When a flood took a bite out of Horse Gulch in late September, it prompted organizers of the Durango Double to chew on possible alternatives for this weekend’s trail half-marathon.
As a result, the sold-out event’s Saturday race will go clockwise instead of counter-clockwise.
But mostly, plans for the Double, in its third year since being resurrected in 2012, have been going great, said first-year director Brendan Trimboli. Many volunteers and local businesses, for instance, have stepped up to help.
“It’s just really neat to see so many people come out and support an event for a good cause,” Trimboli said. “It’s enabling us to make a pretty nice donation to the Women’s Resource Center this year.”
The Durango Double features a 13.1-mile off-road run on Saturday and a 13.1-mile road run Sunday. Each race begins at 9 a.m.
Also, 1-mile kids races will be held each day, starting around noon. The under-12 races are free, and parents should sign their kids up at the Women’s Resource Center booth at the start/finish.
Trimboli’s first move as director this year was to simplify the format for the Durango Double, which traces its history back to 2002. In previous years there were half- and full-marathon races each day. This year, with just the half-marathons each day, the 240-runner limit for each event was reached in early September.
“It was definitely earlier than I had anticipated,” Trimboli said. “I had to unfortunately tell a lot of people, ‘No, sorry, we’re full this year. Try again next year.’”
About 120 competitors will do the double, meaning they’ve entered both races.
The 240 limit was self-imposed, partly to see if the venue is suitable for more competitors. The start/finish area is behind Animas Surgical Hospital next to the bridge across the Animas River.
It’s possible that the field will be increased in 2015, Trimboli said.
Running the trail course clockwise is advantageous in two ways, he said. Perhaps foremost is that Horse Gulch road became extremely rocky after late-September rains rearranged the dirt road that is closed to vehicles.
“It’s pretty rocky and technical,” said Trimboli, who has run it several times since the flooding. “They can get it over with early rather than having them come down it at the very end of the race. It’s a safety factor.”
Also, it’ll mean that runners can make the crossing of Colorado Highway 3 earlier in the day, when traffic is lighter. They’ll cross Highway 3 later in the run, but that’s where the road is closed for a rock-mitigation project.
Saturday’s forecast is sunny and 66 degrees, but rains this week may make the off-road course a little sloppy in places.
“To be expected, I guess, for a trail race, that conditions might not always be ideal,” Trimboli said. “It should be good running weather.”
johnp@durangoherald.com
On the Net
Durango Double: http://durangodouble.com/
