Race Report: Leadville Trail 100 Run, August 17, 2024

 “Being brave means knowing that when you fail, you don’t fail forever.” 

This race report was put off for 3 months, and then it took another 2 months to complete. It took that long for me to critically review this event, and my personal experience with it, as a whole. We'll get to the story in my race recap. But for this moment, let's talk about the marquee event that is the Leadville Trail 100!

The "race across the sky" was established in in 1983 as a way to stimulate the local economy of the small mining town of Leadville, after the local mine closed and took 95% of the town's jobs to the grave with it. The couse isn't technical, but starts at 10,200 ft elevation and climbs up to 12,600 on Hope Pass, the crux of the course. It became a staple in the ultrasmarathon circuit with the big names of the 90's and early 2000's competing, and has been part of the Grand Slam of Ultramarathons since 1987. Although the race remains popular, especially in the circle of "fitfluencers," the pro field depth has decreased in the past 10 years. That doesn't make it any less of an incredible challenge for those of us in the amateur fields as we fight to be in the historic 44-48% of starters to finish the race. In fact, the popularity of Leadville in the influencer scene makes this even more appealing to the masses. Athletes of almost every sport have at least heard of the Leadville 100, making this race one that crosses into legend status. 

Race website: https://www.leadvilleraceseries.com/run/leadvilletrail100run-2/

Location: ★★★★★

I mean... this is Leadville. Leadville is legendary in the endurance sport world. People flock there to train, race, and even live. The town is very well equipped for this population, boasting a main street filled with outdoor stores and cafes. There is significantly more to cater to the ultrarunner than you would expect from a mountain town. Still, it is a small mountain town so plan to do your major shopping 40 minutes away in Silverton. 

There's not a ton of hotels, but they exist. There's also a growing number of AirBnBs, although they tend to be a bit pricier (plan for $250-$500/night in August). If you're looking for cheaper amentities, consider Silverton (a larger volume of hotels) or if you're really wild, you can camp in Twin Lakes. 

I was worried about cell tower overload with the population growing exponentially in the week leading up to the race. In reality, the town kept up quite well with demand.  

Leadville is a short 2 hours from the Denver airport, making it easy to get into from almost any major city in the US. Denver rental cars are a bit of a disaster, but Turo serves the area as well and I have found them to be reliable.

Organization: ★★★☆☆

The Lifetime race organization series has come under scrutiny again and again not only in the running community, but the cycling community as well. I felt that Lifetime did an amazing job with camp and the athletes were well cared-for. I cannot say the same thing for The Leadville Trail 100.

First of all, crews were banned from Mayqueen outbound. This aid station sits 12.9 miles into the race. It may be easy to to say "hey, people don't need crew support that early!" which... could be true, but if this is the case, then that aid station needs to be well stocked an organized. When I came through with the 25-hour-hopefuls (a large continengent of the race early on), we found one jug of water, 2 volunteers, and a literal pile of drop bags with no organization whatsoever. This lead to a ton of stress as people had to wait in line to fill water bottles, couldn't find their drop bags, and attempted to stash night gear as drop bags were too hidden to get to. 

This year, there was a crew limit at Twin Lakes to reduce congestion, and there was a shuttle system. However, this lead to quite a lot of stress for quite a lot of crews waiting prolonged periods in shuttle lines. It was very frusrating that the fitfluencer contingent still got to have their 8-10 person videography teams, whereas normal athletes had to barter and trade tickets with each other to get an extra crew member into Twin Lakes. 

While we are on the topic of fitfluencers (how many times can I use that word?), it was disappointing to see videography crews completely disregard the safety and experience of other runners. I was actually run into by a videographer, and saw many other people have their paths cut across by folks aiming for that perfect shot for youtube. 

Lifetime uses a LOT of volunteers and I am 1000% grateful for those volunteers. But there comes a point where you do need to have paid staff and not just volunteers overseeing aid stations. The very last person to come through an aid station needs that food/resupply MORE than the faster people who have been on course for less time. Having the rear guard arrive to nearly empty aid stations is a big shortcoming.

The course did feel like it would have a smaller footprint with fewer athletes. I'm not one for gatekeeping, but I do think this may be an event best maximized out at 500 runners instead of 900. 

Still, despite the shortcomings, overall this is a professionally-run event. The course is marked excellently, the pre-race communication is dialed, and the expo is fantastic. There are dinners and events the week leading up to the race if you're the social type. And, I'd be remiss if I didn't spotlight the incredible work by the Leadville Trail 100 Legacy Foundation and the Dream Chasers! https://www.leadvilletrail100legacy.org/about-6-1

Course: ★★★★☆

People run Leadville Trail 100 because it is an incredible event steeped in history, not because it's the coolest course out there. The course is a mix of gravel roads, two track, single track and even a few miles of pavement. It's an out-and-back, with the turnaround on the crux of the course (Hope Pass) so you are doing most of the passing on the section of trail that lends itself the most poorly to it. The course spotlights sections of the Colorado Trail, along with experiencing old growth forests, mountain meadows, rocky wind-swept ridges, and everything in between. The majority of the course is very runnable if you dial back the efforts on the mountain sections. 

