Sometimes I talk to people who seem to question my sanity for living in Sanpete. Believe it or not, some people think it’s a bad idea. I, for one, am happy that people feel that way. I don’t want Sanpete to become a “boomtown” environment.

When I was in Idaho in June, I saw hats with an outline of the state on them, which had the phrase written, “We’re Full.” Others read, “No Vacancy.” Since coming home, I’ve seen a Utah version of the same hat.

Sometimes people ask me, “How are you able to live in Sanpete County? I mean, it’s so isolated and away from everything, right?”

I could take up the rest of this space with what I can and do discuss with them after that type of question is asked. But my usual short answer, given with a smile (or a smirk), is, “You can get to anywhere in the world, from right here in Sanpete!”

I tested that proposition again this past weekend. Six hours of driving out from Sanpete can put you in a lot of places. Leadville, Colorado, was where it put me and my wife over this past weekend. This was my third year in a row for helping with family and friends who compete in the Leadville 100 Mountain Bike “Race Across the Sky.” My wife and family members have gone for multiple years before me.

On the way to Leadville, we stopped in Glenwood Springs. We hiked a half-mile up to the pioneer graveyard where the famed “Doc” Holliday of Tombstone fame is buried. Kid Curry, one of the Butch Cassidy and Sundance Kid’s “Wild Bunch,” is also buried up there.

When we sent a picture of Doc’s memorial out to our kids, one of the boys immediately sent back a selfie picture T-shirt with the caption, “Say When,” referring to a gunfight starter phrase.

The town of Leadville is located at about 10,200 feet elevation. Over the grueling actual 104-mile course the elevation gain is about 12,000 feet, with a peak elevation of 12,600 feet at the summit of Columbine Mine.

For comparison, Mount Timpanogos, the 2nd highest peak in the Wasatch Range, near Provo, is 11,753 feet. Sanpete’s highest point is South Tent Mountain at 11,285 feet. (Side note: Shortly after I started dating Diane, we hiked “Timp” together. I proved to this “city slicker chickee” from the East what a man I was by getting altitude sickness not far from the summit.)

Leadville has a 2020 census population of 2,633. The bike race Saturday had over 1,800 riders. The number of racers is a controlled and restricted situation. About one-third of those wanting “in” get in.

Leadville is happy to have the crowds come in for events that fill the place up. A long-time mining town, which at one point was under consideration as the capital of Colorado, is now a recreation and sports destination.

When the Climax Mine shut down in the early 1980s, unemployment rose to 40%. The town lost 85% of its tax base. Ken Chlouber wasn’t about to see Leadville sink into oblivion. He is given most of the credit for coming up with the idea of organizing the high-altitude races, on foot and on bikes, for 100-mile distances.

I heard him speak at a football field covered with people. Referring to giving the area an economic boost, he said something like, “If we get people to come here and race for 100 miles, they’re damned well gonna spend the night!” The races were started and advertised and immediately people came and stayed several nights.

Ken is quite the folksy, miner turned motivational speaker. Here’s more quotes from him: “It never gets easier, you just get stronger.” “Make friends with pain, and you will never be alone.” “Dig Deep into that inexhaustible well of Grit, Guts, and Determination.”

My kids and their friends sometimes make a little fun of some of the motivational talk that gets thrown around at the race. But, really and truly, it is, in fact motivational.

During the race, when the racers stop to get “support” (nutrition, liquids, bike adjustments, faces and tears wiped, encouragement, etc.) they need all the motivation they can get when they’re in their “caves of pain.”

It was a great day for the race. All our family members and friend racers finished the race, except for the one “broken collar bone/mild concussion friend” who got tangled up in a crash. Unfortunately, my younger son, was unable to race this year. He was coming down off of Skyline on a training ride and was a victim of circumstances that put him down and sent him to the ER with a broken wrist.

My family racers otherwise all achieved personal best race times. They earned the belt buckles which are awarded for finishers in under 12 hours for the smaller buckle and the really tough to get a bigger buckle for the under 9-hour finishers.

As support crew, we worked hard too. It ain’t easy getting from place to place at the right time to get the right stuff to the right racers in the mountains of Colorado. We have our “caves of pain” too. For one thing, there’s not always a port-a-potty in the right place at the right time for us. Depending on your gender, that can be more or less of an issue.

We had a newbie support crew member this year. She’s well qualified with a double major degree in history and political science – and, more importantly, work and life skills otherwise.

From my observation, she had a great time and wants to help again. At the end of race day, I heard her say that she felt “over stimulated” from the overwhelming day. The bike racing culture is a little bit addictive. She’ll see this piece, so she knows who she is.

The “icing on the cake” for this year’s Leadville weekend was received as we got in the car to go home. A little gift bag and card with a heartfelt thank-you message from our daughter was there to surprise us. Inside was the gift of her hard-earned belt buckle – a genuinely valuable gift of her “Grit, Guts and Determination.” — Merrill

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