It’s not baseball. Not football. Not hockey. Not basketball, cycling, golf or pickleball (though that last one sure is getting popular). It’s not even mountain climbing.

Colorado’s state sport?

Burro racing.

The technical term is “state summer heritage sport,” according to legislation from 2012. It is a designation no other state claims. Which speaks to the proud, peculiar tradition here.

Runners dash many miles through the hills with their stubborn donkeys. Governed by the Western Pack Burro Ass-ociation (WPBA), Colorado hosts several contests every summer, attracting dozens of fit, adventurous athletes.

“This is NOT just a foot race,” warns the deeply rooted ass-ociation that lobbied for that 2012 legislation. “Even the fastest racer can be humbled by his running partner — equus asinus.”

The burro at any moment might charge ahead, like a competitor on a mission. Or, one might just stay put, unmoving and content.

“What we want to do in this sport is show people the true grit of the animal not known for cooperating, and also that human spirit,” Brad Wann, speaking for the WPBA, once told us.

Also: “It’s about keeping history alive,” said Bill Lee, one of the sport’s long-bearded, long-going ambassadors.

It’s about paying tribute to the early explorers and prospectors who relied on pack burros to navigate the mountains as Colorado was coming into being. And it’s about having fun. The races transform historic mining towns into festive environments for weekends.

“We are smile creators,” Wann was pleased to say.

Mark your summer calendar for races around the state, including the sport’s famed Triple Crown. More information can be found online at packburroracing.com/races.

June 11: Creede Donkey Dash

July 16: Greenland Open Space Pack Burro Races, near Larkspur

July 31: Burro Days in Fairplay

Aug. 7: Leadville Boom Days

Aug. 14: Gold Rush Days in Buena Vista

Sept. 10: Victor Burro Racing Gold Rush Challenge

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