Legendary Aid Stations: Hancock at High Lonesome 100 Mile

[Author’s Note: This is the third article in an 11-part series celebrating legendary aid stations. You can read about the series here. Particular thanks go out to Nick Leuck, Hancock Aid Station captain at the High Lonesome 100 Mile, for his contributions to this article.]

From the volunteer information for the Excessive Lonesome 100 Mile: “Ahhhh Hancock … also referred to as Carnage Metropolis. No place showcases the 100-mile spirit like right here. It’s a gritty spot the place runners are invariably in horrible form, however you’ll by no means see extra dedication than right here. It’s the midway level of the race and a wild trip. This can be a crew-accessible help station and is the primary level runners are allowed to select up pacers.

“When you’re in search of a real 100-miler help station expertise, that is your spot. Runners are typically combating all the same old issues — consuming, consuming, blisters, fatigue, respiration, and so forth. This can be a giant help station with a ton of shifting components. Volunteers must handle parking, crews, pacers, gear checks, meals prep, runner help, medical points, comm[unications] points, and extra.”

The trail main as much as the Hancock Support Station’s spectacular location. All images courtesy of Nick Leuck.

The Hancock Support Station sits at 11,100 ft above sea stage, simply earlier than the midway level of the Excessive Lonesome 100 Mile within the Sawatch Vary of Colorado. Runners are simply coming down off the USA’ Continental Divide after having been working above treeline in considered one of most stunning sections of the course for hours at elevations between 11,000 and 12,200 ft. The help station is ready up at a historic city web site. There are historic placards, previous buildings, and proof of a bygone period dominating the world. The actual part of path right here is a part of each the Continental Divide Path and the Colorado Path — two iconic lengthy trails within the coronary heart of the Rocky Mountains of the U.S.

Runners attain the help station beginning in late afternoon and increasing into the evening. Many come down deliriously from the elevation to a spectacular sundown. Moose are widespread right here. The help station is likely one of the bigger ones on the course. Runners have already accrued about 15,000 ft of elevation achieve and, due to all this, Hancock is usually often known as Carnage Metropolis.

Hancock Support Station captain Nick Leuck notes, “Hancock is a spot the place I’ve seen many runners holding again tears of pleasure from merely seeing a well-known face. I’ve seen households right here with a glance of shock on their face as they’re in all probability seeing their first 100-mile race. It’s superb!”

For years, the mile-49 help station had a rotating theme, however after the 2024 occasion, which had the theme of “Space 49” — full with aliens, UFOs, and out of physique experiences — Leuck and his workforce have determined to make that the everlasting theme. All of the volunteers are decked out in alien-themed costumes with glow sticks round their necks so crews and runners can simply pick somebody to assist them. Final yr they even had a youthful member of the family casually driving his bike via the world with E.T. within the entrance basket. The help station additionally gives every runner with a small alien figurine on the gear-check desk for runners to take as protectors/mates via the evening.

An alien-themed social gathering in full swing as evening falls on the Hancock Support Station.

Leuck has developed a lifetime of reminiscences as help station captain through the years. “We’re so fortunate and grateful that we have now a implausible pool of individuals to tug volunteers from yearly, individuals who return to our help station yr after yr. Massive Sean is an enormous Viking-looking redhead who loves doing the gear checks. He loves pulling in a quiet volunteer and making them be forceful with the runners and pacers. We’ve those that have labored in kitchens and simply take that over and run with it. It’s additionally enjoyable having volunteers that don’t know what a 100 miler entails and thrusting them into the fireplace.”

For Nick Leuck and the remainder of his crew, working the Hancock Support Station is considered one of their favourite instances of the yr. “It’s nice. It’s directly a tent-city madhouse, a celebration, a triage tent, and a particular place the place runners who don’t really feel like smiling smile anyway as a result of they see pleasant and acquainted faces.”

Bottoms up!

A volunteer full with glowstick cooking up a storm on the Hancock Support Station.

AJW’s Beer of the Week

This week’s beer of the week comes from Eddyline Brewing in Buena Vista, Colorado. Surfea Mexican Lager is a scrumptious, crispy Mexican lager, with a touch of lime and salt. A traditional smooth-drinking lager, Surfea is an ideal beer to get pleasure from on a heat Colorado night in the summertime.