If you ever find yourself strolling through Vernon County, you'll find a landscape packed full of twists and turns, peaks and valleys.
Roger Pedretti
Well, we don't have any altitude here, but we don't have any flat either. So, whenever we're running, we're up and down hills wherever we go.
hooves clomping
Roger Pedretti
Making the phrase, "Slow and steady wins the race..." Get up there....Kind of a necessity in these parts. - Yah, yah! Unless, of course, you're Roger Pedretti and his long-time running mate, Samaritan. Yah, yah!
clicks tongue
Roger Pedretti
Get up there! They employ a more... colorful technique. Yah! When it comes to race time, he knows what it's all about, and he wants to haul ass, basically. That's what he wants to do.
playful country music
Roger Pedretti
Roger and Samaritan have been navigating these dusty countryside roads together for close to 17 years. People stop and say, "What are you doing? I say, "We're going to do a race." "A race? You're going to ride 'em?" And see, a lot of people think you ride these animals. We don't ride em. Pack burro, or small donkey racing, originated in Colorado, and is associated with the state's strong history of mining. So, the burro race is a runner and the burro. The burro has to have a pack saddle equipped with the mining tools because it's a tradition of the miners out in the mountains of Colorado. You have a 15-foot rope. It can't be longer than that. It can be shorter, but it can't be longer than a 15-foot lead rope, and you run together as a team.
crowd cheering
Roger Pedretti
Go, Roger. Go. Together, Roger and Samaritan have competed in races all across the Western United States. He's won races. He's finished top 10 in almost every race he's ever been in. When he gets to the start line, he's 750 pounds of muscle that wants to haul me away, and it's all I can do to hold on to him. See, if he gets leverage on me, I can't hold him. According to Roger... - Come on. The key to success isn't necessarily running the fastest. Now, I need my gloves. Come on. It's making sure you and your partner share the same strategy. Here we go, come on! You know, these guys are smart. If they think they can get by with something like taking a wrong turn or maybe slowing down and have a bite of grass or something like that, they'll do it. Uh-oh! This is not good! I've gotten dragged on the mountain a little bit, cracked the ribs, still finished the race as well. Our motto is kind of "Start 'em, finish 'em!" you know. You never know what can happen in between.
hooves clomping
Roger Pedretti
Burros seem to prefer running together.
Western music
Roger Pedretti
And apparently, so do Pedrettis. Roger's brother Rick began running in 2011.
Rick Pedretti
They'll train better if you have a few animals. Two of them or three of them, or four of them together is a lot better than one to run with. And from there, Pedrettis started showing up in droves to race. We've had my daughter race. We've had Rick's wife and Randy's wife both race, so it's really become a family affair. And our nephews. Yeah, and our two nephews, as well. Can't forget them.
twangy rock music
Rick Pedretti
We are the Wisconsin Pack Burro Association right here. For both Roger and Rick, it's a chance to hand over the reins to the next generation of racer.
Roger
I turned 60 today, so my game is as good as it's going to get.
Rick
Yeah, I'm with Roger. It's hard to up our games. We're just happy to maintain it. Keep moving. Happy to be able to keep moving. Although the wear and tear of racing can take its toll... It's a rock right there....Roger has no plans to stop anytime soon. When I can't run anymore, I'll still train the animals because those nephews are only eighteen. They have many years left to run, so I'll be doing it until-- at least till I hit the wheelchair.
clicking tongue
Rick
Relying on an extra 700 pounds worth of motivation to help keep him going. Well, I always say, "After you run with a burro, everything else is just running." Let's go!
clicking tongue
Rick
It's a lot more exciting and a lot, you know, a lot more going on than just going out for a run by yourself. Come on!
clicking tongue
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