Related: Remembering Burro Racer Curtis Imrie
The Stubborn Spirit of Burro Racing
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Ultrarunners Max King and Ryan Sandes decided to take up the lead and race in the 69th Annual Burro Days 30 Mile World Championship Pack Burro Race. They seem eager to try their luck at the miners sport. But more often than not, its the donkeys commanding the lead.
This year, the 71st Annual World Championship Pack Burro Race in Fairplay, Colorado is the perfect combination of historic mining traditions and summertime festivities.
The 28 to 30 mile course is run by teams made up of one donkey and one human. The teams must race up Mosquito Pass to an elevation of 13,185 feet and back down to the town of Fairplay. Having to guide a donkey up a mountain pass sounds fun, right?
The challenging endeavor can be very rewarding for the runners who’ve built a special bond with their animals as they work towards the same goal. They have to be just as stubborn as the donkeys to get to the finish line.
As stated on the race’s official website “As long as the “Pass” is there and a record to be broken, runners and burros will line up the last weekend of July to “Get Their Ass Up the Pass.”