There are 12 aid stations on the route, 7 of which your crew can be at (although Pipeline is only 3 miles from Outward Bound, so most people will have their crews skip that one for a total of 5 crew check-points). The longest stretch between aid is 12.9 miles, and the shortest is 3.

The course starts in downtown Leadville at an elevation of 10,200 ft. You dip just below 9,000 ft in Twin Lakes, then climb to 12,600 ft at Hope Pass. Then, you flip it around and do the whole thing in reverse on an out and back.

Food: ★★★☆☆

Standard ultra-fare: Gu products, water, broth, ramen, mashed potatos, sweet and salty crunchy snacks. There was a great variety when I came through the aid stations, and I was very impressed with how much was available at Hopeless, where it had to be packed up by humans and llamas! 

My race: 

I was fortunate enough to have the most stacked crew I've ever had for this event! My husband, sister-in-law, coach, her boyfriend, and our college friend Kyle all showed up in a huge way. Our friends David and Emily even drove in the day of the race from Denver to cheer me on at Outward Bound. With such a stacked crew, I was able to have a support team at Twin Lakes as well as at Outward Bound while allowing both teams to have a bit of a break. 

I flew into Denver early -- Monday morning! I wanted to set myself up for success and give me a bit of extra time to acclimate. I spent the week working on my master's progam dissertation and hanging out at the AirBnB in Leadville. Thursday night, Bobby and Summer arrived and we spent some time together on Friday around the expo. Friday night, Kyle arrived. 

Saturday morning, race morning: I was up EARLY. And by early, I mean up at 1:50 am. I was eating and getting in fluids/caffeine by 2am. I got down a sugar free monster energy drink (12 oz), liquid IV (16 oz), bagel with peanut butter and jelly. I checked my phone for the encouraging texts and messages from friends and family the night before, but stayed off the socials. I was feeling calm and ready.

Bobby and Kyle walked me down to the start. Summer met us there. Adam and Dan were there too, but I missed them! The start was a little chilly, around 44 degrees, so I wore sweatpants and fleece on the walk down. We talked about my mantras for race day. I lined up near some of my camp friends. I had no real nerves at the start. I had visualized this so many times. Now I was just ready to do the thing. I took some deep breaths. There was a guy eating peanut butter nearby, and the smell penetrated my conciousness. I focused on the dark morning with a thousand headlamps from runners and spectators and the lights set up along the road in downtown Leadville. There was a countdown, and BAM. The rifle shot split the air and we were off.

The first two miles of this race are paved and downhill. The lugs of my speedgoats stick a bit on pavement, and I focused on that sound and sensation. I was trying to stay conservative through the first few miles. The first bit is very runnable, with no walking until the steep little powerline section going into turquoise lake trail. Turquoise lake was so fun. This is the terrain that I live for -- fun flowy single track, not that congested. I was breathing easy. Chatted with a girl named Hannah for a while but she was more aggressive than I was with passing other runners so I lost her after about 4 miles.

Mayqueen a bit wild. There were only 2 volunteers there, and only one Igloo jug of water. Drop bags were scattered on a tarp in no particular organizational scheme, and there weren't yet volunteers to help sift through them. As a whole bunch of hopped-up runners 12 miles into a 100-mile race crashed into the aid station, it was mayhem. There were runners everywhere, snapping at each other, the race organizers, and even the volunteers. My hands were very cold and I couldn't get my bottles out of my pack. I asked one of the volunteers to help me, which she gladly did. I couldn't get my gloves back on after this. My hands were swollen, dark and sore with the cold. I focused my breath into my hands and told myself in 10 hours I'd be wishing for the cold again. 

I kept a controlled walk/jog up the road and into the Colorado Trail section. Had some great conversations with cool people here. My heart was bursting with love as I knew I'd be seeing my friends at Outward Bound in no time! My knee that had been injured at Speedgoat was a bit sore coming down power line, so I tried to really be overly conservative here. The last 1.5 paved miles into Outward Bound I was so happy, stoked to see my people. I wanted to hear all about their day and kept telling myself I needed to to stay focused. I swapped out my arm warmers for sun sleeves and got my sunglasses. My next crewed stop would be well into the heat of the day.

The portapotty at Pipeline was a godsend as the day warmed up. I was crushing the walk/jog game through this section. Patient on the downhills, powerhiking those uphills. The woodsy smell of running through a pine stand was overwhelming and I found myself just smiling as I surveyed the forest. All wasn't quite right, though. There was an inkling of what was to come. I noticed that I really stopped taking in my infinite here. I drank my regular water but only about a third of the infinite, belly just felt off and I was progressively slightly nauseous coming into twin lakes.

I was stoked to see my people at Twin Lakes! I refilled/refueled, grabbed a Tylenol and my trekking poles. I changed shoes and socks, and sipped a bit of a coca-cola. My spirits could not have been higher as I said: "I'll see you in 7 hours!"

