ASHLEE Sack plans on spending her birthday weekend doing some of her favorite things with her most favorite people.
Sack and her two sons will be heading to the San Luis Valley to participate in the annual Rio Frio 5K run later this month. It’s become an annual trip that allows the Sack family to experience more of their southern Colorado backyard in the family’s never-ending quest for outdoor adventures.
That this year’s race falls on her birthday weekend of Jan. 27 makes the 2023 event even more special.
“It’s fun to have a birthday run!” she said.
“Me and my boys love to have an adventure. A million thank-yous to the organizers for putting this on.”
In fact Ashlee and her sons, Blaine, 10, and Callum, 9, make two annual trips into the San Luis Valley – one for the Rio Frio and then again in May for the Rio Trio adventure-style triathlon.
Both events are held on the Rio Grande as part of the city of Alamosa’s efforts to draw in more recreationalists for outdoor fun along the river. “One Iconic River, Two Epic Races” is how Alamosa Parks and Recreation bills the events to draw in participants like the Sacks.
For Ashlee and her sons, they’re all in. Sometimes her husband, Ben, will make the trip if he’s not too busy with his own work in the rafting industry of Fremont County. But for sure, her boys are always game.
“The ability to pack my kids up, go camping, and go visit a single-track trail system that I feel comfortable on is incredible. It makes our trip even richer.”
She knows a thing or two about trail development and organizing events. The transplant from San Luis Obispo, CA, is coordinator of Fremont Adventure Recreation, a nonprofit in Canon City that promotes healthy living through outdoor recreation in the Royal Gorge region.
As someone who is familiar and follows the work of SLV GO! and its trail-building and outdoor recreation and conservation efforts, Sack appreciates how Alamosa and the San Luis Valley have latched onto the outdoor lifestyle as a way to attract in neighboring residents like her and her boys.
“A sustainable and responsible trail system within a community I think is fantastic. The development of single-track trails is phenomenal,” she said.
She is training for her first half-marathon later this year, and so the Rio Frio 5K gives her an event to use as another training day. With her sons coming along, it’ll be icing on the birthday cake.
MORE ON RIO FRIO
The Rio Frio is more than the 5K run that Ashlee Sack and her family and friends do. It’s also the ice sculptures being carved out along downtown Alamosa, and the Cross Country Luminara Ski, and disc golf, and the Kiwanis Air Band competition, and the polar plunge, and more.
Here is the full lineup of activities over three days.
It’s also doubtful there will be any running on the Rio Grande itself as organizers originally envisioned when they created the event. The weather is too warm for the Rio Grande to freeze solid enough to run on, and so organizers use Blanca Vista Park as the portion of the race that is run on ice.
You can register here for both the Rio Frio and the Rio Trio.
