Rick went on to direct and win the race over the next several years. The race was renamed the “Imogene Pass Run” during the time that Gary and Syril Whitlock of Montrose organized the event from 1981-1985. A non-profit governing board took over the organization in 1986. A walking division was established in 1989.
While the date of the race moved throughout the month of September during the first five years, the Saturday following Labor Day has been the race date ever since. In the past the walkers started at 7:00a.m. with the runners starting at 8:30a.m. However, starting in 1998 both the runners and walkers start at 7:00a.m.
The course is 17.1 miles long. The starting line is at Main Street and Fourth Avenue in Ouray at 7,810'. Over the next 10 miles the course climbs at an average 10% grade to 13,120' for a net gain of 5,310'. However, because of several downhill sections, the total gain is really more. This also means several sections are rather steep. In fact, from the bridge after Lower Camp Bird at about 5.5 miles to the Pass averages about 14%. And there are several significant sections that are around 20%!
The run back down the other side of the pass to Telluride at 8,820' is only 7.1 miles — again compared to 10 miles on the way up — with a drop of 4,300' or 1,010' less than the climb. You will be glad that the descent is shorter because the average grade is a quad busting 11.5% even with a few flatter sections. Indeed, the first mile off the pass is at a rather sick 17.9% grade!
The most distinguishing characteristic of the Imogene Pass Run is the unpredictability of the weather! It cannot be overstated that strong winds, sub-freezing temperatures, fog, rain, hail, snow, white-out conditions, or ALL of them throughout one race can make for a dangerous situation for the unprepared. Almost half of the races have taken place with one or more of the above mentioned weather conditions to deal with — so be prepared for anything!
Another, and perhaps more interesting characteristic is the fact that on the way up the course is “open” meaning you can go whatever way you feel is fastest. That being said, most of the short-cuts are well known and generally everyone follows the same course. The downhill portion is “closed” and you will be disqualified (and probably dead!) if you cut any switch-backs!
After the gun goes off you head South on Highway 550. After a flat 1/4 mile (or less) you take a gentle right turn. This corner has a nice tangent that can be taken while the less experienced runners stay on the road. A bit further after the turn you change directions in the direction of UP. At just over a 1/2 mile you take a radical left in the direction of REALLY UP onto an almost nonexistent single track for about 100 yards before you pop back out onto the same road — the first of the well known short-cuts that will save 20 seconds (or more depending on your pace) because the road takes a longer and gentler left switch-back. Instead of turning left and continuing on the Highway the course crosses over it onto a dirt road. This is the Yankee Boy Basin/Camp Bird turnoff. Go up it for about 300 yards before you come to a ‘Y’ in the road. Here you have two options:
All of this short-cut taking can make for some excitement but it is not conducive to establishing a rhythm. Now that we are back on the main road (again it is now a packed dirt road), the real running can begin! With a few of the steeper sections passed, the next 4½ miles are fairly consistent at a very runnable 7% average grade. However, there are several short sections that are steeper and several that are flatter or even slightly downhill. If you did not blow it going too hard on the short-cuts you can really fly through these miles.
As you approach the 2 mile mark the course heads down a little and to the right to cross a bridge to come to the first water stop. After the aid station the road (now with more gravel in the packed dirt) quickly turns back to the left finishing the little S curve as you continue up the other side of the river to some of the most beautiful running around! I remember one year having to snap my head back from looking down to the left in the deep canyon to the river below and telling myself “you are running a race here stupid — get with the program.”
As mentioned, this section is fairly consistent to about the 5 mile mark. Toward the end of this section, the dirt road forks in two to go around some trees — I like the right fork better. Because the second water station is on top of this section, I have always hated it because there is a good little downhill (1/2 mile or so) right after it to get to the Lower Camp Bird bridge. As such, I never drink too much here and use this station to grab some candy that I can carry to the bottom of the hill while I am really flying.
