I’m so excited to sit down and recap stage 5 of the 2025 TransRockies Run because it was by far my favorite stage of them all! The whole experience TRR was magical but there was something special about stage 5 for me.

We started the day in Red Cliff and ended in Vail. The course took us just over 24 miles with just over 4,000 feet of climb. It was a monster day but an epic day.

I was up in the 5a hour to pack up camp at Nova Guides and grab a shuttle to the starting line at Red Cliff. I was feeling allllllll the jitters about the day’s mileage and climb given that we were already four days into our 120 mile journey with the final two stages being the longest. How would my body hold up?

I dropped my gear with the luggage crew – there signs always gave you a laugh – and loaded a shuttle to the starting line. It only took about 15 minutes to get to Red Cliff from Nova Guides.

Stage 5’s starting line was the finish line of stage 4. We were able to pop into Mago’s to use the bathroom and stay warm until it was time to start.

They cued up Highway to Hell and we were off! It was so cool that the starting line vibes were so high every.single.day. I always got a jolt of excitement and took off with a huge smile on my face.

We began on the same gravel road that we finished on the day before. I cannot explain the wash of peace that came over me in the first few miles of this stage. I felt so certain that I was in exactly the right place and that things would work out exactly was they were meant to…not just with the day’s stage but with life in general.

The big theme of the week from the race director was that “everyone has a story” and I spent several miles chatting with a woman who had lost a son to addiction. It’s not a club that anyone wants to be a part of but it was cathartic to share our experiences. I’ve said this so many times but I feel closest to my brother when I am in nature and feel him deeply in moments like these.

After eight miles of grindy, steady climb, we hit the first aid station at mile 8. The aid stations always gave a boost and I always left them with renewed pep in my step.

That pep didn’t last too long because we had our toughest climb of the day on single track for the next few miles. I think I had about five miles straight of 20 minute miles. It was tough going!

Payoff views were always 100.

We had several climbs and descents that eventually led us to the back side of Vail Ski Resort.

We wove through trails that traversed huge meadows with sweeping views and it was breathtakingly beautiful.

I felt like I was on top of the world and so alive. I can close my eyes right now and remember this feeling.

We hit aid station two at mile 14. There was always a mix of gels, chews, electrolytes along with real food.

I’ve shared this in previous recaps but my strategy was always to do gels and chews between aid stations and eat real food at the stations – usually watermelon, pbj and ginger ale.

After checkpoint two, we were on the ridge line for a few miles before dropping to the front of the ski hill. If you’ve never visited a ski destination during the summer – DO IT! It’s so much fun to see the ski mountains without snow and to explore them in a different way.

At this point I was doing a solid mix of easy running and power hiking and just ticking the miles off. My body felt great and I knew I’d finish the day strong. It was a huge relief to pass the halfway mark every day and be like, “Okay, I’m not falling apart. We’re going to finish well!”

We hit the final aid station of the day at mile 19. I ate a ton of food, drank two cups of ginger ale and was ready to let it rip. At this point, I realized that I could finish in under seven hours so I got to work!

The final five miles of the day were down Vail ski mountain on very runnable single track into EXTREMELY runnable access roads. My mile spilts were 10:29, 8:28, 9:06, 8:44, 9:23 to the finish.

I felt like SUPERWOMAN crossing that finish line. To run a sub 50-minute five miler at the end of a 24 mile day with 4,000 feet of climbing on day five of a stage race was just next level.

It was one of my most accomplished personal race finishes ever. I was buzzing!

It was a beautiful day so I got cozy in the grass and spent the next hour relaxing and contemplating booking a hotel room for the night before deciding the embrace the last night of camp.

I was able to snag a single tent and got my things settled before heading to dinner and showers.

After dinner, I walked into Vail Village, which was less than a half a mile from camp. It’s so wild because during training we would HOBBLE after long trail days when going into town for dinner but my body adapted so quickly during TransRockies and I truly wasn’t even particularly sore or tired heading into Vail Village that night.

Not going to lie, I felt a bit like a fish out of water amongst all of the summer vacationers who were dressed smartly and in a whole different headspace than my own…but the ice cream cone had to happen.

Back at camp, I did one last squeezy legs session and headed to bed for my final night of camping. Tent sleeping truly wasn’t bad at all. Between the proper gear that I ordered and earplugs, I was super comfy every night. The real struggle was my resting heart rate at altitude but I would have had that no matter where I slept.

FINAL STATS

Final stats for the day:

• 24.14 miles
• 6:53:05 total time
• 4,344 feet of climb
• 1:44:06 run time
• 4:28:49 walk time
• 40:10 idle time (photos, aid stations, potty breaks)

DAY FIVE WAS SO EPIC!!!!!!!!!!!! It was one of my best life decisions ever to go for TransRockies Run and I’ll cherish these recaps forever!

Only one more to go – I’ll see y’all for Stage 6 soon!