News
ENLARGE
SUNLIGHT MOUNTAIN RESORT, Colorado — For 24 straight hours, skiers, snowboarders and snowshoers, some solo and others in teams, will take on a unique challenge.
On Saturday racers will take on the grueling fourth annual 24 Hours of Sunlight endurance race up at Sunlight Mountain Resort.
High schoolers and senior citizens alike will try to tackle the course, battling uphill for 40 to 50 minutes, if they’re on a good pace, before heading back down the hill. Either on a team or by themselves, some racers will hope just to finish, while others try for world records.
One of those people is shooting for a spot in the Guinness Book of World Records: most vertical feet snowshoed in 24 hours. Eileen Wysocki, of New Castle, has been snowshoeing for the past dozen years and had competed in all of the 24 Hours of Sunlight races.
The first year she was on a team of five and she completed six laps, the second year she was on a team of two and did 12 laps, and last year she went at it alone finishing 16 laps. Her goal is 16 to 17 laps this weekend.
The 39-year-old checked with Guinness and there wasn’t any category for most vert snowshoed. Now she has a goal.
“The key is staying hydrated, listen to my body and rest when necessary,” Wysocki said. “I’m worried a little bit about injury. Now, it’s so far so good.”
She just got over bronchitis a few weeks ago but had a physical on Wednesday, and everything checked out just fine. She also has an old ankle injury that she’ll be watching out for.
“It’s not something that should stop me,” she said. “You just never know when it’s dark and icy and you’re running down a mountain full speed.”
There are five other women competing in the solo women’s category, so they could also take a shot at what Wysocki is trying to attain, as long as they are snowshoeing too. Wysocki’s local competition will come from Glenwood Springs’ Helen Benson.
New this year is a cash purse for professional racers in the solo and duo events; the more who sign up, the bigger the take can be.
Last year, more than 250 people signed up, and there should be about 300 on race day this year, making up 78 teams.
In last year’s competition, Eric Sullivan, of Crested Butte, set the new world record for most human powered vertical feet in 24 hours. He completed 34 laps, reaching 51,068 vertical feet covering a span of 47.6 miles.
Brian Johnson, of Aspen, finished third for the men and clocked in the fastest one-lap time of the day for solo competitors at 33 minutes.
For the women, Molly Zurn, of Reno, Nev., notched 22 laps, which gave her a little more than 33,000 feet of vertical coverage and the women’s world record.
American National Bank in Glenwood Springs, Land Rover, Colorado Mountain Express, along with many others helped sponsor the event and kept the race at Sunlight for this year, president of Real Time Marketing and event organizer Mary Kenyon said.
“It’s a testament to the growth of this event that we’re able to get corporate dollars from outlets like Land Rover,” she said. “This is really an opportunity for Glenwood Springs to shine for a spot for endurance races.”
The event was at risk of being canceled or moved to another site because of lack of funding, she said. But all looks to be good for another two years. After talking with Glenwood mayor Bruce Christensen and the chamber of commerce, Kenyon was urged to continue the event and keep it in the area. There could be a summer version coming up also for bikers who can pedal for 24 hours.
“You can imagine how excited I am in this economy that people can still embrace this race,” Kenyon said. “From a tourism standpoint, this can help the Glenwood area grow and really the whole valley.
On Saturday racers will take on the grueling fourth annual 24 Hours of Sunlight endurance race up at Sunlight Mountain Resort.
High schoolers and senior citizens alike will try to tackle the course, battling uphill for 40 to 50 minutes, if they’re on a good pace, before heading back down the hill. Either on a team or by themselves, some racers will hope just to finish, while others try for world records.
One of those people is shooting for a spot in the Guinness Book of World Records: most vertical feet snowshoed in 24 hours. Eileen Wysocki, of New Castle, has been snowshoeing for the past dozen years and had competed in all of the 24 Hours of Sunlight races.
The first year she was on a team of five and she completed six laps, the second year she was on a team of two and did 12 laps, and last year she went at it alone finishing 16 laps. Her goal is 16 to 17 laps this weekend.
The 39-year-old checked with Guinness and there wasn’t any category for most vert snowshoed. Now she has a goal.
“The key is staying hydrated, listen to my body and rest when necessary,” Wysocki said. “I’m worried a little bit about injury. Now, it’s so far so good.”
She just got over bronchitis a few weeks ago but had a physical on Wednesday, and everything checked out just fine. She also has an old ankle injury that she’ll be watching out for.
“It’s not something that should stop me,” she said. “You just never know when it’s dark and icy and you’re running down a mountain full speed.”
There are five other women competing in the solo women’s category, so they could also take a shot at what Wysocki is trying to attain, as long as they are snowshoeing too. Wysocki’s local competition will come from Glenwood Springs’ Helen Benson.
New this year is a cash purse for professional racers in the solo and duo events; the more who sign up, the bigger the take can be.
Last year, more than 250 people signed up, and there should be about 300 on race day this year, making up 78 teams.
In last year’s competition, Eric Sullivan, of Crested Butte, set the new world record for most human powered vertical feet in 24 hours. He completed 34 laps, reaching 51,068 vertical feet covering a span of 47.6 miles.
Brian Johnson, of Aspen, finished third for the men and clocked in the fastest one-lap time of the day for solo competitors at 33 minutes.
For the women, Molly Zurn, of Reno, Nev., notched 22 laps, which gave her a little more than 33,000 feet of vertical coverage and the women’s world record.
American National Bank in Glenwood Springs, Land Rover, Colorado Mountain Express, along with many others helped sponsor the event and kept the race at Sunlight for this year, president of Real Time Marketing and event organizer Mary Kenyon said.
“It’s a testament to the growth of this event that we’re able to get corporate dollars from outlets like Land Rover,” she said. “This is really an opportunity for Glenwood Springs to shine for a spot for endurance races.”
The event was at risk of being canceled or moved to another site because of lack of funding, she said. But all looks to be good for another two years. After talking with Glenwood mayor Bruce Christensen and the chamber of commerce, Kenyon was urged to continue the event and keep it in the area. There could be a summer version coming up also for bikers who can pedal for 24 hours.
“You can imagine how excited I am in this economy that people can still embrace this race,” Kenyon said. “From a tourism standpoint, this can help the Glenwood area grow and really the whole valley.
