Saturday, August 18, 2012

Leadville Trail 100 Run

Distances: 100 mi (or to be more precise I think it actually was 103 mi)
http://www.leadvilleraceseries.com/page/show/311976-lt-100-mile-run
As I was getting ready for Leadville to be my first 100 miler, other runners told me I choose a doozy to start off. But from my perspective there is no 'easy' 100 miler, may as well start with what you love and I love the high country. With 800 entrants Leadville has more starters than any other 100 I've heard of. This may be partially due to the low entry requirements, specifically it does not require any successful 50 mi finishes or volunteer work prior to the race. Also, coincidentally, less than half of the starters will finish which is a low finish rater even by ultramarathon standards. Lots of people talk up the big climbs, Sugarloaf and Hope Pass, but for me the flat area between those two hills was the most difficult part. It was a nice goal to focus on getting to the top or bottom of a hill, while just marching onto the endless horizon was exceedingly frustrating. The year I raced was the first year they were able to eliminate the dreaded, dusty road leading into the turnaround at Winfield in favor of singletrack trail. While I am generally in favor of more trail having two way traffic on narrow trail 50 miles into the race was challenging. As you'd expect from any 100 that's become an icon over it's 30 year existence the race was very well organized. I especially appreciated the enthusiasm from the townspeople of Leadville and the fact that every aid station had a decent crowd of cheering spectators no matter the hour.

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