On August 7th this year, runners will commemorate John Colter's 200-mile run for his life from the Blackfoot Indians. Now a running tradition here in Teton Valley for more than three decades, the John Colter Half Marathon & 2-mile Fun Run is set to mark its 34th annual running in 2010, along a course that takes runners along the streets of both the town of Driggs and nearby Alta, Wyoming, in the shadow of the majestic Tetons.

Both the half marathon and the two-mile "fun run" start and finish in Driggs at the Driggs City Park on the corner of First Street and Wallace Avenue. From there, runners follow the city streets westward toward the Wyoming town of Alta, which lies right along the Idaho-Wyoming state line. Once runners hit the turnaround point in Alta, they then head back eastward, back toward the finish line at Driggs City Park.

For more information on the 34th Annual John Colter Half Marathon and Fun Run please go to http://www.tetonvalleychamber.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=156&Itemid=289

In 1808, while trapping beaver Colter and his partner, John Potts, were attacked by Blackfeet Indians. The attackers swarmed on Colter, stripping him naked and taking all his possessions. They killed Potts,  and Colter awaited his own execution. To his puzzlement, they set him free and told him to run. He took off and soon realized this was a game of "human hunt". After running a couple of miles, Colter turned around and killed the only Indian that was close with the native's own spear. He stole his blanket and continued to run until he came to a river. By hiding in the river under a pile of logs, Colter was able to evade his pursuers. He walked and ran the 200 miles back to Fort Raymond, MT with only a blanket for warmth and bark and roots to eat. After eleven days, he stumbled into the stockade, more dead than alive