FROM THE HEART WITH GINI RIFKIN: Pack Burro Race

It was a beautiful day in Frederick Colorado for the Miners' Day Celebration and 10 K Pack Burro Race.

Legend holds that the races trace back to an incident in which two miners, finding gold at the same location simultaneously, raced each other to the claims office. Because the burros were too small or loaded with equipment to carry their owners, the miners were forced to run, leading the burros.

Riding the burro is not allowed,

though the human may carry the burro!

The first documented pack burro race was held in 1949, and was the brainchild of local merchants in Fairplay, Colorado. The race was a 22.9-mile trek from Leadville to Fairplay, and the winner was Melville Sutton and his burro Whitey.

The race was created to attract tourists to Fairplay's Gold Days celebration, and to help boost the local economy, which had been struggling after World War II.

The rules for pack burro racing have remained in place since the first race, and include the requirement that the burro must wear a saddle or pannier carrying a shovel, pick, and gold pan. The weight requirement no longer stands.

As in horse racing, there is a Trifecta for pack burro racing held at Fairplay, Leadville, and Buena Vista.

The Fairplay race is 29 miles (47 km) and counts as an ultra-marathon. It takes place in late July as part of Fairplay's Burro Days town festival. The race begins on the main street and goes to the top of Mosquito Pass.

The Leadville race is 22 miles. It takes place the first full weekend of August, typically as part of the Leadville's Boom Days city festival. The race goes to the top of Mosquito Pass, then comes back into town through the California Gulch Mining District.

The Buena Vista race is 12 miles. It typically takes place a week after the Leadville race as part of Buena Vista's Gold Rush Days festival.

The runners and burros need to be in good shape, especially for the higher elevations. As with all events and gatherings involving animals there are unscrupulous people and those without compassion for the animals with winning their only objective. All of the entrants that we saw seemed very conscientious, and proud of and totally in love with their burros.

Donkeys/burros around the world are true beasts of burden and suffer in some very bad situations. Wild burros in America are annually and cruelly rounded up by the BLM-Bureau of Land Management. Some are killed for what is known as "hide glue" to make cosmetics especially in China.