the bold adventurer succeeds: Chubby Cheeks 50k

Date: 12/10/11

Stats: 32 miles; ~7,500’ elevation gain

Results: 6:25:00

The Chubby Cheeks was one of a handful of "Fat Ass" runs held in the Front Range area this winter. They are really laid back and more of a casual run than a race. Being fairly new to the trail running scene, I was excited to run on some new trails and meet some new people.

Nick Clark hosted this one (yes, that Nick Clark). He laid out a tough 50k course (with 7,500 ft gain) around Horsetooth and Lory State Park near Ft. Collins. There was still a decent amount of snow on the trails which added to the challenge. I opted for the 8am start with about a dozen other runners. The fastest guys were planning to start at 9, so our goal was to not get caught.

The first 24ish miles were pretty laid back. We pushed the hills pretty good, but for the most part we ran casually enough to chat. During the the final climb I was definitely starting to feel a bit lethargic.This was by far the longest I've run since the Bear Chase 50 back in September, both in terms of time and miles. I made it back to Nick's house in about 6:25 for some much needed food and beer. I got to meet a bunch of cool people who I look forward to running with in the future.

And on a side note, I found out earlier this week that I got in to Hardrock! I had an 8% chance of making it in the lottery, so I was a bit lucky, to say the least. I'm also going for round 2 at Leadville in August. My summer race schedule is starting to take shape nicely.

pics from Chubby Cheeks (mostly from Brandon S.):