The Leadville Trail 100 is an event that needs to
introduction, but the run camp may just be one of the best-kept secrets in the
finisher's toolkit. For me, registering for camp was two-fold: registration for
camp can get you an entry into the iconic 100 miler in August, so you don't
have to take your chances with the lottery, and the camp would also give me an
opportunity to see what happened to my body at altitude. I think it is safe to
say that this event was life-changing for me.
Think of it as a church camp for ultrarunners. Instead of
the sleep deprivation, hunger and physical exhaustion inflicted on us teenagers
to drive us to the alter under the influence of the Holy Spirit, those same
drivers buy you into the gospel of Leadville. Ken and Merilee Chlouber are our
ministers in this new religion, and their inspirational speeches sure could
rivel many of those given by seminary graduates. We left indoctrinated.
I'm keeping this report on the short side as much of the
content will be covered in the upcoming Leadville Trail 100 post.
Race website: https://www.leadvilleraceseries.com/run/100-run-camp
Location: ★★★★★
Leadville, Colorado is the place of legends. Learning some of the
history of the town during our dinner meetings was fascinating. For a town that
was 100% dependent financially on mining to survive and even thrive after the
closure of the mine is a testament to the power of sports and belief. The
highest city in the US at 10,119 feet elevation, Leadville will leave you
breathless (sorry, I had to make at least one terrible pun). Leadville is a
small town with a single grocery store, a handful of gas stations, a college
and a quaint main street hosting a mix of small restaurants, souvenir shops and
outdoor equipment. Despite the small town nature, we had surprisingly good cell
service and access to the necessities.
Organization: ★★★★★
The Lifetime Race Series team is truly professional. They have pre-event communication and intra-event briefing absolutely dialed. There were some changes to the event that felt a little last-minute, but with the wildfires and variable snowpack, that's not something to hold against the organizers. I always felt like I had just enough information without being overwhelmed.
Course:★★★★★
We got to see most of course, the exception being Twin Lakes to Winfield up and over Hope Pass. Unfortunately due to snowpack at this time of year, and wildfires in the area, this was off limits. The team did an amazing job making an alternate route for day 3 with comparable climbing. I'll give the full course rundown in the upcoming Leadville Trail 100 blog.
Day 1, a night run, was the final 12.6 miles from Mayqueen to the finish. It was cold, dark and drizzling rain. A true experience.
Day 2 was the 27 miles from Mayqueen to Twin Lakes, without going through the cow field of Outward Bound.
Day 3, instead of Hope Pass, was a climbing adventure of 24 miles (and 3400 ft of vert) on the other side of Leadville, partially on the Silver Rush 50 course. A wonderful end to the training camp!
Food: ★★★★★
We were fed so well throughout the weekend. Breakfast was
catered in with a variety of substantial foods like quiche/frittatas and
breakfast meats, along with bagels, yogurt parfaits and fruits for those like
me who were suffering with the altitude. Aid stations were fully stocked with
ultra snacks and plenty of Skratch. Lunches were a huge spread, with a Mediterranean
buffet on day 2 and curry on day 3, right at the end of the runs. Dinners were
an organized sit-down affair that were far fancier than anything I would have
even thought to go out for after a long day on the trails.
I really resent giving 5 stars across the board, but LT100
Run Camp 2024 earned it.
To summarize: If you ever want to run the Leadville Trail
100, I cannot recommend camp highly enough! What an inspiring and educational
experience!
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