Winning the Day, not the Race

She said, "This is our time", she said, "This is our place.

This is the space my heart wants to be.”

Early on Saturday morning March 17th, Burgeon Athlete Alex Roberts started her first Tuckerman Inferno Race.  She was doing it solo, as opposed to part of a team,  to see if she could finish the grueling course on her own.

The Tuckerman Inferno is a daunting challenge - a six mile fat bike, a six mile cross country ski, a five mile snowshoe, a 2.4 mile trail run and a ski mountaineering course in Tuckerman Ravine.  It’s certainly not for everyone.  The race requires both endurance and expertise in multiple outdoor skills.

To cut to the chase, Alex did not win the race, but that is not the point.  These are the salient points of the day to remember.  Her boyfriend packed and organized her gear so that she would have everything she needed, when she needed it.  Several of her friends hiked up to Tuckerman Ravine to watch her compete. They wanted to cheer on their friend in the toughest race in the White Mountains.

The weather for the race was amazing.  So amazing in fact that when Alex saw her friends, she hung out with them for an hour.  She just wanted to bask in the glorious weather with her friends.  She wanted to literally stop and smell the roses (or at least the balsams).  This is the community and esprit de corps we love.  It’s not about being the fastest, the first, et cetera.  It’s about being in a place you love with the people you love.

Alex eventually finished the race – and won the ‘Perseverance’ award for being the last person to complete the course.  She may not have crossed the finish line first, but she definitely made the most of her race.

While Burgeon is a proud sponsor of the Inferno, we are even prouder to make the gear that allows you and your loved ones, friends, and friends you have not yet met get outside and enjoy a gorgeous day in the mountains or wherever you want to be.  

With apologies to Simple Minds, “This is our time, this is our place, this is the space our hearts want to be.”   We hope you are in that place as you read this, and if not, you are there very soon.

Burgeon onward.

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Burgeon Outdoor was founded in 2019.  Burgeon’s mission is to help mountain communities flourish.  Burgeon proudly manufactures premium outdoor apparel in Lincoln, NH.  By manufacturing locally, Burgeon creates year round jobs in the White Mountains.  5% of Burgeon’s sales support its community and environmental efforts. To learn more, please visit our studio at the Village Shops in Lincoln, our website burgeonoutdoor.com or call us at 603-745-7123.