#breckenridge #colorado #coloradorealtor
LEADVILLE — At the sound of gunfire, the burros take off in a sprint, so fast that the trail runners gripping their lead ropes are at risk of getting dragged down the pavement of historic Harrison Avenue.
Within the first block, with a crowd of several hundred lining the street to watch this spectacle, a donkey is already loose. Its runner manages to catch up and grab the burro’s rope, then trots it back to the spot where the two became detached. To keep going without retracing those steps would have meant disqualification.
Which, in burro racing, happens all the time.
This is the burros’ race, so either keep up, get dragged or let go.
After the ridiculous start, where those who put in hours of training and showed up to win are lined up alongside first-timers already looking forward to telling this wild story over beers, the racers split off into three major groups. The runners. The joggers. And the walkers.
For the next two to six hours. Starting at 10,150 feet and climbing to above 13,000 for those in the 22-mile long course.
Courtesy of the Colorado Sun
