I took Hwy 40 aka Morrison Bypass Rd. vs the route Wade and Bret took. Per the route description the biking route was left open to interpretation and variations.
During all the COVID Madness, it was great to get out on a backyard mission and give this duathlon a go. Mount Morrison is one of my favorite local trails, the steep technical and scrappy nature of the trail suites my running/hiking style well. I haven't biked in about 5-6 months and felt a bit crusty riding out of Golden but I wasn't going to let that stop me. I cranked up to the hill crest at I-70 and put my head down, feeling the speed on the way down to the mt. Mo TH.
At TA1 I shed the warm layers I was wearing, it was heating up fast. I left my bike and realized I hadn't yet tied my shoes (Mt. MoDu pro tip, get quicky laces for the running shoes). Grinding up the first 800-1000ft kicker I alternated from pow-hike to run. Legs really burning now, I hit the rocky section to the top. I had one headphone in and Metallica "Whiskey in the Jar" popped up. Just the tune to crank it to the summit! I glanced out and took in the view for a few, great blue bird day and lots of people out on the summit!
Descending now, I let it loose. My favorite part of trail running are the technical descents. Pure fun for me, and I sure did have fun!
Back at the bike, I transitioned as fast as I could (which was a pretty slow TA considering) and headed off back to Golden. Fun riding on a great day lead me back to the Golden Arch and GCB. Fun times, hoping more people give this a go!