DONKEY EXPRESS

These burros aren’t packing, but they will be. Members of New Mexico Pack Burros took advantage of the Saturday morning sun to get their donkeys in shape for the coming racing season.

The members ran with their hoofed companions — sans packs — along the ditches of Albuquerque’s South Valley.

New Mexico Pack Burros, a community of “backcountry packers, pack burro racers and trail runners,” compete in races in which they run alongside their pack-laden companions on mining roads and singletrack trails. Although many of the races are in Colorado, some are in New Mexico, according to group’s website, www.nmpackburros.com.

ROBERTO E. ROSALES/JOURNAL Stan Lundy, left, and Sheila Cunningham run alongside their burros near Valle de Oro National Wildlife Refuge in the South Valley on Saturday morning.

Members of New Mexico Pack Burros treat their donkeys — and themselves — to some exercise Saturday.