Leadville's 75th Boom Days: Runners Race Burros Up to 13,000 Feet

Picture a full-grown burro standing on Harrison Avenue at ten in the morning. Now picture a runner tied to that burro, and both of them about to sprint 21 miles up toward Mosquito Pass. That is the scene in Leadville the first weekend of August, and it is one of the oldest and strangest things Colorado does.

This is Boom Days, and 2026 marks the 75th one. Friday through Sunday, August 7 through 9. It happens every year the first full weekend of August, up at 10,200 feet in the highest incorporated city in America. Leadville sits in a high valley boxed in by the Sawatch and Mosquito ranges, which happen to hold the tallest peaks in the state. So the backdrop alone is worth the drive.

But most people come for the burros.

The race that makes Leadville famous

Here is the thing about the International Pack Burro Race. It is not a gimmick. It goes back to 1949, and it is the second jewel of the sport's Triple Crown, right alongside the races in Fairplay and Buena Vista. The whole thing is sanctioned by the Western Pack Burro Association, so this is real competition with real rules.

The idea comes straight out of Leadville's mining history. Back in the 1800s, when a miner heard about a claim, he did not stroll over. He ran, and his burro ran with him, loaded down with tools. Whoever got there first staked it. So the modern race keeps that spirit. Athletes run beside their burros carrying traditional mining gear, just like the guys who built this town.

The details, if you want to watch or enter. Registration and equipment check start at 8:00 a.m. Sunday, August 9, right in front of Community Banks of Colorado at 4th and Harrison. That is 505 Harrison Avenue. The long course launches at 10:00 a.m. and the short course goes off at 10:15. Both start with teams pouring down Harrison Avenue before they climb into Leadville's east-side mining district.

Now the long course. This is the one that separates people. It is an authentic 21-mile out-and-back that climbs toward Mosquito Pass, gaining almost 3,000 feet from town until you are standing above 13,000 feet, then dropping all the way back down to the finish. Twenty-one miles at that altitude next to a donkey. I get winded walking up from the parking lot in Leadville, so I have nothing but respect. The short course is more manageable, roughly 6 to 8 miles.

And there is one rule everybody needs to understand. The runner and the burro have to cross the finish line as a unit. It is the burro's nose crossing first that decides the winner, not the human. You can lead the burro or follow it, but you have to stay connected the whole time. So no, you cannot just drop the rope and sprint. The animal is the athlete. You are basically the coach who agreed to run a mountain marathon.

The mining events nobody talks about enough

While the burros are climbing toward the sky, there is another competition happening behind the Elks Lodge on West 4th Street. This is the mining events, and honestly this is the part people miss.

We are talking jackleg drilling, hand mucking, and single and double-hand steel drilling, all for cash prizes. And the jackleg drill? That thing weighs 135 pounds, and competitors have to carry it to the rock and back. One hundred thirty-five pounds. At 10,200 feet. For fun.

These contests are not new either. Mining competitions in Leadville date back to 1885. So when you watch a guy muscle a steel drill into rock, you are watching something this town has been doing for 140 years. That is the real history, told through people who still do the work with their hands.

Everything else going on

Boom Days is a full weekend, not just Sunday. Saturday brings the grand parade straight down Harrison Avenue, and there is a Boomin' Auto Show, motorcycle games, and a pancake breakfast to get you moving.

There is also a pie-eating contest (Hayley keeps threatening to enter me, which is dangerous for both of us), gold panning, live music, and a street fair with more than 100 food and craft booths. So even if you never see a single burro, you will not run out of things to do.

Why it is worth the drive

Leadville is about two hours from Denver, and it is one of those places that does not perform for tourists. It just is what it is. An old silver town that never stopped being a mountain town, sitting higher than almost anywhere you can legally live in America.

The real estate story up here is its own thing. When you are the highest incorporated city in the country, boxed in by fourteeners, your inventory is limited and your seasons are short. But the people who buy in Leadville tend to want exactly this. The altitude, the history, the quiet that a place like Breckenridge lost years ago.

So next weekend, August 7 through 9, they will close down Harrison Avenue, line up the burros, and fire up the jackleg drills for the 75th time. Buckle up and get there early if you want a spot near the start. The nose that crosses first on Sunday takes it, and you will want to see that for yourself.