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Come join us for the highest DOWNHILL half marathon in the country and possibly the highest DOWNHILL 4 Mile Run!

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Do not be misled by the name but this is the Slacker Half Marathon/4M Race! It is the highest downhill half marathon in the country–beginning at 10,630 feet and traveling over a rolling hill descent to 8400 feet! The half marathon begins at Loveland Ski Area--BASIN and travels the first mile on dirt roads before joining a non-motorized paved bike path for five miles through a Forest Service area of wetlands and natural waterfalls on a trail built to sustain the weight of an ambulance!

The second 3 miles travel from Bakerville to Silver Plume along a paved frontage road with amazing views of the Continental Divide and mining remnants.

The last portion of the trail & the 4-Mile race travels from Silver Plume to Georgetown on a paved bike trail (and paved road) with scenic views of the Georgetown Loop Railroad and the largest Bighorn Sheep herd in the State!

The race ends in downtown Georgetown where there are more freebies than you know what to do with!

HEY SLACKERS!

RELAY INFO

3 PLAYER RELAY AND 3 PLAYER ADA RELAY

Player 1

Begins at Loveland Ski Area. (Exit #216 off I-70)

Approx. 5.8 miles — rolling.

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Player 2 

Begins at Bakerville. (Exit #221 off I-70)

Approx. 3 miles — slight uphill at start and then downhill.

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Player 3 

Begins at the 4-mile start — just west of Silver Plume.

(Exit #226 off I-70)

Approx. 4 miles strong downhill to flat.

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Shuttles deliver relay folks to their start lines.  You can be dropped off but DON’T FORGET to pick up your bibs at Loveland Ski Area VALLEY location.

Shuttles frequently circle to pick up relay runners after they complete their portion and bring them to the Finish Line.

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Regarding the ADA relay: physically challenged relay participants complete the portion starting a Bakerville and ending just west of Silver Plume.

WITH A NAME LIKE SLACKER, FOLKS WANT TO TRY THE HALF MARATHON DISTANCE FOR THE FIRST TIME!

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We don’t have a strict time limit on the course and we keep water stations open until the last racer crosses the finish line! (usually by 1:30 p.m.)

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We have volunteers on bikes with cell phones, folks at the water stations with cell phones, so if you need ANYTHING—ask for help! Even if you need a ride down, we can help!

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Most of our walkers finish around 12 or 12:30 p.m. so give us a try!

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Welcome Walkers!

SPONSORS

“In accordance with Federal law and U.S. Department of Agriculture policy, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age or disability. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.)”

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And Justice for All.

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Hello My Amazing Slackers! 

We are sending you and your families happy, healthy, positive thoughts. This spring has been one for the history books. We are all learning a new way of living and learning more about ourselves and our strength while being safer at home.

It is with giant tears that we must cancel the 2020 Slacker Races event. We arrived at this very difficult decision by considering guidance from local, state and federal authorities. Based on what they know and predict, we cannot responsibly plan to host the event on its intended date, June 27. Right now, when we have to decide whether to invest in an event for that date, it seems unlikely that an event for 2000 of you beautiful Slackers will be permitted by June 27, 2020.

The State Epidemiologist’s model does not demonstrate a decrease in COVID-19 cases in the near future. Instead, it predicts increased hospitalizations beginning in May, not peaking until September. This is a prediction that likely will turn out wrong to some degree, perhaps small, perhaps large.  But it is the planning tool we have now, when our decisions must be made, and we must plan thinking of you and our volunteers.

Hosting an event for some 2000 people with 200+ volunteers cannot be done at the last minute. While you amazing Slackers are among the healthiest of us, what is believed now is that our event is the perfect way to spread the virus among the racers and volunteers. Our event requires 200+ volunteers and right now many of them cannot make a commitment for June 27; we cannot commit to the event without their commitment to us even if we were allowed to hold it. We cannot afford to invest in an event that cannot occur. We want to make a responsible and healthy decision for you and our volunteers. We appreciate your understanding.

