Colorado Springs has always attracted some of the top athletes in the country but it was a bit of a surprise to see Scott Jurek - arguably the most famous ultra runner in the country - walk into J.T.'s house at the start of the Ponderous Posterior 50K Saturday morning.
"We thought we'd come down and have a good time with the runners in Colorado Springs," Jurek said.
The Ponderous Posterior is the finale of the four-race Fat Ass Series, a loosely organized reason to put in some miles and hang out with friends.
Jurek, who won the Western States 100 - the Superbowl of ultra running - seven consecutive times, recently moved to Boulder from Seattle.
For a a fun event that has "no rules, no entry fee," it certainly drew a talented field of runners.
Jurek was joined by Anton Krupica, one of the country's top ultra runners who used to live in Colorado Springs, plus Manitou Springs' Matt Carpenter, 12-time winner of the Pikes Peak Marathon.
The runners tackled a course designed by J.T., a tough mountain runner in his own right (36th at the 2010 Hard Rock 100), who linked several popular trails together from Garden of the Gods to Williams Canyon, Waldo Canyon, Longs Ranch Road, Intemann Trail and Red Rocks Canyon.