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18 Facts About Curtis Imrie

1.

Curtis Imrie was particularly noted for his role as an organizer of the pack burro races in small mining towns in the state of Colorado.

2.

Curtis Imrie was a competitor in the pack burro races for more than 40 years and won three world championships in the sport.

3.

Curtis Imrie graduated from Northwestern University and was a member of the wrestling team there.

4.

Curtis Imrie moved to Colorado with his family in 1967, where his family purchased Little Menokin Ranch near Buena Vista, Colorado.

5.

For much of his career and through the end of his life, Curtis Imrie maintained a website that described his three interests, which others have characterized as his "3Ds", "Donkey, Drama, and Democracy".

6.

Curtis Imrie participated in approximately 200 pack burro races, including three world championships that he won.

7.

Curtis Imrie completed ultramarathons such as the Leadville Trail 100.

8.

From his ranch, Curtis Imrie bred donkeys for racing, for endurance, and for competing in animal shows, such as the Colorado State Fair and Bishop Mule Days.

9.

Curtis Imrie's donkeys were sought by the United States Armed Forces for military operations in Afghanistan, when pack animals were needed.

10.

Some of Curtis Imrie's donkeys were purchased by the Federal government of Mexico as part of their program to re-establish burro herds.

11.

Curtis Imrie starred in the film The Rider and the Wolf, with Curtis Imrie portraying mountain biker Mike Rust who disappeared under mysterious circumstances.

12.

Curtis Imrie hosted a radio program "Poetry and Stories", broadcast by KHEN-FM radio.

13.

Curtis Imrie considered his program to be a "one hour happening" that interested people should listen to live, and so the program was never recorded, by Imrie's stipulation.

14.

Curtis Imrie unsuccessfully ran for elected political office in Colorado several times during his career.

15.

Early in his campaigns for elected political office, Curtis Imrie called himself a "dimmicrat" and characterized himself as a progressive politician and an outsider.

16.

Curtis Imrie was initially a member of the Democratic Party and later became an independent politician.

17.

In 2012 and in 2014, Curtis Imrie ran as an independent candidate for the District 60 seat of the Colorado General Assembly.

18.

Curtis Imrie died of a heart attack on January 21,2017, in Denver, Colorado, while preparing a donkey to compete in the National Western Stock Show.