The Endurance Challenge

Yesterday, Sunlight Mountain hosted the Endurance Challenge. The annual race is a 12-hour hike up, ski down killer. Starting at 8am, racers set the grueling pace that would continue until 8pm. I was able to help out and watch the entire thing.
There were several different categories in which to race. Of course, there were men's solo and women's solo; there was a co-ed duo team; and a firedrill team of up to 5 people. The co-ed duo team only allowed one person on the course at a time, whereas the firedrill teams could have all their team members racing at once. Starting at the base, they had to hike up 1,500 feet in elevation gain before skiing back down. Incredibly, some competitors chose to snowshoe the entire thing and others dragged a snowboard behind them on the hike up.
It was awe-inspiring to watch these athletes. I wish I could say that I was inspired to hike with them, but I preferred to eat cookies and cheer them on.
For the majority of the day, I helped with timing. All that required was scanning their bibs and recording the lap number. We managed to drink lots of spiked hot chocolate and eat our way through the lodge's baked goods. For the last few hours of the race, I volunteered to marshal the top of the course. In the stillness of the night, I watched headlamps slog their way up the mountain. The skies were perfectly clear with a crescent moon; it was a fabulous way to spend the evening.
Racers were coming up for their final lap and somehow they still made the effort to thank me and to chat. The racing community has always been courteous and fun. Some of these athletes had done 15 laps, but it seemed like they were still on number one. It was truly amazing to see them reach the peak in the dead of night. After getting a speedy snowmobile ride down the mountain, the awards were held. The men's solo winner finished with 18 laps. That's the equivalent of hiking 27,000 feet in elevation. He was disappointed in himself for not getting 20 laps....um, what?
The Endurance Challenge at Sunlight is the only one of it's kind. I look forward to helping out again next year and enjoying the peace on the mountain at night.