After eighteen years of Colorado’s TransRockies Run, 2025 marked the final edition. While there are many names and faces who have come to know and appreciate the uniqueness of this epic stage race, no one did so more than “luggage boss” Robert Sherburn, a.k.a. “Sherbs.”
For the past nine years, Sherbs has worked for the event leading luggage crews that carry participants bags to each of the six stages spanning 120 miles across the Colorado Rocky Mountains. He’s connected with runners from around the world and dedicated himself fully to one of the most exciting and fun events trail running has offered.
For runners who have participated in the TransRockies Run in the past nine years, chances are good that they remember the outgoing and positive Sherbs working tirelessly to better their own race experiences from the sideline. But in the final edition of the race in 2025, Sherbs participated in the TransRockies Run for the first time. “My tank was empty, but my cup was full,” said Sherbs, who was bittersweet after completing the intense six day running challenge he’d dedicated nearly a decade of his life to. “I’m so appreciative and grateful for the experiences I’ve had with this race, and finally getting to run it myself. Meeting the people of this race and being associated with a great event for so long means a lot to me. At the same time, after finishing, I couldn’t have been more physically drained!”
Read more about the TransRockies Run from our article here.
Cumulative fatigue
While TransRockies has the reputation of being a fun “party” style event, it is also a serious physical challenge. Over the course of six days, participants cover 120 miles on technical terrain in the Rocky Mountains. Stages begin in iconic Colorado mountain towns including Leadville, Vail and Buena Vista, and reach elevations on high mountain passes at nearly 13,000 feet. Each stage ranges between half marathon and marathon distances.
Sherbs may have witnessed firsthand the challenges of the race itself, but had little idea how to prepare for it himself. He hired professional athlete, Brittany Peterson, to coach him for the race, “I followed her training plan, did all the workouts the best I could (I might have missed a handful along the way, but I got the hard ones done!). I felt good going into the race but I still feel like I got it handed to me!”
Sherbs recalls his fatigue on the final day, “The last day was the hardest for sure. There was smoke in the air from wildfires, plus the cumulative effect of six days of nonsense. I mean that word ‘nonsense’ jokingly, but it was so hard!”
While Sherbs felt well trained for the event, it was much more difficult than he expected, “For the nine years I’ve been with this race, I’ve gained inspiration from folks of all shapes and sizes who toe the line at this race. I thought to myself ‘I can do this’ but learned it’s such a different experience when you’re doing it.”
Sherbs, who is based in Dallas, TX, admits the altitude was also a considerable challenge, “I only live at 500 feet, and this race reaches extreme altitudes nearly every day. That was one major hurdle.”
Heavy loads
Even though Sherbs was off-duty from his usual ‘luggage boss’ position in 2025, he couldn’t help but carry a few loads. “There was one day where I saw the luggage crew was in the weeds and I picked up ten or so bags off the ground. Other than that though, I reminded myself that the torch has passed.”
The runner’s job to complete 120 miles across six days is certainly demanding, but perhaps an equally impressive physical challenge is carrying bags. Runner bags can weigh as much as 70 pounds, and with 600 total runners, that makes for long days of heavy loading and unloading. “You certainly have to be careful not to do harm to yourself or somebody else if you’re tossing bags and they’re not paying attention.”
With over 150 crew and volunteers, TransRockies is a difficult event to organize and manage. Sherbs speaks of the challenge of the job he mastered as well as that of every other race official and volunteer at TransRockies, “I’ve been whooped by the luggage crew job, but year after year got better and more efficient. Honestly, though, there’s no easy job. It doesn’t matter if you’re on tent, catering or finish line crews, every job is demanding from sun up to sundown.”
Sherbs used his luggage boss endurance mindset to assist him through the race, “I did my best to play it smart. I would tell my luggage crew, don’t show me what you got on day one. Show me what you got on day six.” Sherbs took his own message to heart.
TransRockies Transition
It’s the end of an era for the TransRockies Run, but not the end of the TransRockies Race Series. In addition to this classic Colorado run, the Canada-based TransRockies Race Series hosts trail running as well as mountain, gravel, and road biking events (see all their events here) across Canada and the US. The three day TransRockies Run Pass to Pub, which will be held July 19 to 21, 2026, is the closest event to the original TransRockies Run. Though three days shorter, it will still showcase some of the same epic destinations and community feel.
“The six day model can be very difficult, and three days is much more doable logistically,” said Sherbs. He continued, “On the crew side of things, it was never only a six day event. Travel, logistics, vehicle pick up and drop off, food and drink management, and so on turned the event into a ten to two week ordeal.”
But the work doesn’t mean it wasn’t worth it. “The people in the race are like family,” said Sherbs, who watched the race owner’s children grow up over the years of racing. “It’s one of the greatest privileges of my life to be a part of TransRockies. What it’s done for me, and the joy it’s brought, the hardships and everything in being there for half of the time the race has existed has been so worthwhile.”
In addition to his work for TransRockies, Sherbs is an American Trail Running Association (ATRA) event specialist. He has worked various events for ATRA at events including the Broken Arrow Skyrace, US Trail Running Conference, The Running Event, and many others. As well, he recently wrote a gear review of Mudroom’s Intermodal backpack which you can read here.
