I have been working with a variety of race related…

Competitors were just happy to be able to run in the 13^th installment of the Summer Roundup Trail Run 12-kilomter race Sunday in southwest Colorado Springs after the cancellation of the upcoming Barr Trail Mountain Race due to the recent Waldo Canyon Fire.

“It’s important to the racing community,” said local running icon Gerard Romero. “I was really glad…

Neal Oseland did not know what to expect while competing in the 13^th running of the Summer Roundup Trail Run. It certainly was not leaving with a gold-colored trophy as the men’s masters age group champion.

 “I really ripped up by calves at the Garden of the Gods (10-Mile Run) run last month so I was more worried about finishing,” the 2001 triathlon world…

Well, my 20th birthday has come and gone, unfortunately before my 20th peak was climbed. When I initially challenged myself to climb 20 14ers before my 20th birthday, it seemed monumental. A hefty goal, worthy of all my attention, and significant in my humble summer life. The mountains, along with my training for the Triple Crown, gave me a much-needed purpose in an otherwise slow few months. I let these personal challenges consume me, and regarded them with the utmost importance. I did my…

Saturday, June 23 I see an e-mail about a fire near Waldo Canyon. Hmm, not good. Later, leaving for a trip to Denver I glance south from Monument and see the towering, wide white plume. Oh no, this is only going to get worse. And Waldo is so special. Then came the carnage of Tuesday night, June 26 and the horror of watching a home burn in real time on television. In the flash of a fire, suddenly the challenge of jogging up Pikes Peak looked insignificant compared with the challenge of…

This is where I was when the Waldo Canyon fire started. Eight miles of hiking and a four-hour drive away from home. Miles and miles away from cell phone signal. Utterly alone except for the one person I hiked in with. LB and I both had hectic weeks, so it was nice to get out in the woods and breathe.

When we turned on our phones on Monday after reluctantly driving the…

      What can anyone say?  We are all speechless, what just happened with the Waldo Canyon Fire is beyond comprehension, regardless of our belief systems or any other thing that may divide or unite us from one another.

     I was in flight to Eugene Oregon as the fire erupted, so for 4 days the whole thing was in my peripheral vision.  I checked the internet daily to check the fires status between my visits with the relatives in Oregon, watching the Olympic track an field trials, and…

What a week it’s been.  My heart goes out to all those affected by the fire, especially those who lost their house.  Really puts my problems of finding open trails to run on this weekend in perspective.  And of course a huge kudos to all the first responders who are just kicking ass and taking names.  Can’t imagine how horrible this fire would have been without those guys and gals out there working their tails off.

I first heard about the fire on Saturday while down in Lake City,…

 Last Sunday, the day of the Garden of the Gods 10 Mile Run, I think I experienced the whole gamut of human emotion. Thank goodness I had some loved ones by my side, especially during  the 24 hours following the Garden run.

It was the four of us all day long: my…

I remember my first visit to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (which for some weird reason nobody quite understands is located in Cleveland) and I saw a t-shirt that said, “If it’s too loud, you’re too old.”  That t-shirt is what comes to mind whenever somebody complains about music.  Like when my parents called my beloved Pearl Jam and the whole grunge thing garbage, but which they said was totally different from when my grandparents said the same thing about the Beatles and Led Zeppelin and…

Me, Sharon, Sharon's dad, Don, Don's doughnut, and Bill at 14,115 feet on Father's Day.

I feel good about my training from the past weekend. On Saturday, a few Attack Packers and I ran from Soda Springs Park, up the Incline, past No Name Creek a little ways into the Experimental Forest, then back down Barr Trail. It took us right around two hours to do the…

Oh, Palmer Park. Our in town, technical play ground. I'm just now starting to feel really comfortable riding in Palmer Park - when I first started, the rocks all scared me. Now I'm taking the fun trails - not always by myself, but I try to at least find one fun rock section every ride. And I have to admit that I've never raced at Palmer Park before. I know, sad with all the…

It occurred to me the other day that one of the real benefits of being on a “team” is the motivation it provides. Since we’re not competing as a team for any particular award there is really no pressure or concern about letting your teammates down. The motivation comes from just knowing other people that are pursuing similar goals of running and finishing races, challenging themselves, striving for PR’s. This was a benefit I hadn’t really considered when I applied to be on the…

One down and Two more to go!!  Great race this weekend in the Garden of the Gods.  I love all the races that Ron Igen puts on, these are all top notch events.  His races are truly for the runner!  Starting with a great first year expo, it never gets old to hear Bart Yasso speak about his past experiences.  I first saw him speak two years ago at the Pikes Peak Ascent/Marathon, very inspirational speaker.  What I…

I won the race! That will get you motivated to write a blog piece. What an outstanding evening at Palmer Park, it was everything that I could have hoped for.

Daniel Matheny and I pedaled away from CTS a little after 4:00. We jumped up on the midland bike path and started towards downtown. It felt great to be on the bike and with a slight decline down the trail it was a…

What came first the race or the ride? I often consider this puzzle and never do I land on a clear answer. Every time I race and have a poor result or a great result, I always am more motivated than ever to get out and train hard to improve. That leads me to going out on bigger rides and exploring new trails that leave me with the unique experiences I crave. At the same time the number of races I do, although a lot, quell in comparison to the number rides that I go on and come back thinking,…

One jewel of the Triple Crown in hand (Garden of the Gods 10-mile Run) I pursue the next, the Summer Round-Up.

Since every successful running team needs someone to run the anchor leg, I am officially declaring myself the…