Elite Trail ultrarunner Dave Mackey suffered severe leg injuries after a fall from a ridge near the summit of Bear Peak in Boulder, Colorado, on Saturday morning. He was evacuated by members of the Rocky Mountain Rescue Group and is recovering in stable condition.
Mackey was coming down a route on the west side of Bear Peak when he stepped on a rock—one he had stepped on hundreds of times, he later told Competitor.com—and it gave way. He reached out for another rock as he was falling, but that gave way as well. After he fell 20 feet over stones and branches, a boulder weighing between 300 and 400 pounds landed on his leg, the tibia and fibula bones of which were already broken.
Mackey, a Hoka-sponsored pro runner who works as a physician assistant, has won U.S. trail running championships for 50K, 50 miles and 100K distance and won the Montrail Cup trail running series in 2004 and 2011. He has set numerous speed records on the trails and mountains of Boulder and previously held the Rim to Rim to Rim record for the 42-mile double-crossing of the Grand Canyon (6:59:57 in 2007). He is an accomplished rock climber and formerly competed on the international adventure racing circuit.
The three-time U.S. ultrarunner of the year said he had planned on doing a fairly typical mountain run up and over several of the big peaks that make up Boulder’s western skyline on Saturday morning. Amid temperatures in the mid-40s and rain in the forecast, he ran up the rolling trails to the base of the mountains and then ran up Shadow Canyon to the top of 8,549-foot South Boulder Peak, the highest peak in Boulder. From there, he ran down a ridgeline and up another trail to Bear Peak (8,461 feet), passing friend and occasional running partner Paul Gross along the way. Mackey continued to the summit of Bear Peak. As he was making his way down a common scrambling route off the west side of Bear Peak just after 8:30 a.m., Mackey stepped on a rock and it gave way. As he began to fall, he grabbed onto another rock that gave way and he started a violent crash of about 20 feet over a mix of rocks and the branches of small mountain shrubbery. A massive rock estimated at 150-200 pounds came to rest on Mackey’s leg, although it is believed the compound fracture to his lower left leg occurred earlier in the fall based on the nature of the injury.
Mackey called for help. Other runners and hikers kept him warm, called 911, and levered the boulder off with a large stick, according to 9News. Fellow Boulder trail runner and climber Bill Wright helped stabilize Mackey before the Rocky Mountain Rescue Group arrived. “If there is a tougher, more badass dude than Dave Mackey, well, I don’t believe that,” he told Competitor. “His ability to stay calm, endure intense pain, and handle a horrific injury was inspiring, astounding, and had everyone involved shaking their heads.”