At the bottom of the hill, you cross a bridge at 9,765' and make a right turn between two old houses and then the party is OVER! The average grade has been 6.8% up to this point on a nice dirt road. Now it is rough jeep road and has some steep little sections with a fair amount of rocks. Generally things start to get tougher over the next 2½ miles and there are no more free rides. The average grade is 12.7% from Camp Bird bridge to the Upper Camp Bird aid station. At least it is another really neat section as far as the scenery goes. There are a set of switch-backs that are really steep and soon after you will cross a small creek at about 6.8 miles. Sometimes you can get your feet wet here if you do not find the little “bridge” they make. Also, the next bit of bumpy jeep road tends to also be wet from run-off. Before 1998, and depending on your pace, you would start to meet up with walkers anywhere from Camp Bird on up. You would find — much to your dismay — that they can keep up with you on the steeper sections. However, with the right attitude they could also give you some much needed motivation because the rest of the time you could blow by them like they were walking — which for the most part is due to the fact that they were. Now that the walkers and runners start together those days are history.
Soon enough (hopefully) you will come to an open basin which is just an awesome site to see because you are surrounded by ridges and peaks that are all still so much higher than you. It is when you come to the third water station at Upper Camp Bird at 7.65 miles at 11,235' that you realize, unfortunately, that one of the things that is still 1,885' higher than you is Imogene Pass! After the aid station you turn left and go over another stream and then things start to get even steeper! There are several switch-backs and several dirt roads going all over the place. I think they all go to the same place and this is one of the last few sections that would be good to scope out for possible short-cuts. After these little zig-zags the course is obvious and starts banking in a 1/4 big semi circle to the right as you climb up onto the ridge that just a while ago you were hoping that you would not have to climb.
After a few more switch-backs the course starts to get really rocky in sections and has a series of really REALLY steep but short (ish) ups and downs as you go over what look like, and most likely are, leftover mounds from a mining operation. I remember in the bad years I hated these things and looked at them as a cruel joke. In the good years I just looked at them as a joke but at least they give some relief to the relentless up. The 2.4 miles from the Upper Camp Bird aid station to Imogene Pass averages 14.9%. But since there are some flat sections and downs in this section this means that something must have been really steep to bring up the average. That something is the mounds. As mentioned in the intro some of those puppies are at 20% or more! Factor in the altitude and you have the perfect recipe for PAIN!
Eventually you will get to see Imogene Pass almost straight ahead but sadly still quit far away in the direction of up! A couple more of those killer mounds will eat away at the vertical and then you will come to a place where, in a nod to the tortured minds of the world, photographers like to hang out to take pictures. The good news is they also mark the last short-cut to the top! My first year I missed the sharp short-cut to the right and kept on going on the jeep road and added what the locals say is about 1/2 mile as I made a big switch-back on the road. Since that year they have always had the short-cut marked. This section seems to always have a little bit of snow on it — if in fact it is not snowing — but I remember it being totally clear at least twice. It is a great short-cut however, and because you are concentrating so hard on not falling over, before you know it you come back up onto the dirt road to find yourself just a very short and almost flat distance from the top of the pass and the water station at 10.05 miles at 13,120'. This is where you also finally get to say “I am glad I do not have to run up there to all those peaks that looked so far away” because on either side of you there are still several hundred feet of up that for once you will not have to pretend that you will not have to climb because for once you will not have to climb them!
The down starts fairly steep and smooth but after the first switch-back to the right it gets ALMOST too steep and too rocky for the speeds at which I like to run. Because you are on a jeep road you can really get flying but all of a sudden you come up on really steep and rocky sections that tend to break up a good rhythm. The Tomboy ghost town is about 1.75 miles down at 11,620' and soon after you come to the next water station at almost 12 miles. After you pass through it the jeep road is not as rough or steep and stays that way for most of the 5.1 miles back down to Telluride. There is one very nice section that is on a big circle to the left that has a little uphill in it and then stays somewhat flat for a good bit. As short as this section is, it feels good to give your burning quads some relief and I like to hammer this section.
There is another water station at 14.3 miles at 10,485' just past a short rock arch that you must pass through. Soon you can start to see the tailing ponds down and to your left. However, this area can take out an ankle if a person starts to daydream too much because it tends to get a lot of fist-sized rocks on it. The last 2 miles always seem to drag on but finally a sharp left switch-back and then a sharp right switch-back will put you on the strait-a-way into Telluride. However, even the last switch-back is a long one. I always go to the finish line the day before the race and see what color the big house is at the end of it so I can spot it from a long way away. A 90 degree left deposits you on a fairly steep asphalt road where 2.5s later you are finished at 17.1 miles at 8,920'!
Try to remember to do a little cool-down so that your quads do not turn to mush the next day. Well, they will be mush but you can make the recovery time go faster with a cool-down.