Donkey Racing

July 17, 2016

Burro Racing

Idaho Springs, Colorado

Do you ride them? Nope, you run with them.

When I was growing up, my grandmother would talk about the burro races. She would often attend the Burro Days events at Fairplay or Leadville. She loved betting on the winning times and seeing the runners take off, some of them struggling with their donkeys right from the beginning. She loved them so much that she even painted pictures of them and made burros out of river stones that she’d painted. At the time, I never thought much about it. It was just a fun event to go and watch.

Come 20+ years later, I just happened to be in Cripple Creek during the Donkey Derby Days. I didn’t even know the event was going on until I got there. There was going to be a short burro race with obstacles along the way. To get into the race, you had to donate some money to something, then be randomly picked from a hat. I didn’t know it when I entered the drawing, but you also had to have a partner to run with you and help you complete the obstacles. Maybe it was meant to be, I got selected and I was able to con someone into running with me. And so it began, I would spend the next few summers racing burros.

I think Justin thought I was kidding when I said I couldn’t go climb with him because I had already committed to running with a donkey. I tried to explain, but he would just look at me like I was making some lame excuse to spend time away from him. After a bunch of talking and probably a few beers, he agreed to try it if I could get him a donkey. We got confirmation the night before the Idaho Springs race that a “fast ass” had just opened up and Justin was in!

 

The Idaho Springs race is one of my favorites. It’s the shortest race on the circuit at roughly 6 miles. It’s a nice gradual climb up a dirt road before cutting off into the woods and running straight back down. And I mean straight down the side of a mountain. I’m not even sure if there’s a trail; just follow the pink ribbons through creeks and over downed trees and logs. It gets a little crazy at times trying to keep up with a 500 lb. donkey pulling you faster than you would normally run and on terrain you would never consider running on at all.

Justin was a natural, as expected. He had no trouble keeping up with and controlling his donkey. We ran together the entire race, which was helpful since the donkeys work better in packs. Despite a few hiccups where the donkeys wanted to turn around or stop altogether, we did pretty well finishing 9th and 10th.