Teaser Graphs:
Certain people leave an indelible mark on your memory, regardless how brief the meeting. Anton (Tony) Krupicka (pronounced "krew-PITCH-kuh") is one of those people. I first met him at the beginning of the Estes Park Marathon in June 2006. Perhaps it was his long hair and scraggly beard--making him look like a very fast hippy--that made him stand out from the five-man lead pack as we took off from the starting line of the nation's highest paved marathon. Maybe it was his ultra-minimalist approach: He wore only a beat-up pair of Nike waffle racers and frayed split shorts. Maybe it was his young, energetic brashness: I remember talking with him about the benefits of going light; that is, until he dusted our group before mile two. He went on to win the race in what remains the course record of 2:45:02.
Two months later, when I showed up to pace a friend at the Half Moon checkpoint, about three-quarters into the Leadville Trail 100, there was a palpable buzz about some young gun who was ripping up the course, leading second place by almost two hours. When I heard that people were calling him "Tarzan," I suspected he was my man Krupicka from the Estes race. Sure enough, Krupicka soon ran by in his signature style, bare-backed with his long hair flowing behind him in the mountain air. He ended up blowing away the field, winning in the second-fastest time ever. A year later, having won Leadville again 45 minutes faster than in 2006, people are starting to know his name, although for most purposes, "Tarzan" will do.
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