It dumped 27-inches of snow on Coal Bank Hill and Molas Pass along the race route in southwestern Colorado the day before the 12th Annual Wiggy's Fun Run but the storm did little to dampen the spirits of an enthusiastic crowd of fifteen runners.

This "fun" run is more like a marathon. Runners start at Cascade Village, just north of Durango Mountain Ski Resort, and run 20 miles over two mountain passes above 10,000-feet on Highway 550, before finishing the run at the Explorer's Club (www.explorersclubsw.com ) in downtown Silverton.

As president of Durango Motorless Transit running club (www.go-dmt.org), I am "in charge" of all the "fun" for this event. I was away from home working all day on Feb.28, but when I arrived home early in the evening, I listened to the barrage of messages on my answering service.

"Are we doing the run tomorrow?" Gerry Geraghty asked.

I called people back and gave them the critical information.

"If the passes are open, we'll run. If they are closed, the run is off," I said.

Coal Bank Hill and Molas Pass had been closed all day due to the classic, southwest Colorado, almost-spring blizzard. Dedicated snowplow crews who risk their lives to keep the road open worked well into mid-evening and the passes were finally opened at 10 p.m.

Sunday morning phone calls dribbled in from sleepy-heads praying that they could get out of their self-made commitment.

"The run is off, right?" Keith Baker asked.

"Sorry, we're on," I gleefully answered.

I've done this run many times but with a fractured sesamoid bone, I was only scheduled to drive support this year.

I arrived at the Cascade Village 15-minutes before the run was scheduled to start and was delighted to find 15 hearty souls ready to run. They wore gloves, hats, balaclavas and jackets. They also carried food and water in their fanny packs. Even though we might have a support driver or two each year, this run is promoted as "No fee, no aid, no wimps, no transportation." Promise them nothing but give them a little has been my other theme for this run. No expectations, no disappointments and no disgruntled runners.

"The run starts in five-minutes," I hollered to cold and deaf ears.

Runners sauntered over and I snapped the obligatory pre-race picture in front of the Cascade Village sign. A large snowplow went by scraping it's large metal blade on the ground and I said, "Three-two-one, go!"

The run starts with a 1/4 mile downhill teaser section. No one complained. Runners began climbing 6-miles to the top of Coal Bank Hill, immediately after the tease. There were a few grunts and otherwise inderterminable sounds from people's cold, shrunk vocal chords.

I waited 30 minutes to start driving over the passes. Most runners would not reach Coal Bank for at least an hour.

I drove by runners on the way up the pass and signaled with a short, friendly beep of the horn.

"You doing OK?" I hollered out the rolled-down window.

My wife, Cathy Tibbetts-Witkes, was participating in her first Wiggy's Fun Run.She smiled as I waved. Tough as nails, I knew she'd do great.

Vic Rudolph and Tom Ober made the summit first and ran off before I could even say hello.

"How much fun are you having," I hollered at the next runner, who had icicles hanging from his face.

"As much fun as possible," the runner yelled back.

The sun came out, the snow started to melt off the streets and most runners turned up the corners of their lips and put on a smile.

All runners finished the wicked course that includes approximately 3,000-feet of elevation gain. This event is strictly fun and no times and places were kept. However, to keep things in perspective, the first runners finished in a little under three hours. Back-of the-packers took well-over 4-hours to finish.

Yes, Wiggy's Fun Run was a blast and if you in the Durango area next year on the last Sunday in February, you, too, can join in. See you next year!

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Marc Witkes, aka "Wiggy", his grammar-school nickname, is a runner and free-lance writer in Durango.