Part 1: The Long Way Around

When a fire closed the Nolan's 14 route, I found another way

My longest training run before Nolan's 14 attempt

Not everyone’s idea of fun is running nearly 100 miles in a weekend to link together as many 14,000-foot peaks as possible in Colorado’s Sawatch Range—solo, without sleep, and as fast as possible. But it is mine and I was so drawn to the challenge that I set my sights on a sub-60-hour Nolan’s finish, even though part of the official FKT route was literally on fire. The regular—and shortest—southbound route up the third peak, La Plata, was closed due to a wildfire that had started in mid-August. I learned about the closure just a week before my attempt, and the news hit hard. I felt crushed. Then, I devised of another way to do it.

Solo & Self Supported

Nolan’s 14 requires connecting fourteen 14,000-foot peaks by foot, and to be official you must finish in under 60 hours. On Matt Mahoney’s site for Nolan’s 14, the only real “official” information for Nolan’s online, it states that a Nolan’s finish is determined by time if you finish the entire thing under 60 hours trailhead to trailhead OR by the number of peaks you finish in <60hours. There are no DNFs he says.

I planned to go self supported, carrying everything I needed and resupplying only at caches. No crew. No pacers. No photographers or videographers. Just me and the mountains, exactly how I like it. It felt like the right way to approach my first Nolan’s attempt and it matched the ethos of the route. While many FKTs are set with full crews and pacers, I wanted to face my fear of traversing off trail alone, the danger of the solo attempt, and even death. Having other people there with me would make me more confident and would be easier. I wanted to see what it meant to move through days, nights, storms, and whatever else came my way, completely on my own. I wanted to get stronger by overcoming these mental blocks to exploring the outdoors.

Exploring the off trail section between Huron and Missouri Mountain

Planning Around an Active Fire

With the fire on La Plata’s north side and trails closed there as well as a large swath of land to the east of the peak, I had to reroute with an extra 12 miles and nearly 4,000 feet of climbing around to Hope Pass. Unfortunately because if the land to the East of the fire wasn’t closed, I could’ve just traversed off trail as you do in Nolan’s so much of the time. Hope Pass is the highest point in the Leadville 100 and would be like climbing another 14,000ft peak. I would then run back west for several miles to get to the base of La Plata on the south side and do an out-and-back to reach La Plata’s summit from the south. That meant a lot of extra mileage on a course that can be as short as 89 to 92 miles. My version would be at least 103 miles with 48,000 feet of climbing, compared to the standard 44,000.

With the fire closure, it suddenly felt like my Nolan’s 14 dreams might not be possible this year. I was caught between frustration, anger, and, oddly, relief. Nolan’s is such an immense undertaking and with my schedule always packed, the idea of not attempting it almost lifted a weight, if only for a moment. I still wanted it, but I could appreciate the pressure being taken off. The fire meant the route would now be longer and harder, and in a strange way that shift gave me freedom. It lessened the pressure to meet a set standard and reminded me that I could do Nolan’s for myself, for fun, for the joy of it.

There was no way to know if or when the route would reopen before winter storms and snow arrived. An FKT attempt was still possible in late September or early to mid-October, but that window is highly dependent on weather and snow. On top of that, I had the Moab 240 coming up as Organizer/Race Director in early October, which meant I would need to leave by then. It felt like now or never, at least if I was going to make an attempt in 2025.

Singular Summer Focus

This summer I fully committed to the route, not just by running most of it and memorizing it, but by seeking out the connecting lines that would suit me best. I put in many 30- and 40-hour weeks exploring the Sawatch. I would pack a backpack and head out for 6, 7, 10, even 12 hours at a time. Those long days were pure bliss. I loved being out there. It felt like exactly where I was meant to be, and I rarely feel that kind of contentment. I customized the route for safety, avoiding a few lines that felt too risky for a fatigued descent. Missouri’s East Ridge, a loose class 4 scramble, I ran/climbed the route in training but decided would be too dangerous to come down at mile 55. I also bypassed Princeton’s north rock descent, taking a safer variation to avoid treacherous sections.

Scrambling/climbing Missouri’s notorious 3rd/4th class East Ridge

I had already given up two races I’d signed up for—the Summit 200 in late July and the Leadville 100 in mid-August—because I knew I needed to put everything into Nolan’s if I wanted to show up super-fit, rested, and ready. I would have made the attempt in late August, but I had committed to crewing Adam at the Hoodoo 300, his first cycling ultra, and I wanted to be there to support him. We spent a week in St. George in 100+ degree heat, and I’m glad I was part of his race. Experiences like that bring us closer as a couple, and it matters to me to play a supportive role just as much as a performance one. Though it might seem like my adventures are what’s most important to me, they’re not. It’s my relationships that take priority.

Adam won and set a huge course record at his first ultra bike race in late August, shortly before Nolan's 14

For my Nolan’s attempt, I was relying on Adam to be my driver. He was to drop me off at the start at the Fish Hatchery (I was going South bound) and pick me up at the finish—or earlier if something went wrong. Meeting him on course before the finish would break the self supported style so he was planning to just hang out in Leadville for a few days while I ran through the mountains because having a fallback plan mattered. The lines I’d be running and hiking in Sawatch are rugged and untamed, and so much can go wrong. Having someone I could count on felt essential, even if asking for help does not come naturally to me. I am grateful for Adam’s support.

Climbing Off trail on Long’s Peak with Adam the weekend before my Nolan’s attempt

Excitement and Fear as Fuel

I also understood this was the most dangerous ultra I had ever attempted. I knew there was a real possibility that not only that I would fail, but that I could die. Multi-day, off-trail, no-sleep efforts carry inherent dangers. I had already had close calls with storms and lightning, and the risk of a fall or rockfall was legit. Death is not something I dwell on, but the mountains have shown me again and again that they are both beautiful and brutally harsh. That is why I fell in love with Nolan’s: it required me to accept my mortality and draw on every skill I had learned in my running career. I was hooked and needed excitement AND fear to go after something this big.

Despite the long fire reroute, I thought I might have a chance at sub-60 hours on Nolan’s. Maybe. Even self-supported, carrying 13 pounds of food and gear, I wanted to see what was possible. Looking back, I underestimated how hard carrying all that weight would be and how difficult it would be to have such limited calories and calorie options. But a real life attempt at any big undertaking is the only way to really learn what you need to know and I was excited to get the opportunity.

Even with the added mileage, I knew I would regret it if I did not take this shot at a big adventure. With the time pressure removed now that I couldn’t do the “fast” route, it was all about the adventure and experience. I would still be pushing myself to my limit but not with it being outcome-based. I kept my run low key wanting to do it for myself.

I’d put so much time into the route and I wanted time to dance to the rhythm of the wild weather, up peaks and through terrain nearly untouched by humans. Before the mountains were buried under winter snow, I wanted one last big adventure. It felt like it might be my only chance this year. Not only was winter already touching the Sawatch, Adam was headed to the East Coast to visit his parents in mid- September, and without him there would be no pickup or drop-off. It was go-time.

It really was now or never.

Stay tuned for Part 2.

Adam and I backpacking Nolan’s for the first time in early July. It was hard to backpack!