SkyMarathon Aspen 2001

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The Sky is the Limit
Fila SkyMarathon Aspen - June 24, 2001
complete results

The 17-mile course up Taylor Peak and down via Taylor Pass turned into an 18 to 19-mile run for SkyRunners that left the start line near Ashcroft on Sunday morning, June 24. The initial out-and-back leg took runners up, up, and up a-"Where's that turn-around?"-jeep road before runners looking at their watches realized they had overshot the turnaround by quite a distance.

With the extra warm-up complete, one runner exclaimed, "Now I know why they call a 17-mile race a marathon; you never know what the final mileage will add up to!"

On the switchbacks up to Taylor Peak, a few runners decided to further lengthen their jaunt in the beautiful weather by following some orange flags into the forest before the trail petered out and they backtracked to the jeep road on course for Taylor Peak.

At the top of the switchbacks, the road turned to steep trail on scree and boulder fields. A run up a ridge to a point just below the summit of 13,000+foot Taylor Peak and a guitar playing race official marked the official high point of the race. Warm sun and clear skies ruled the day.

From the top, runners descended across a tundra plateau to another jeep road that led from Taylor Pass down to the finish line.

Dan Vega from Montrose crossed the line first in 2:26:25, followed by Scott Drum of Greeley in 2:30:42. Former CU runner Brock Tessman took third in 2:33:24.

In the women's competition, recent Bolder Boulder citizen's winner Natalie Davey proved she could be just as tough on the high-altitude trails. She led the women's field from the start and never looked back, running to a 2:45:22 win. Adventure racer and multi-sport athlete Danelle Ballengee was close behind in 2:49:34. Kari DiStefano of Telluride came in third in 3:02:36.

complete results