Distance today = 46.36 km; Total distance = 6006.74 km; Location = Wellington (10 km south of) – 40 38.365′ N, 105 02.316′ W; Start time = 0849, Finish time = 1544

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/174730197

 Once again, I took the scenic route today; this time so could view historic old Fort Collins, as well as do some country running. I’m glad the rules are flexible and don’t require the most direct route between any two points, otherwise I’d miss too many things that are off to the side.

I started by running up into the first range of foothills of the Rockies, where I was told I’d have a great view of the town. It reminded me of the panorama from the lookout over Springfield in The Simpsons. There was no nuclear reactor in sight, however.

I then ran past the town’s huge stadium. It seemed out proportion for the size of the town. I later saw a placard in a front yard, urging citizens to “Save Hughes Stadium”. I suspect the up-keep of such an enormous stadium is beyond the finances of the town.

From there I headed into the old part of town. As the name suggests, Fort Collins was established as a US Army fort to protect settlers. It was part of a system of fort towns that stretched along the eastern base of the Rockies in the 1800s. It doesn’t look like a fortified town anymore, but I’m sure its big university student population has it under siege a few times each year.

I finally hit a few trails that led me out of the town and on my way to Wellington to finish the day – back to some nice country running.

I passed 6,000 km in total for the world run just before finishing for the day. That means I’ve run 1,006 km in the past 20 days – right on track.