Thousands of spectators lined Leadville’s main street, Harrison Avenue, to catch a streaking glimpse of skijor racers over the weekend.

The sport, originally from Scandinavia, features skiers towed behind galloping horses, competing for the fastest time while grabbing rings and going over jumps. 

While the skijoring event in Leadville, billed as the ‘Grand Daddy of ‘Em All,’ goes back to 1949, the competition is better than ever.

“The whole level has been bumped up… The speeds are going up, the horse speeds are going up, the whole thing is just accelerating,” professional skier and skijor racer Jim Ryan said.

Not only is the actual speed increasing, roughly 40 mph for top competitors, so is the sport’s competition. Racers used to be able to sign up just a day or two in advance of events.

“Now you have to sign up eight minutes after registration opens, three months ago. People want to race,” Ryan added.

The growing competition in Leadville may be just the start, however. There’s now a push to get the sport included as a demonstration sport in the 2034 Winter Olympics to be held in Utah.