Leadville 100 MTB Race Recap
In August of 2023 I was finally able to take on the Leadville Trail 100 MTB race. Below is a recount of my preparation and race day. I wanted to put this all down to make a personal record while it’s still fresh in my mind. My expectation is that this may also be a good guide for a first time Leadville racer, since I know I had many many questions beforehand. I’ll break this down into 4 components, preparationand training, bike and equipment setup, final planning and race day & execution.
PREPARATION & TRAINING
I’ll start with preparation. I had been trying to get in the Leadville Trail 100 MTB Race (LT100) since around 2010. The qualifying events for the race never seemed to line up with my schedule and I had entered the lottery around 4 or 5 times, with no luck. I finally decided that I needed to try one more time since I was turning 50 in 2023. If I made it in, I would be 51 years old on race day by a few weeks. I felt like I had a window I needed to get it done by and I entered the lottery as a team with a good friend of mine, Toby Russell. As it turns out, we found out we got into the lottery around mid-January. At that point I was both elated and kind of freaked out. I had been trying for so long to get into this race and when I finally did, it was a little unnerving. But like we all do, I got to work.
I put the Ouachita Challenge (OC) on my calendar, a great nearly all singletrack race in Arkansas that is around 65 miles. I’d done it 4 times before so I knew the course well and it falls at the end of March so it would be a great first gauge of my strength. I did not do much more than long base rides and quick off-road (less than an hour) single track rides prior to doing the OC. When the time came, I finished the OC in 6:45 which was behind what I thought I’d do. I knew I was going to need to do more than normal for the LT100. At this point I also found out I was starting a new job which would require a 6-day work week well through the end of the year. I had to get organized with my training.
The OC was at the end of March and by mid-April I had not done much in the way of riding in the 3 weeks after the race. With the new job my only options were super early ridesstarting at 5:00am. I knew if I was going to be able to do well, I needed a plan. I started looking around for training plans for the LT100 and found one through Training Peaks. As it turns out, the plan was mostly long base riding, like I had been doing, up until mid-April so it worked out well. I bought a Stages SB2 indoor training bike for indoor riding since I knew I would need one for the interval sessions. Interval sessions are usually full out efforts so it’s nice to be indoors without having to worry about traffic, roads, etc. Also, most plans are all based around your true wattage/power numbers and the training bike had built in power meters, which my others bikes did not have. The trainer’s built in power meter worked out well for this application and I’d highly recommend it.
The training really consisted of 3 types of works outs each week. The overall plan would be a build phase for 3 weeks, and then 1-week recovery. Each week was similar in the workouts; a short hard interval on Tuesday, a recovery ride on Wednesday, longer intervals on Thursday, strength training on Friday and endurance miles on Saturday and Sunday. Last, Monday’s were off days or make up days. The Tuesday short interval rides were around 1 hour, usually at a full out effort. The Wednesday recovery ride wasaround 1 hour, at a very easy pace cruising around. Thursday’slong interval ride was around 1:15 to 1:45 with 10-12-minutehard intervals, not full out, but definitely too hard to speak. Friday a lot of squats and leg work. Saturday and Sunday’s endurance rides were 2-4 hours long and at a pace where you could carry on a conversation. If you know your heart rate zones you could use those instead of power but it’s easier to cheat if you don’t use power. I did almost all my endurance rides outside because they’re a lot more enjoyable that way and the nature of endurance rides made it easier to them outdoors as well. The total time each week was around 9-10 hours.
There were a few weeks I altered the plan and went way longer on the endurance rides. In early June, Toby and I did an 8 hour long 110-mile ride over to Fort Worth and back via the levees. It was a great day and really built my confidence for the amount of time I’d be on the bike. It was also the first time I was able to start testing out my nutrition plan which worked well. In mid-July, I rode out to a local trail by DFW called Northshore. It was a 70-mile ride with about 20 miles of singletrack mixed in with some gravel. I think these super long rides are good to not only ensure you have your equipment and nutrition dialed, but also your mental toughness and how your body will adapt to 6-8 hours on the bike. We do not have any long climbs around DFW and at 600 feet elevation, so there was no option for altitude training. I also limited alcohol intake and really started watching what I ate. I dropped around 15 lbs. from the first part of January to July. Going into the race I would be at 6’3” and 175lbs.
