We’ve detailed the racing hijinks of Bob and his racing partner, a donkey named Yukon. If and when I ever get my ass (pun intended) out to visit Bob and Sue, after our usual hugs and exchange of pleasantries, one of the first things I’d like to do is to meet Yukon. Why? I don’t know. I’m fascinated by him and the travails he’s put Bob through in this unusual journey of pack burro racing. Yukon doesn’t have the racing instincts of Bob. He can be forgiven of this oversight. After all, he’s a DONKEY. He’s not a thoroughbred. He’s not even a greyhound. He’s just a mule, trying to live a mule’s life. Oh yeah, since my favorite band is Gov’t Mule, it would be cool to get a photo with an actual mule (quick edit, Bob pointed out that a mule is technically half donkey/half horse ... but as a former Poughkeepsie Journal colleague was always fond of saying, "never let the facts get in the way of a good story"). The fact that Yukon enters running races is an added perk.
As usual, I’m droning on with a longer-than-needed introduction. This past weekend, Bob and Yukon took part in two pack burro races – and won them both! Bob seems to greatly enjoy his time with Yukon, but first-place finishes tend to elude the duo. Yukon has a habit of getting distracted, and making his way to the finish line fastest is not always in his mental game plan. Again. He’s a donkey. There’s probably not much of any mental game plan. But on this weekend, they won two races – the Georgetown (Colorado) Pack Burro Race on Saturday and the Idaho Springs (Colorado) Pack Burro Race, much to the delight of Yukon’s owner, Bob and maybe even Yukon himself! Here’s Bob’s slightly edited race report from the weekend, along with a few links at the bottom, and with two photos poached from Sue’s Facebook post:
The two races together are The Clear Creek County Challenge.
The first win was borderline embarrassing. Burro racing is still small enough that nearly everyone knew our story. We had finished second to Marvin (human runner) and Buttercup (racing donkey) at nearly every race for two years. Everyone in the know was stunned when Yukon charged past them. Yukon's big, burly owner was as fired up as I have ever seen him, nearly crushed me with a hug. As teams finished and found out we won, half them charged over to give hugs, fist pumps and high fives.
Marvin had a mountain bike race on Sunday so we were suddenly the favorites. Two years ago, I was leading the race and couldn't follow the flagging and ended up on the wrong side of a steep ravine. I helped mark the course Saturday evening with signs, problem solved. We hit that single-track ravine with the lead and only one team close. Came out of it with no sign of anyone behind and jogged through town for an easy win. First time Yukon didn't wait for other teams to catch up.
Even with the double wins, I'm pretty sure my winning percentage in donkey racing is under 10 percent.
I don't like to advertise the
financial side, but this was one of the better prize money weekends. They
created a two-race challenge when they moved them both to Memorial Day
weekend. It was common for the same team to win both races prior to that but
Yukon and I were the first to do it on the same weekend. Each year, the bonus
pot grew. Yukon and I picked up prizes for each win plus an additional sum for
the double. Previous biggest one day payout in burro racing was when a woman
won the overall and first ass over the pass for a payout at the World
Championship.
https://georgetownpackburrorace.itsyourrace.com/Results.aspx?id=12154
https://idahospringspackburrorace.itsyourrace.com/Results.aspx?id=12155
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