Rifle Propane Driver Turns Lunch Runs Into Leadville Gold

Glenwood Springs —The wind off the Arkansas River cuts sharp against the face, carrying the scent of pine and damp earth. It’s a quiet kind of silence, broken only by the rhythmic thud of sneakers on pavement and the distant hum of traffic on I-70. This is the rhythm of the valley, a pulse that has kept time for decades.

Mark McReynolds knows this rhythm well. In his early 30s, standing on the edge of middle age, he felt the weight of a life without direction. The daily grind had hollowed him out. He worked as a propane delivery driver, a job that kept him tethered to the ground while his spirit wandered. It was on Webster Hill, just west of Rifle, that he found his anchor. During lunch breaks, he would park his truck and start running. At first, it was mostly walking, interspersed with short bursts of jogging. But persistence is a powerful teacher. Soon, he was covering 3.5 miles in his lunch hour, timing each run, watching the numbers drop.

The Post Independent profiled McReynolds’s journey, highlighting how a simple habit snowballed into a comprehensive athletic lifestyle. Surrounded by friends who were already deep into triathlons and long-distance running, McReynolds expanded his routine. He added lengthy bike rides and began swimming in the Hot Springs Pool every morning. The combination of land and water, exertion and recovery, created a balance that sustained him through years of competition.

His natural gift for distance running shone brightest in the Tri-Glenwood Triathlon and the Doc Holliday 35-mile ultramarathon, where he claimed age-group victories. He even qualified for the national triathlon championships in Hilton Head, South Carolina, and finished the New York City Marathon twice in the mid-1980s. But it was the Leadville Trail 100-mile endurance run in August 1986 that tested his limits. Finishing in 28 hours and 26 minutes, he earned one of Leadville’s coveted gold belt buckles. Yet, he admits to nearly quitting at mile 86.

“I was completely spent and could hardly put one foot in front of the other,” McReynolds recalled. “I got so dehydrated that I started to hallucinate. I thought some of the tree roots stretching across the trail were grass snakes.”

He learned that the race itself is only half the battle. “It’s the long miles in training leading up to the race that are equally as tough,” he said.

Eventually, degenerative disc disease forced surgery in his early 50s, ending his competitive career. But the lifestyle remained. Now, he lifts weights at the Glenwood Springs Community Center, practices yoga, and walks his dog around town. He offers advice to younger runners, urging them to be smart and practice moderation.

“If you don’t do it right, it can tear your body up,” he warned. “With all the success I experienced in running and triathlon, I got to thinking I was cool and things went to my head.”

He stands now, not on a trail, but in the community center, stretching before a session. The miles are behind him, but the movement continues. He takes a deep breath, rolls his shoulders, and steps onto the mat. The day begins.