Suffer Better’s inaugural Running Up for Air Colorado is in the books

Press release from ATRA corporate member Suffer Better. Photos by Suffer Better.

Some 40 enthusiastic Running Up for Air Colorado (RUFA-CO) runners toed the line for the chilly (28 degrees) 7 a.m. start on March 31. When the Suffer Better crew dropped the flag, off they went, running up to Granite Peak (8500′) and back, again and again over the course of their 3, 6 or 12 hour stints to raise awareness and funds for Conservation CO’s efforts on behalf of cleaner air.

Smiles were ubiquitous, especially when the runners reached the summit, each time lingering over the spectacular view – popular 14’er Mt. Evans to the west and the Denver city skyline to the east – before heading down the trail – again. Just for fun, Suffer Better also “hid” an Easter egg for each runner on the course, containing a few chocolate treats, a dollar bill and a raffle ticket for the day’s great prizes.

 

Some meaningful and interesting facts and figures from the day:

Collectively, these intrepid RUFA-CO runners:

  • Ran a total of 252 laps up and down the trail to Granite Peak at 8500′
  • Completed over 680 total miles on occasionally treacherous snowy and, by mid afternoon, wickedly muddy trails
  • Ascended a grand total of over 190,250 feet (that’s akin to climbing nearly 14 14’ers from sea level to summit)
  • Consumed more than 200 bananas, 100 energy bars, 300 cookies, 120 oranges, countless gels and chews, and some 125 tasty pierogis
  • Raised over $3000 for Conservation CO’s efforts to improve our air quality.

Pretty damn cool all the way around. Official results are available here.

Of course, we owe our partners a huge thank you for their help and support, not to mention the cool RUFA-CO Ts, those ice cold beers, a slew of amazing prizes, all day supplies of essential on-course nutrition and their invaluable time: Tik Tok Ink, Skratch Labs, UpSlope Brewing Co., HokaOneOne, Berkeley Park Running Co., Racerite Timing and Open Split Time.

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