Courtenay’s running duo of Robyn Dicesare and Cathy Livsey spent the end of their summer holidays competing in an epic endurance running challenge called the Gore-Tex Trans Rockies Run in Colorado.
The six-day stage race is a 120-mile high mountain, trail running race that started in Buena Vista, Colo. Aug. 21 and ended Friday in Beaver Creek, Colo.
Running as the Extreme Island Girlz, Dicesare and Livsey trained for months at Forbidden Plateau and Mt. Washington but had to deal with altitudes between 9,000 and 12,600 feet during the race.
The Trans Rockies Run, with sister races in Europe (the Trans Alps Run) and Canada (the Trans Rockies Bike Race), is in its fifth year. It attracted an international field of 450 runners from 12 countries, including South Africa, and from 38 states and provinces.
During the race the Extreme Island Girlz dealt with fatigue, blisters, and aches and pains, but performed amazingly considering they have never trained or run at an altitude of this level. Dicesare and Livsey both ran the entire 120 miles to finish ninth overall among 80-plus runners in the women’s division.
During the race they climbed more than 20,000 vertical feet, taking in the beautiful vistas and trails of the Colorado high country as they huffed and puffed.
