It was three in the morning, completely dark, except for the starlight and the occasional headlamp from a Leadville 100 runner. The only sound was lake water lapping against the shore. We could see the Milky Way and my daughter saw her first shooting star. That became my favorite moment of the summer.
The Boat Ramp at Turquoise is not an official aid station but, at mile 93, it’s the last best area to offer a runner support and we were waiting to see if Jean needed anything or John wanted to bail before completing the last 7 miles.
Our early morning stay at the boat ramp lasted about 45 minutes but my daughter and I only had 10 minutes or so entirely to ourselves. Other support teams came and went. We watched as the runners came by ~ some still running very strong, while others were struggling a bit. I shined my flashlight on the trail letting them see where to continue running as Logan shouted out “Doing great, only 7 miles to go. Two hours and you’ll be under 25!”
Jean and John waved to us as they went by ~ both just wanting to complete the last 7 miles and be done. Thankfully, they didn’t stop since those few minutes would have put Jean over the 25 hours.
Oddly, I did witness cranky supporters who felt since they waited for their runner, the runner was somehow obligated to stop. To me, the best thing was when Jean DIDN’T need anything and felt well enough to continue on. I could certainly entertain myself well enough at all the aid stations ~ the beautiful scenery, people and dog watching and, most importantly, spending time with my family. And then seeing Jean strong enough to continue on at such a great pace made it all the more enjoyable.
I went back the next day to see the boat ramp and it’s a beautiful spot but at night, it’s incredible:
Boat Ramp at Turquoise Lake, Colorado
It’s been an amazing summer but this is the moment I cherish the most. As I see the leaves turn colors, it’s time to chase a favorite fall moment. Do you have a favorite?
Displaced Beachbums 
How did you get involved in Leadville? That must have been incredible!
I learned about it when reading Born to Run.
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It was a experience like none other ~ those ultra runners are so impressive. I got involved because we met Jean and her family in London and I was fascinated that she ran 100 mile races and yet has such a balanced life. When she wrote to say she’d be running at Leadville, I jumped at the chance to be on her crew (she’s never had one before). Didn’t really give my family an option, but they were excited about being involved as well.
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I like the smell of burning leaves. 🙂 For some reason, this brings back memories of the cottage we used to go to.
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Smells definitely have a way of bringing back memories.
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Yeah they do. 🙂
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