The Human Potential Running Series descended upon The Sangre De Cristo Mountain Range for its 4th Annual Sangre de Cristo Ultras from September 22-26, 2021 in Westcliffe, CO. We were treated to the absolute most gorgeous weather we could have imagined for our time at Music Meadows as we slowly watched the aspens turn throughout the week. Thank you to everyone who joined us for our biggest trail party of the year; runners, families, volunteers. THANK YOU.
The 200-Mile was an amazing show of athleticism as both the male and female course records fell by nearly a day. Anastasia Rolek (33, Lakewood) was the ONLY woman finisher of the 200-Mile with a new course record time of 83 Hours 55 Minutes. For the men, Haroldas Subertas (30, Haines, AK) set a new course record with a time of 63 hours 53 minutes... this after he rode his bike 200-Miles to the race from Golden and before he rode it to Salt Lake City after the race...
NOTE: We've decided to adjust our pricing for the 200-Mile in 2022. Entry will now cost double the 100-Mile cost of entry (Tier 1 = $600, Tier 2 = $650, Tier 3 = $700). The SdC 200-Mile is the highest 200-Miler in the country and it is our mission to continue to promote a sport that is inclusive and accessible to many. We hope that the new pricing structure will encourage more of you to take on the challenge of discovering your Human Potential.
The 100-Mile was won by Patrick McClellan (27, Austin, TX) in a time of 27:48. For the women, Tess Hamilton (27, Boulder) came in 4th overall in a time of 29:57. In the 100k, Dustin Johnson (37, Breckenridge) set a new course record of 12:06. On the ladies side it was Hannah Alt (29, Denver) coming in 3rd Overall with a time of 16:16. In the 50-Mile, Lindsay Hayter (22, Fort Collins) came in 2nd overall with a time of 11:09. For the men, it was Nate Mitka (27, Denver) with a time of 10:49. For the 50k, Emma Patterson (24, Salt Lake City) won outright with a new women's course record time of 5:07. For the men, David Petrovics (34, Boulder) came in 2nd overall with a time of 5:30. Finally.. in the 27k, James Lauriello (30, Monument) won with a double Music Pass Trip time of 3:28. The women's race was won by Jenny Burns (41, Boulder) who came in 3rd overall with a time of 4:12.
The 5th Annual Sangre de Cristo Ultras is scheduled for September 21-25, 2022. Registration will open on December 1, 2021. We will once again feature all six distances, a massive campout, and a 3-day for those looking to enjoy six trips of Music Pass.
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From the Top of Trenchera Peak |
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North Fork/Purgatoire Trail |
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Views of The Spanish Peaks |
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Mark your calendars for June 25, 2022 as HPRS hosts its newest event!
CUCHARA
This new event will have it all: An abundance of Single track trails, wilderness setting, stunning views of The Spanish Peaks and Surrounding Culebra Range, waterfalls, panoramic views above tree line, and... a 13,570 foot summit. You won't want to miss this! More info coming soon!
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53-Miles | Gain/Loss: +14,797' / - 14,797' | Avg. Elev: 10,454' | Cut-Off: 18-Hours |
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36-Miles | Gain/Loss: +10,568'/-10,571' | Avg. Elev: 10,650' | Cut-Off: 16-Hours |
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Stay Tuned for more info about our King & Queen of The Trench event
coming to Cuchara!
REGISTRATION OPENS DECEMBER 1, 2021!
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Covid-19 Regulations: October 2021 and Forward - Human...
By HPRS RD John Lacroix I get it, and I'm with you. We are all sick and tired of the Covid-19 Pandemic. All of us want to move on to once again living our once normal lives, and I'm right there with you. Being a race director during these times...
Read more
humanpotentialrunning.com
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UP NEXT: RAZORBACK RUNNING REVIVAL |
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The next event on our calendar is The Razorback Running Revival. Join us this November 6th in Mountainburg, AR for the 3rd Annual Revival. We are excited to once again host trail running in gorgeous Lake Fort Smith State Park and on the Nationally Recognized Ozark Highlands Trail (OHT). We have a distance for everyone with a 50-Mile, 55k, and 10-Mile.
