Believe it or not, there are people who think a marathon is short. There are people who love to run ridiculously long distances on a regular basis – 20 miles, 30, 50, even 100! I admit, I am not one of them. For me, a four or five mile run is just right. But I know a few crazies who revel in the “ultra” lifestyle.
One of them in our area is Janice O’Grady, a 60-something retired attorney from Conifer who looks 20 years younger. Her cheeks are pink, her eyes are bright, her step is spry, and I attribute it to her active lifestyle. Going out for a 20-mile run in a windstorm is no problem for her, though her porcelain doll beauty doesn’t hint to such inner steel.
“I’ve been running ultras since 1987,” she says. “I’ve done 110 of them now.”
In 2010, Janice pioneered a 50K (30.1 miles) and 50-mile trail run down in Pine to raise money for the North Fork Volunteer Fire Department. She started the race simply because “there was a need. When we moved here from California, I discovered that there weren’t any true Front Range mountain ultras. There was really a need and I knew how to do it so I did it!”
The first North Fork Trail Race attracted 110 ultra-runners. Last year, 150 people ran, and this June 30, she’s adding the Evergreen Chorale as a beneficiary and expecting 175 runners, coming in from all over the United States and even Italy.
“It’s an amazing number that are just local – Conifer and Evergreen,” Janice says. “We also see a bunch from Colorado Springs, Boulder, and all over the Denver metro area.” Janice says the race is getting close to full, so sign up soon if you want to do it, at northfork50.com.
Volunteers Needed
Don’t want to run 30 or 50 miles? Completely understandable! Volunteers are also needed – to set up the course, give out water, help at the aid station at the halfway point, set up the BBQ, help with parking, register runners and more. Volunteers get a T-shirt with the race logo, all they care to eat at the l barbecue, and a day of fun and inspiration. Please email northfork50@live.com to volunteer.
The Course
The North Fork Trail Race is run entirely on trails in the beautiful Buffalo Creek Recreation Area in the Pike National Forest. It starts and finishes at Pine Valley Ranch Park. The course is hilly and it is very challenging for those who are not experienced mountain trail runners, but speedsters who are used to altitude enjoy the course. The friendly aid stations, beautiful scenery and generous time limits make North Fork an excellent choice for a first trail ultramarathon. Runners get unique finisher awards, a high-quality gender-specific tech shirt, and a fabulous post-race barbecue.
North Fork Volunteer Fire Department
The North Fork Volunteer Fire Department protects the area where the race is run. These firefighters have valiantly battled a number of fires in recent years that have changed the landscape. Learn more about them at www.northforkfire.org/.
The course winds through some of the burn areas, as well as through pristine forests of ponderosa and lodgepole pines dotted with fields of wildflowers. It is 100% trails, mostly single track and some double track, with mostly good footing, at altitude ranging from 6,700 to 8,100 feet. Elevation gain is about 4,500 feet for 50K and 7,200 feet for 50 miles.
Evergreen Chorale
Part of this year’s proceeds will also go to the Evergreen Chorale, members of which will be volunteering on race day. Janice has appeared in a number of their theatrical and choral productions, most recently in a leading role in the musical Quilters. Learn about the Chorale at www.evergreenchorale.org/.
Contact Janice for more info about how you can get involved in the North Fork ultra race, at (303) 903-3533 or northfork50@live.com.
