The Horsetooth Half happened on the worst weather day in probably 2 weeks.  It was raining at 7AM when I left the house.  I picked up Rog (my friend) and Drew (my son) and we headed out to Hughes Stadium.   The rain thankfully turned to snow but the wind was biting.  We readied ourselves in the heated comfort of my large SUV,  pinning on bibs, sipping water, and eating Clif bars.  No sense in getting cold waiting.  We would be warm by the time we were half way up Monster Mountain.  The race was great.  The weather didn’t seem to bother anyone.  The only annoyance I remember was the wind wipping the corn snow into your face like bugs into a windshield. 

On the way down from Horsetooth you go through a valley.  In the valley is a group of Shetland ponies. On a typical day they are probably bored stiff but with a long string of runners passing by they were excited.  They had to wonder what is going.  They would watch us for awhile and then race around their pen only to stop and watch us some more no doubt this goes on for hours.  I couldn’t help but smile at the fun they seemed to be having.

At the finish we proceeded, like lemmings, we picked up or swag, and went past food until we got to the beer line.  That beer tasted so good.  So good, while I was still warm, but the wet clothes, wind and cold beer quickly had us shivering.  Last year we enjoyed the music, food and beer for a good long time.  This year we were quickly looking for shelter.  Two of Rog’s sons met us at the finish and we were off to find a warm restaurant.  Coopersmiths (the 2nd oldest brewpub in Colorado) was our safe haven.  A nice way to top off our race.

Beth (co-founder of Heartline) ran the Boston marathon last Monday.  She and John, her husband have dedicated their lives to helping the impoverished nation of Haiti.  Congratulations Beth!!

Did you know that in Haiti there is a cookie that is made out of dirt that many of the poor eat.  It is made from a special yellow dirt, salt and cooking oil.  The mud cookies are then placed on tin roofs to dry in the sun.  They have very little nutritional value and are use to help stave off hunger that is so prevalent in Haiti. 

Heartline it striving to help Haitians become self sufficient through their education and career building centers.

Thanks for following me on this quest

God Bless

Curt