Greetings TR!
Is anyone else planning on racing the SR50? There is currently an active fire West of Leadville that might change things.
Fingers crossed that everything turns out well.
Here’s the update email:
We’ve been closely monitoring the Willow Fire over the past few days. Our hearts are with everyone in Leadville and Lake County who have been affected, especially the first responders working tirelessly to protect our community.
The fire remains active, and evacuations and road closures are still in place in impacted areas. We’re staying in close contact with local officials and partners to understand what this means for this year’s events.
Right now, our focus is on supporting the community and putting safety first. Please avoid affected areas, follow all evacuation orders and road closures, and avoid anything that could interfere with emergency response efforts.
We know many of you are looking for updates, and we’ll continue to share information as it becomes available. Any decisions about this year’s events will be made in coordination with local officials, with the safety of the community and our athletes as our highest priority.
We will provide an update regarding this year’s race no later than Tuesday, July 7.
Thank you for your patience and support during this time!
Things are not looking good.
Saturday, July 4, 2:30 p.m.: The Willow Fire is now burning 2,969 acres and remains 0% contained.
Evacuation zones have grown over the last 48 hours. Last night, new evacuations were ordered for residents on the southern end of the fire area, and this morning, the Lake County Sheriff’s Office placed Zone 9 under a pre-evacuation notice. According to a social media post by the Lake County Sheriff’s Office and the Lake County Office of Emergency Management, Zone 9 encompasses the following areas:
- The area south of Baby Doe Drive
- Southern half of McWethy (From U.S. Highway 24 to County Road 4)
- Community Field + Rodeo Grounds
- First Presbyterian Church
- Dutch Henry Hill
- Leadville Sanitation District Office
- Stringtown
- County Roads 9, 31, 36, 36A, 39
- Elm Street (west of McWethy)
- Rodeway Inn
- Leadville Carwash
- Saturday’s Mercantile
Crews from Lake County Search and Rescue and the Lake County Sheriff’s Office are visiting residents in these zones to notify them, answer questions and explain the pre-evacuation process. Residents are encouraged to gather essential items and continue monitoring updates.
Almost for sure will be cancelled. The start line at Dutch Henry Hill is under pre-evac notice.
Event is cancelled. Here’s the text from the email:
Thank you for your patience as we monitored the Willow Fire over the weekend.
After ongoing discussions with local agencies in Leadville, we have made the difficult decision to cancel the 2026 Silver Rush events.
We know how hard you have trained, planned, and invested in this race, so please know this decision was not an easy one.
Given the air quality, the increase in evacuation and pre-evacuation orders, the strain on our emergency resources, and the safety of our athletes, volunteers, staff, partners, and the Leadville community, this is the right decision for everyone.
We’re grateful for all of the collaboration and guidance from our partners on the ground.