[Author’s Note: This is the seventh article in an 11-part series celebrating legendary aid stations. You can read about the series here.]

Excessive up within the Rocky Mountains of Central Colorado, within the shadow of Colorado’s highest peak, Mount Elbert, sits the small village of Twin Lakes. Dwelling to only beneath 200 folks and a well-liked leaping off level for adventures within the Rockies, Twin Lakes is, unsurprisingly, nestled subsequent to 2 lakes. It’s positioned simply 21 miles southwest of Leadville and 36 miles east of Aspen. Every August, Twin Lakes additionally turns into dwelling to one of many busiest and most stress-filled assist stations in North American ultrarunning, on the Leadville 100 Mile.

With Leadville being an out-and-back course, runners undergo the Twin Lakes Help Station twice, first at mile 38, and once more at mile 62. In between these two stops, they summit the long-lasting Hope Go, at over 12,000 ft, twice. The cutoff instances at Twin Lakes are notoriously tight. The race begins at 4 a.m., and runners have to be by means of Twin Lakes “Outbound” by 1:30 p.m., and again by means of Twin Lakes “Inbound” by 10:15 p.m. Most years, because the cutoff instances strategy, the help station boundary appears to be like extra like a end line than an assist station as runners battle to make it in beneath the cutoff, many instances with simply seconds to spare.

The primary drag by means of the Twin Lakes assist station on the Leadville 100 Mile. Photograph: Adam Ferdinandsen

The small village of Twin Lakes comes out in power for the race as the companies on the town — a common retailer, a espresso store, and some meals vans — take pleasure in their most worthwhile weekend of the 12 months, because the lots of of crews and pacers descend upon the village to help their runners. Basically, the night time earlier than the race, a veritable tent metropolis is erected alongside the primary drag of city as pacers and crews arrange pop-up tents and different buildings with provides, decorations, and all method of issues to get them by means of the hours they’ll spend at Twin Lakes, awaiting their runners each coming and going. As race day dawns, these crews rapidly change into a neighborhood and tales are shared, provides are exchanged, and the path neighborhood is on show in full power.

Annie Hughes together with her crew and pacer at Twin Lakes inbound, mile 62.5. She’d proceed on to win the 2021 Leadville 100 Mile. Photograph: Meredith Terranova

I’ve been lucky sufficient to be available at Twin Lakes throughout Leadville over the previous two years to help runners and be a part of the magic there. In these two years, I’ve been reunited with many aged pals and linked with plenty of new ones. What strikes me most about Twin Lakes, is that on this age of overhyped commercialization and company activations nearly anyplace you look, this explicit spot has remained decidedly old skool, in some ways representing, a minimum of to me, a crossroads of the game which is directly welcoming to the previous and embracing of the brand new. There’s not plenty of fanfare, simply plenty of enjoyable.

And so it’s that I might be heading again to Twin Lakes subsequent month once more to soak within the vibe, prod a number of runners alongside, have a good time that cutoff-induced stress, and possibly, simply possibly, discover that spark of inspiration that such locations maintain.

Bottoms up!

Adrian Macdonald runs by means of Twin Lakes inbound assist station at about mile 62.5 on his technique to profitable the 2021 Leadville 100 Mile. Photograph: Meredith Terranova

AJW’s Beer of the Week

This week’s beer of the week comes from Eddyline Brewing in Buena Vista, Colorado, 30 miles down the highway from Twin Lakes. Grapefruit Yanker IPA is a scrumptious fruity IPA that’s surprisingly balanced and tart. In no way bitter, with only a trace of mango, Grapefruit Yanker is a basic excessive altitude summer time beer.

Name for Feedback

• Have you ever performed the Leadville 100 Mile?
• If that’s the case, what are your reminiscences of Twin Lakes?