Spectators

Coming around this corner...I could easily look up and see the summit. More enjoyable than seeing the summit was the white furry spectators that were eyeing me down. The mountain goats are pretty famous on Mt. Evans and I had been hoping to see some.

Before the race started, I saw this guy that looked familiar. I couldn't really place him, but then it hit me...I had read about him in "Colorado Runner" magazine. His name was Matt Carpenter. He is considered to be the best high altitude mountain runner in the world. He has set all kinds of course records for races at altitude. What's his secret? Here's a quote taken from his website, "He has the highest recorded VO2 by a runner, 90.2 VO2 (average rate for non-athletes is 44-51; average for athletes is 60-84). This lung capacity test is a measurement of the body’s ability to deliver oxygen to the muscles."

Did I mention he's set all kinds of records? Here's a taste of what I'm talking about. He is the 5 time winner of the Everest SkyMarathon Tibet (4 at 14,350', 1 at 17,060') and current course record holder. Check out his full bio here: Matt Carpenter Bio

My first thought when I saw him was...what the heck am I doing running in a race with HIM!! But, after the shotgun start, I didn't see him the rest of the day. That was because he was too busy sprinting up the mountain. Yes, he broke the 31 year old course record for the Mt Evans Ascent. He ran it in 1:37:01. That would be a 6:42/mile pace!! Too bad he ran it so fast because I bet he didn't get to enjoy the scenery as much as I did!! :-)