After running one leg of the Gore-Tex Trans Rockies Run in 2010, I Kevin Fonger caught the bug and decided to run the 2011 Gore-Tex Trans Rockies Run.  The race/adventure goes on for 6 days and covers 119.5 miles through the Colorado Rockies.  There are teams of two and solo running options.  The solo runners run the first 3 stages while the teams of two run all 6 stages.  The race is not for the faint of heart since it’s held up at altitude and many runners aren’t used to running at these elevations.  This can pose a big advantage or disadvantage for those that live or don’t live at elevation.  Since I live outside of Boulder, I have the luxury of being able to being able to train above 6,000 ft for the most part.  My partner Billy on the other hand lives in Northern CA and lives close to sea level.

Daily Stage Time Prediction Contest

Rules – Guess what time Kevin and Billy will finish each stage and the person with the closest time to the day’s actual time win’s a prize each day.  Both Kevin and Billy have to finish each stage together, so be sure to predict one time for each stage. Only facebook and twitter will be acceptable means of stage time predictions.  Please use the following to predict stage times:

Social Media

Twitter @GearReview #GTTRR2011 – Please use both
Facebook  facebook.com/gearreview

To Follow the Gore-Tex Trans Rockies Run on Facebook and Twitter, go to:

Facebook  http://www.facebook.com/pages/GORE-TEX-TransRockies-Run/45176703652
Twitter @TransRockiesRun
( No official predictions on TransRockies pages and twitter handles)

Participant details:

Kevin Fonger

Race Times

5k – 20 minutes

10k – 41 minutes

Half Marathon – 1:32

Marathon – 3:32

Stage 5 2010 – 5:16 with no other stages run

Weight before race: 170lbs

Recent training: Kevin recently completed the Seattle Rock and Roll Marathon on his honeymoon with his wife and trained for a full 16 weeks.  After the race and leading up to the GTTR, Kevin has hiked one Colorado 14’er among other 3-5 hour hikes.  He also ran 4-6 times a week with distances ranging between 5-12 miles.

Billy Brown

Race Times

5k – 2o minutes

Marathon – 4:09

Weight before race: 163lbs

Recent training: A regular 25-mile a week runner, Billy has upped his mileage to 40 to 50 weekly miles on Whiskeytown Lake’s single track mountains to prepare for GTTR. Common workouts included 14-mile loops that include the Kanaka Peak summit trail and a 25-mile single track loop (5 hours, 15 minutes).

Other Factors to keep in mind while predicting stage times.  The Colorado Rockies has amazing scenery and since we have been supplied by Olympus and Pentax with Outdoor quality camera’s to test, we will be stopping to take the occasional picture and video.  We will also be stopping from time to time to update facebook and twitter when we have reception( this will be spotty at best since we will be in the middle of no-where, but we will try our best!).  Since we are such fierce competitors for the cash purse, other runners might want to change course sign directions to gain an edge on this amazing duo.

Stage Description

Stage 1 – Distance 20.9 miles, 2,550 ft elevation gain
Kevin estimates 5 hours
Billy estimates 5 hours 30 minutes
Prize – Adventure Medical Kit .5 Ultralight Kit & SOL Survival Blanket

Stage 2 – Distance 13.3 miles, 3,250 ft elevation gain
Kevin estimates 3 hours
Billy estimates 2 hours 35 minutes
Prize – Ryders Vela Interchangeable (Red or Black)

Stage 3 – Distance 24.2 miles, 2,800 ft elevation gain
Kevin estimates 6 hours
Billy estimates 6 hours 20 minutes
Prize –  Hydrapak E-Lite Vest

Stage 4 – Distance 14.1 miles, 2,900 ft elevation gain
Kevin Estimates 3 hours
Billy estimates 3 hours 20 minutes
Prize – Pearl Izumi synchroFuel XC – men’s

Pearl Izumi synchroFuel XC – women’s

Stage 5 – Distance 23.6 miles, 4,200 ft elevation gain
Kevin estimates 6 hours
Billy estimates 6 hours 45 minutes
Prize –  Road ID eCard (value $35) good for the Road ID products of their choice

Stage 6 – Distance 23.4 miles, 5,100 ft elevation gain
Kevin estimates 7 hours
Billy estimates 6 hours 30 minutes
Prize – GU Performance Energy Sampler plus mix of new flavors and Tablets

Total Distance – 119.5 miles

Total Elevation Gain – 20,800 ft

More course information: http://transrockies.com/transrockiesrun/transrockies/race_route.htm