Over 4,000 athletes competed for $140,000 at the 24th-annual GoPro Mountain Games. What did they do with the cash?

Last weekend in Vail, over 4,000 athletes competed for more than $140,000 in prize money at the 24th-annual GoPro Mountain Games.

Julie Block, director of PR and communications for the Vail Valley Foundation, which organizes the event, said prize money is “one piece of a larger picture of what makes the GoPro Mountain Games such a special experience for athletes.”

“Beyond the purse, we work hard to make sure competitors feel valued from the moment they arrive,” she stated. That includes an athlete gift bag, access to an athlete-only lounge, exclusive Mountains of Music ticket pricing and more. While the elite athlete treatment is one draw — and the courses and competition is certainly another — so is the cash.

“I was just blown away at how good the field was here,” road bike hill climb champion Eric Brunner said before adding, “(it was) a fun vibe out here — good prize purse.”

So, what were winners planning to do with the cash?

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Brunner and Ashley Frye initially figured they would spend their road hill climb winnings to cover travel and lodging expenses from the weekend. Then again, that’s kind of boring.

“(Our friend) Autumn wants to go up to Black Hawk later,” Brunner remarked while waiting for the awards on Sunday.

“Yeah,” Frye agreed with a smile. “Double it or lose it all.”

In the age of 120 grams of carbs an hour, fueling for endurance sports can get expensive.

“I’m spending it all on $8 lattes,” Fry added.

But caffeine, carbs and gas prices aren’t the only things on the rise. The cost of housing is, too.

“Oh, that’s going straight to the mortgage,” Cam Smith said after double-dipping on Sunday morning. The Skimo Olympian won $2,750 in the 10K at 8:45 a.m. and then another $2,000 five hours later in Pepi’s Face-Off.

When you’re still living with mom and dad, you don’t have to worry about those types of loans. After placing third in the Adidas Terrex 20K trail run, recent Eagle Valley High School graduate Dylan Blair initially said his $1,000 paycheck would go towards college expenses. Wait a minute, isn’t Northern Arizona offering this star a scholarship?

“Yes, but I still have to pay a little,” he explained. When notified that Dick’s Sporting Goods has a sale on Nike Vaporfly Next% 3s — a premiere carbon-plated super shoe — an intrigued Blair changed his tune.

“I might invest a little on myself. I might treat myself,” he said. The day’s work wasn’t over after running more than 12 miles and climbing 2,500 feet, though: After his cool down, the 18-year-old had to work an eight-hour shift at Red Sky. Perhaps the money would be best spent taking his family out for dinner to celebrate.

“We’ll see about that,” Blair said with a smirk. “I might just get a dinner for six for myself. I feel pretty hungry right now.”

Tabor and Eli Hemming found the Mountain Games running events to be pretty lucrative, too. The Kremmling couple swept the 20K titles, netting $5,500 in less than two hours of work.

“It does make it a nice drive home,” Tabor said of the husband-wife wins. “You’re both in a good mood.”

The prize money distribution and quantity has changed over the years. For example, five years ago the winner of the 5K trail run received $1,000 while this year’s podium received various Yeti prize packages. In 2022, the Mountain Games offered $130,000 in prize money across all events — $10,000 less than this summer. So, will the number continue to go up?

“Our goal is to create an event where athletes want to show up and compete, year after year,” Block said. “The support of our sponsors makes that possible, and we’re always looking at ways to grow and elevate the athlete experience.”