We need volunteers for the event, and we also could use a few more trail work volunteers for the day after.
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2022 MEMBERSHIP NOW OPEN! |
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Registration for the 2022 Membership Program is now open!
Members will receive the following perks:
• 10% off all HPRS race registrations
• 20% off all HPRS race registrations during RegFest (December 4th)
• An opportunity to increase your discount up to 25% off through participation in the 17th Annual Fat Ass Series
• 2022 Member Bluff
• HPRS Die Cut logo sticker and magnet
• 10% off in our online store, and at race day stores
• Comp entry into the 2022 We Belong Virtual Series
• Comp and Discounted rates on HPRS Clinics
• Access to our NEW Monthly Member's Adventure
• Discounts from our participating partners*
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POLL
September Poll Results: How much does "the race" matter to you?
• I focus mainly on my own race... Me versus myself and/or the mountain = 68.8%
• I don't care about the race, I'm here for the experience = 18.8%
• I am very in to racing others as a way to put my best performance forward = 7.8%
• I am actually very much interested in what happens at the front of the pack = 4.7%
It's always very much okay to stop and think about the community that surrounds you. It's okay if you care about the race, when so many don't. It's also okay to not care about the race, when others actually do. Everyone is welcome here... just know, that HPRS is focused on providing an amazing experience, an adventure you'll challenge yourself on... whatever your motivations are.
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Which of the below would you like to see more of at HPRS?
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Week night social runs <8 Miles
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Weekend Group/Social Runs 15-30 Miles
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A monthly Social Zoom where everyone can ask questions about Ultra
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I don't care about group/social runs outside of races
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We've done the work in providing you a community feel at our grass roots events, now WE NEED YOU.
Please consider volunteering for any one of our upcoming events. If you have time to race, you have time to volunteer. If you have time to train, you have time to volunteer. Make time for those who have made time for you.
To learn more about the most generous volunteer program in the sport, CLICK HERE.
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GET OUR LIMITED EDITION
THERMAL HOODY DURING DECEMBER!
Check out our Limited Edition Next Level Thermal Hoody in Heather Grey with our new "Run or Don't" artwork on the chest. We're selling these during the month of December during both the registration process on RunSignup.com and in our online store. The Hoodies will be $35 which includes shipping and handling.
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Upcoming HPRS Calendar:
October 20: RD John Lacroix's 40th Birthday
October 26: Water Cooler LIVE
November 6: Razorback Running Revival in Mountainburg, AR
November 7: Final Trail Work Day of the Year for HPRS
November 12: HPRS Community Night (Details TBA)
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"John,
My wife and I and numerous friends have run in your races over the years and have even volunteered in freezing cold weather because we like running and getting outdoors.
Your September newsletter is so far to the left and polarizing that we no longer feel comfortable supporting your races.
That fact that you would require people to wear a red bracelet is like the Scarlet Letter – we should learn from history and not be punitive to someone for their choice. This is very disturbing and doesn’t align with your general message of acceptance and inclusion. If someone is vaccinated, they are safe, why do they care or why should we call out someone who isn’t vaccinated for whatever reason – it is their choice.
Bringing gender into the mix is also off-pudding – you are either physically born as a male or female – what a person chooses to call themselves is up to them.
As I stated above, we have enjoyed your races and helping out, but will longer be supporting HPRS.
Good luck with your business and your new approach."
This is the full text of one of the nicer email's I've received in 2021 (sans signature), from someone writing to inform me that he and his family will no longer be running with HPRS. No longer running with us because of our policies, none of which are unique or really change anything at HPRS. None of the policies that truly affect your race, your ability to run, or the many benefits one will gain from the overall experience with us. Policies that come from a place of good, that focus on inclusion, that focus on health and safety, and that focus on the many conditions of our permitting agencies.