Hiking up Hope, I felt really nauseous and my spirits dipped a little. There was a rippling creek and we were walking through a beautiful green forest, but I wasn't reveling in the sights anymore. I stopped and took an ondansetron 1 mile into the climb. I was able to keep moving, but was feeling ill. Suddenly, I wasn't in the woods anymore -- I was in a pasture with wildflowers that looked like it was straight out of a storybook. I was at the Hopeless aid station, and there was a literal herd of pack llamas grazing as I passed. The llamas are an important part of the day, as they haul up the aid station supplies. I didn't spend much time here -- I wanted to get to lower elevation as soon as possible. The descent was rocky and barren, for a few miles, then we were back in the woods. I felt a bit better coming into Winfield, but realized I had only taken in 1 hours worth of nutrition in the past 3.5 hours. I tried to get in some salt with a bit of broth, and then headed back out.

It was very challenging going back out with so many coming down as I went up. This was rough climbing and the path was rocky and narrow, making two-way traffic a dance. About 1 mile from the top, I finally threw up everything and felt a little better. I continued to sit for 20-30 second breathers every few minutes, and would dry heave every time I stood up or climbed for more than a few minutes, but I finally made it to the Hopeless aid. I drank some more broth and sat for a few minutes to make sure the fluids stayed in. Then I started jogging down and I felt better and better as I got lower. 

My spirits were high, but my body was shutting down. As I approached Twin Lakes, I knew I was running ahead of target time. My knees were a bit swollen and sore at this point, but I had expected that. Overall I was still moving soundly. Calorically, I knew I was approaching the point of no return. What I didn't realize is that I had already passed it. My plan was to sit at twin lakes for 20 min and get down 400 calories. I plopped into the camp chair and told my crew what I was feeling. I got in some caffeine and a Tylenol. Unfortunately, I had no more ondansetron because I’d already taken it. I instead took three amino capsules and a pepto bismol. I got on my night layers and felt so sick as I stood up. I threw up the meds and all the fluid I had gotten down walking to the official aid. Again, I sat for another 20 minutes and got in some mashed potatoes and broth. Erin was here to pace me, and together we started walking up and out of twin lakes. I made it about 0.2 miles up the first climb before the entire contents of my stomach splattered onto the rocks. I sat for a minute (or five, time wasn't real to me anymore). Then I started walking again. I was so dizzy and so weak and nauseous. Eventually, I realized that we had gone about 1 mile in 40 minutes and I was growing weaker by the minute. I started to feel like I couldn’t go up or down the mountain and started to panic. I was 7 miles away from the next aid station, and 2 miles from the previous one. That was the end of my day. As I sat on the side of the trail and cried, Erin called Bobby. She began to physically pull and eventually even carried me for sections off the mountain until I regained enough strength to walk. Bobby and Kyle ran up to meet us and ultimately got me into the Leadville emergency room, where I spent the night with a bunch of other very sad runners.

This was the most heartbreaking DNF. I was more committed to this race than I have ever committed. I had visualized the last mile and the red carpet and the tears and the hugs for 8 months, and because its unfinished theres a part of me that feels incomplete. Leadville still holds a strong power over me, and I know that I'll go back to re-write the ending of this story.  

The miles I ran with joy, I couldn't have done without the love of my life, my greatest supporter, Bobby. The best sister I could every ask for, Summer. My friend Kyle, who has once again gone above and beyond. My coach and friend Erin, who walked through the darkest moments with me. Adam, who was a vital part of the support team but who ultimately helped me re-define what is possible and heal from Leadville. And to those of you still reading, thank you! 

Nutrition: 

I had my first bad time with Infinit. After having some palate fatigue on the Women's Go-Far (grape flavor) at Speedgoat, I brought a second option: Go-Far pink lemonade. I switched between these two flavors for the duration of the race. I also took advantage of the broth available at the aid stations (not great for calories, but good salty fluid) and a few solids (pringles and fig newtons). Some mashed potatoes at Twin Lakes were a real joy while they lasted. Nutrition for these longer events is something that I need to figure out.  

Gear: 

I ran with front-loading double 20oz Nathan (pinnacle) pack, then swapped to the 2L back loaded Nathan (Vapor) hydration pack,

Trekking poles: I used my Leki Micro Vario Carbon Pole -- Women's. I didn't pickup poles under Twin Lakes outbound, as I knew I wouldn't use them much in the earlier stages. They were an absolutel necessity for me in trekking up and over Hope Pass twice. They saved me from many falls coming back down into Hope Pass when I was suffering from altitude and fatigued.  

I utilized my Hoka Speedgoats for footwear. I changed shoes at Twin Lakes both times, just trying to make sure I kept dry feet coming out ot that swampy section at the base of the pass. 

Sun wear was my Pearl Izumi Sun Sleeves and Hoka ice bandana. I loved having the extra protection from the high altiutude sun. 

Night layering choice was the Patagonia Houdini jacket. Lighting was the Petzl Swift RL headlamp. I switched from shorts to tights (just some classic underarmor tights that are about 12 years old). 

Alternative use for a buff turned out to be great for wiping puke off my face -- note for future, bring a buff to wrap around my wrist! That was a pro tip for sure.