Missy Gosney and Anna Frost’s crew take in the sunrise – and a rare moment of calm skies – at Elkhead Pass before the women head out on Day 2 of their 60-hour adventure. The two were the first women to complete the “Nolan’s 14” route, which has eluded all but 13 of those who have attempted it since is was inaugurated 20 years ago./Photo by Hannah Green

Rising to the challenge

Local ultrarunner conquers ultra-sufferfest: Nolan’s 14

by Missy Votel

When Missy Gosney steps out, it’s seldom for just a carton of milk or a walk around the block. The Durango ultra-distance runner has several massive accomplishments to her credit, from Europe’s 200-mile Tor des Geants to the 2015 Hardrock Hundred, where she placed first in her age group.

And now Gosney, along with fellow ultrarunner Anna Frost, has another notch in her GU belt: Nolan’s 14.

OK, so most weekend warriors and 10k dabblers have never heard of it. But Nolan’s, named for its creator, Colorado peak bagger Jim Nolan, is arguably one of the biggest feathers any ultrarunner can stick in his or her running cap. 

With no official start or finish, no designated aid stations, no hardrock to kiss, to say it’s off the radar is an understatement. Put simply, Nolan’s is a true test of self-sufficient endurance: 14 fourteeners (about 44,000 feet of climbing in all) and 100 miles in 60 hours. Runners must come up with their own routes, set up their own aid and support, and even supply their own celebratory provisions if and when they are able to link the peaks together in the allotted 2½ days.

And on Tues., Aug. 18, at 3:55 p.m. Gosney and Frost did just that – becoming the first women to complete the challenge in its 20-some odd year history, and the 12th and 13th finishers ever. “It was a cheap buzz, I hadn’t eaten much for a few days,” said Gosney of the champagne provided by fellow runner and support crew member Dakota Jones, a local legend in his own right.

What was even sweeter than the bubbly – she had been denied Nolan's a year prior – was that Gosney, a mother of teen-ager Quincy, completed the feat just shy of her own half-century mark. “I was the 48-year-old keeping up with the 32-year-old,” she said of her running partner, Frost.

Gosney said she first heard about Nolan’s a couple years ago from two friends who did it in 2012. “I thought, ‘Yeah, I gotta do this. It’s right up my alley,’” she recalled.

The route was established 20 years ago by some Hardrock Hundred racers apparently discontent with merely running 100 miles at high altitude. “They wanted to figure out how many 14ers you could get in 100 miles,” said Gosney.

That’s when Nolan loosely coined the concept for the 14 fourteeners, based in the Collegiate and Sawatch ranges. The route runs roughly north-south (or south-north, depending on one’s plan of attack) from Leadville to Salida. But with a 60-hour time limit, is isn’t meant for just anyone.

But then again, Gosney is not just your average trail runner. Once her mind was set, she began planning, scouting and training in earnest. “I would go over and recon peaks and try to link as many together as possible,” she said. Finally, after a year of preparations, in the summer of 2014 she, her husband, fellow ultrarunner Brett, and her running coach, Jason Koop, of Colorado Springs, set out. Only thing is, even with all the strategizing and preparation, she had run out of time to recon the last three peaks. “I figured, those are the easy ones, we’ll figure it out when we get there,” she laughed.

However, the assumption – as is the case more often than not – turned out wrong. “We got to the last three peaks and I said, ‘Oh god, I don’t know where to go,’” she said.

The three reluctantly turned back, with all but Antero, Tabeguache and Shavano in their rear-view mirrors.

Undaunted, but wiser, Gosney returned to the challenge this year. That’s when she came in contact with Frost, a New Zealand runner spending time in Durango. Gosney learned Frost was also vying for Nolan’s, and the two decided to meet up at this summer’s Hardrock in Silverton – which Frost incidentally was the first female to finish – to see if they were compatible.

“We decided, ‘Let’s do this,’ and that’s when we concocted a plan,” Gosney said.