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We surveyed many of you online and you gave us a definite answer of “Not Interested in participating in a virtual event.” We understand your views.

• We realize that there is no way to duplicate the Slacker experience, but after all of the training you have done, if you would like to do the race virtually then we have made that option available, and it does not affect your deferral or refund request.

• Simply run your 13.1 or 4 mile distance on the course of your choosing between June 20th and June 30th. Someplace near your home is preferred to adhere to the "Safer at Home" policy, and please follow social distancing recommendations.

• Once you are finished, go to this link: http://racingunderground.racetecresults.com/results.aspx?CId=16436&RId=408

• Search for your name, and then click the "Edit Time" link associated with your name. You can enter the time it took you to complete your virtual race, and if you recorded this on your GPS watch or a fitness app on your phone, you can enter the link to your run map. Entering the link to your GPS map is completely optional, but if you do, you should set the privacy setting to "Public" or "Everyone" so people can view your route.  

All run times must be entered no later than midnight on June 30th.

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While many races have sought reschedule dates for the fall months, we are learning that even this is risky, and that large gatherings may still be restricted. More importantly, after directing the race for almost 20 years, the last thing we want to do is step on the toes of our fellow races and directors, and the charities they benefit, who have also worked hard for their dates this fall. Rescheduling to later this year appears selfish and disrespectful of the efforts our fellow races have made for their own events. We hope they can hold them, you can participate, and they have successful events!

If you have registered and paid through the mail or imATHLETE.com we can offer you three options:

1.  Transfer your registration to the 2021 Slacker Races event---YAY, we hope you will rejoin us! See the directions at the end of this email.

2.  Refund your entry fee for the race.  If you registered online we cannot refund the service fee but we can refund the registration portion of the cost—unless you want to donate some to our charities?  If we don't hear from you by June 10, 2020 we will be donating your race entry fee to charity. See the directions at the end of this email.

3. Should you want to transfer your entry fee to our charities directly, we are most grateful and will make it happen. We are definitely concerned about our charities who will receive little to no donations from our event this year. See the directions at the end of this email. As a reminder our charities include:

   1. Youth Activities Scholarship:  any youth who wants to learn to swim, play little league, take gymnastics, etc. and doesn’t have the money to pay, Slacker pays. Most of you know and experienced how sports got you through life, introduced you to your lifelong friends, and of course, kept you out of trouble!  We want all kids to have the equal opportunity to participate in team and individual sports to experience the positive  results you witness each and every day you go running or hiking. 

   2. Mount Evans Home Health & Hospice:  the only home health and hospice care in the western region of our community serving, Clear Creek, Gilpin, west Jefferson County, and Park Counties.  Should you or a family member be recovering from surgery or enduring a terminal illness, this is the only company that will come to your door---even during a pandemic.  After four knee surgeries myself and the loss of my best friend to cancer in 2011, I can tell you from experience, I recognize how important their service is.

   3. Charlie’s Place Spay/Neuter Fund:  Should pet owners be at a time of financial struggle—like during a pandemic--- and need to responsibly have their pet spayed or neutered and don’t have the dollars--- Slacker pays. One challenge Clear Creek has is the misfortune of many pet owners coming to the mountains to “set their pets free” when they can no longer take care of them---thinking they can survive on their own in the wilderness---UGH!  Hence, Clear Creek ends up with many unwanted pets.  This fund allows us to responsibly adopt-out these pets so they are prepared for their new forever-home.

Again, if you want to donate a portion of your entry or all of it for 2020 to the charities, we are happy and most grateful to make it happen. 

While the pandemic has changed our life for 2020, the Slacker Races will remain resilient and recover strong planning for our 2021 event on Saturday, June 26, 2021. We have half of our work already completed and are excited to see you all under much healthier skies! 

If you have questions, please email us and we greatly appreciate your understanding and patience.  We have NOT given up and our motto still stands----RUN ON, SLACKERS!  May you all be healthy and well!

Gratefully,

Beth and the Slacker Races Team

bluther@clearcreekcounty.us

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