What offended me the most about this email is that the writer decided to assume my own political affiliations. When election day rolls around in our country, we either vote via secret mail-in ballot, or by going to a polling center. There is a reason there's a partition around the voting booths, and a reason our mail-in ballots are shrouded in secrecy. It's because your political affiliations and points of view are no one else's business but your own.
When the pandemic first hit in the spring of 2020, I spent ZERO time worrying about the politics of life during a pandemic. I didn't ask a land manager, county commissioner, or town councilperson what their political affiliations were in working tirelessly to figure out how to make our events happen. Many that we worked with were Republicans, many were Democrats, and some were Independents. Regardless of their affiliation, we all worked together to figure out how to successfully and safely host our events during a Global Pandemic.
For the last year and a half, I have worked harder than I ever have to ensure that HPRS does not cancel a single event. I felt a personal obligation to my community of runners, those who I serve, those who help keep a roof over my head and food on my table, in providing them the services they paid for. The effort has been tireless. It lead us to not only becoming the only major race series on the planet without a single cancellation, but we did so without a single report of positive transmission through those events. Despite all of this work, one would imagine that 2020 was the most challenging year for me as a race director, business owner, and HPRS. I can tell you that it wasn't; because 2021 has been. 2020 was a cake walk compared to the year that followed.
2021 has been the most challenging year of my career, my professional life, because of emails like the one above. As I have stated previously, I have been called "queer," I have had mental illness used as a weapon against me, I continue to be accused of things that are neither true, or simply a bastardized version of someone else's truth. Throughout this year, we have heard countless times the need to give restaurant workers patience and grace, because they're understaffed, and working harder than ever. I can tell you, that race directing is no different...
Ultimately when creating the Covid Protocols we posted in the September Newsletter... I weighed every angle of what to do with the appropriate amount of weight that it deserved. My job as a race director is to see the big picture and to see it despite my own blind spots. To look beyond the race, beyond the tip of my own nose, and to consider everyone that our events affect. I consider the mandates of our permitting agencies, our insurance policy, our staff, our volunteers, crews and pacers, spectators, participants, other users on the trails, the residents of the towns we recreate in, private land owners... and god forbid my own health and well being. How I've managed to get through the pandemic without catching Covid is beyond me... I gave countless hugs I probably shouldn't have.
When creating our new gender policies, I dove into papers on intersectionality. I researched countless articles on gender, gender identity, and what it means to be "Non-Binary." I consulted personally with individuals in the LGBTQ+ community to hear their perspectives, and to offer an opportunity to simply listen. Yet every time someone decides they want to "educate me" on what gender is, it becomes ever clear that they themselves have done zero research.
When someone states "You are either physically born as male or female," they tend to have very little clue that they are talking about Biological Sex (or simply "sex"), which is entirely different than "Gender" and "Gender Identity." The statement is ignorant, and only seeks to push one's own political affiliations and agendas onto others. In other words.. because you have your own definition of gender, I'm an asshole and are no longer deserving of your business. There's a reason that in the USDA's non-discrimination clause, a condition of all of our permits on USFS lands, the words Sex and Gender Identity are separated by a comma. Hint: It's because they are not one in the same.
Sure... you can go on assuming my political affiliations. Or you can stop for a moment and see the big picture with me. The United States Forest Service (USFS) is part of the USDA, and a condition of our permits is to follow their non-discrimination clause. My job as a race director is to host events that are inclusive and accessible to everyone. Not just the straight. Not just the cis-gendered. Not just republicans or democrats, christian or heathen... EVERYONE.
All of this is to say...
I love my job, I love what I do and I love serving this community of runners. I'm not perfect... but I have a business to run and I care about ALL of the people who run here. I even care about those who send me bullshit emails like the one above. What I don't care for are those who choose to bully as their only line of defense. Those who choose to hurl insults, to attack the person, rather than discussing the subject matter in a way that is intelligent, and is supported by facts. These are the kinds of interactions I've had countless times in the past, where the sender runs away and tells the world how much of an asshole I am. When they explain how they'll never run my races because of "who he is and what he stands for," of course never taking the time to tell you their contributions to the hostility. Seldom ever providing factual evidence to support their claims beyond what "they heard," or how I didn't respond in the way they had hoped I would when they insulted me or what I do.