The two set their sights on a two-week window in August, when the monsoons have typically passed and fall weather has not yet set in. Finally, a clear – clear enough anyway – stretch of days appeared in the forecast, and they went for it.

At 6 a.m. on Sun., Aug. 16, they set out for Mount Massive, with Elbert and La Plata also on the horizon. “We moved well, no problems, no harsh weather,” Gosney recounted. “At this point, my biggest fear was not being able to keep up with Frosty. She was killing me with her quick descending.”

However, that evening – which included night summits of Huron and Missouri – things began to head south, literally and figuratively. With no moon, the women were in utter darkness – except of course when the occasional bolt of lightning helped guide the way. “There were thunderstorms right on top of us, we were dodging lightning the whole time, we had to settle down in the trees and4  huddle together,” Gosney recounted.

At last, at 2:30 a.m., the women met up with their support crew – who came equipped with tents, hot food and whiskey. But it would all prove a cruel taunt. “They let us sleep for 20 minutes and then made us get up and head out,” she said.

Throughout the race, Gosney and Frost would meet up with various members of their support crew every four to six hours. However, after one unusually long, stormy stint the first night, they went 10 hours without seeing another soul. “That’s when we really had our first coming to Jesus,” Gosney said. “Thank god Brett wasn’t there, because I would’ve thought of a million excuses to get out of there.”

Gosney, left, and Frost pinky swear to never do it again at the end of the 60-hour ordeal./Photo by Hannah Green.

Alas, like the storm, the doubts passed, and as the sun rose on the second morning, they had sacked half of the summits. After ticking off a few more that morning, and refueling on Doritos and a surprise supply of fresh, dry socks later that day, they set out for Mount Yale and eventually, Princeton. As if on cue, thunderstorms rolled in, and late into their second night, morale hit a low and decision-making – let alone anything – was proving increasingly difficult. Enter CTJ No. 2

“Anna said she wasn’t going to go out in the thunderstorm – the skies just opened up,” Gosney said.

The women regrouped with pizza and a quick nap, and ultimately, the only thing that got Frost going again was the promise of a relatively mellow and lower elevation stretch on the Colorado Trail before tackling Princeton. With a third, or was it fourth, wind, they ascended Princeton in the dark. Fortunately, at treeline, the storm let up, but the wind was so fierce it knocked them over repeatedly.  “We stopped a few times in the lee of the ridge to eat and do sit-ups to stay warm,” Gosney said.

But they continued plodding along. Gosney admits the journey was more of a glorified power hike uphill followed by bombing downhill. More than 60 percent of the course was off trail, either bushwacking or scrambling through scree fields. In all, there were only 2 miles of paved road. “If you could shuffle, that was awesome,” she said.

It was right around the third morning, with only a handful of peaks left, that every endurance athlete's old friend, delirium, set in.

Although Gosney said she’s never had to contend with hallucinations, Frost was seeing everything from Mickey Mouse to a menagerie of koalas, giraffes and elephants. But the two took it all in stride. “She was hilarious,” Gosney said of her partner’s running commentary.

Perhaps, it was that easy-going attitude, coupled with classic camaraderie, that ultimately got the two to the top of Shavano later that day. “We were such a good pair because we are so different,” said Gosney. “It’s a little absurd, we were just on it, on it, on it. We kicked ass on the last section.”

But make no mistake, while a solid sense of humor and partner are key, so is a solid mountaineering background. About 10 people who attempted Nolan’s just after Gosney's bid were all shut down. Some years, no one finishes.

 “It doesn’t matter who you are, you have to have the skill set,” said Gosney, adding that the two carried a SPOT beacon as well as a handheld radio to keep in touch with crew. In addition, Gosney, who calls Silverton her second home, is an avid backcountry skier and spent years as a guide for Outward Bound (to which she donated proceeds from her trek for a girls scholarship.)

“It’s not for everyone,” she admits of her latest endeavor.

But at least it’s refreshing to know that once back at home, with the adrenaline down to a manageable level, her post-race strategy is something we can all identify with. “I crawled into the day bed to read a book," she said of her recovery regimen, "and I took a nap."