I could be acting totally against my own political beliefs, or personal values, if it's what's best for the land managers requirements and for risk management of the event. I have decided to separate the two because that's what serves this community the best. So please don't label me a Democrat or a Republican.. because honestly.. My affiliation is neither.
My job is to host quality running events where you feel safe, valued, and cared for. Our policies have always reflected that. ALL of our policies have always reflected that. This is also a business, and a private business at that. I have an obligation to you, to the land managers, to my family, and to myself... to do what I think is right to ensure the preservation of the races, the business, and my job. You may not always agree with those policies or points of view, and that's why I get paid to see the big picture. So the next action we all need to figure out is simple...
Run or don't.
If you can't see that we're simply just trying to do the right thing... choose "don't."
John Lacroix
HPRS - RD
By the way.. the only person who may know what "Off-pudding" is.. is Bill Cosby. #JustSaying
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Volunteering: A Different Perspective
By HPRS Columnist: Andrea Richardson
Volunteering is an experience like no other. It poses a different type of challenge that you wouldn’t expect. As I was getting into ultra-running; I decided to volunteer first to see how the whole process worked. The experience of volunteering completely changed my perspective.
We have all in some capacity, volunteered. It is the giving of time to help someone else. A pretty simple concept. What I encountered at my first volunteering event opened my mind to the true grit of all the athletes.
To get the full experience, I volunteered at an overnight shift. Which are now my absolute favourite times to volunteer. It is at these exact moments you see people in their most vulnerable state. You see the fight in their spirit, you see their grit, you see their mental, physical and emotional pain. You see the adversity.
FAST FORWARD to 2021.
In Manitoba, Canada there have not been a lot of in-person races this season. That being said, at the last two races, I had the pleasure of being a volunteer. I have been unable to run since July and still wanted to be a part of the events. The first one, the largest road race in the province was a true gem! Everyone was so excited to just be at an event. To be in a position to motivate and encourage all of the runners was magic. The second was a timed trail race; 6, 12, 24, or 48 hours. Once again, volunteering on overnights was amazing. Being that voice that the athletes need to hear at that exact moment. I just put myself in their shoes and think; what would I want to hear? What would help me? That is what volunteering is about. It ceases to be about you and it becomes part of something larger. I have a young daughter and she loves to volunteer also. I show up to volunteer and the athletes are all “is Maddie here?” She’s 9. Instilling the kindness and giving back is so important.
HPRS has an amazing volunteer credit program. In Manitoba, you get a big hug and a thank you. Everyone needs to take advantage of the HPRS program. By simply volunteering, you not only earn race entry fees; you also get an opportunity to change an athlete’s trajectory.
The most humbling thing is when the athletes find you after and tell you that without you, they wouldn’t have been able to finish. One simple sentence; how are you doing mentally? These 5 words have the power to provide support for that person so they can move forward. Left. Right. Repeat.
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REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN
FOR THE FOLLOWING 2021 EVENTS!
Mountainburg, AR
November 6, 2021
42% of capacity
Pine, CO (Staunton State Park)
December, 11, 2021
25% of capacity
Colorado Classic, Distance Challenge, Vertical Challenge
November through April
Increase your member discount!
Colorado Springs, CO (Cheyenne Mountain State Park)
February 12-13, 2022
March 2022. Twice a week classes
Virtual 50k and 12-Hour
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AT THE ONLY PLACE WHERE RUNNING NEVER STOPPED! |
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Offer good only to the first 20 registrants to use it. Expires 9/21/2021.. or 20 uses. Whichever happens first! |
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Good For Sangre de Cristo Ultras
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THANKS TO ALL OF OUR 2021 SPONSORS! |
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20% off with Code HPR20
(Parker & Castle Rock)
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Join Us On Our Social Media Channels Below! |
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