As we got closer to the race I started dialing in my nutrition. Toby recommended GU Roctane drink mix and gelssince that’s what the neutral aid stations use. We figured that if we ran low we could always get refueled at a neutral aid stationwith something that would be familiar; it made a lot of sense. On my test rides I started using the Gu Roctane drink mix and a Gu roctane gel every 30 minutes. I started getting a little sick of the taste of the drink mix though and decided to change up the Gu drink mix for Maurten’s 320 drink mix. This was a good decision going forward because I had zero stomach issues and found the mild flavor of Maurten’s to compliment my 2 gu per hour plan. My plan would be, a four-hour fueling, using 2 bottles of Maurten 320 and a GU every 30 minutes. For hydration I’d use a 70 oz USWE pack which I’ll talk more about later. This gave me 160 calories per hour from Maurten’s, and 200 calories from the GU roctane gels for a total of 360 calories per hour and right at 80 carbohydrates per hour. Total liquid per hour using 2-22oz bottles and a 70 oz bladder of liquid would be right around 28oz. Table is below:
| Hour 1 | Hour2 | Hour 3 | Hour 4 |
Calories |
|
|
|
|
Maurten's 320 | 160 | 160 | 160 | 160 |
Gu Roctane Gel (x2 per hour) | 200 | 200 | 200 | 200 |
Total calories per hour | 360 | 360 | 360 | 360 |
|
|
|
|
|
Carbohydrates |
|
|
|
|
Maurten's 320 | 40 | 40 | 40 | 40 |
Gu Roctane Gel (x2 per hour) | 42 | 42 | 42 | 42 |
Total carbohyrdrates per hour | 82 | 82 | 82 | 82 |
|
|
|
|
|
Liquid |
|
|
|
|
2 x 22 oz bottle (1/2 bottle per hour) | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 |
USWE 70 oz bladder (per 4 hours) | 17.5 | 17.5 | 17.5 | 17.5 |
| 28.5 | 28.5 | 28.5 | 28.5 |
This may seem like unnecessary planning but I knew I needed to have this part dialed in if I wanted to execute my plan of having only 2 planned pitstops, one at Twin Lakes out and the second at Twin Lakes in. The only issue I was concerned about would be if it was a hot day. My liquid intake might be a little light in that case. For this reason, I carried a pack of GU endurolyte capsules with me and figured if it was super-hot, Icould just top off an empty bottle with water at an aid station. In addition, I carried a Hot Shot anti cramp drink/shot with me at all times during the race which ended up being a good decision. Last I started taking supplements. Gu magnesium supplementsbecause I have a history of cramping and N-Zcetyl Cysteine (NAC). NAC is an anti-oxidant that I read about being good for your lungs. I don’t know if it worked, but I figured why not? Last, Toby read about Optagen HP being great for high altitude races so we gave it a shot too. It was more expensive so I only used it for a month. I could tell a difference with it though. On training rides and hard efforts, my heart rate seemed to recover much more quickly. I would recommend it for sure. Next,equipment and race day planning.
BIKE & EQUIPMENT SETUP
I planned on doing the race on my 2018 Cannondale Scalpel. It’s a great bike and I fully intended to be riding it in the LT. During a training ride however, it developed an unusual noise in the bottom bracket. This was around the end of May and I got real nervous thinking it may be down for an extended period. I had issues with it before sourcing parts so I kind ofwent into panic mode. Worrying about a bike failure or repair delay became a real concern and since my bike was 5 years old,I started looking for a new bike. I’m 6’3” and ride XL frames and at 51 years old, comfort is more important than weight. My last 3 mountain bikes were Cannondales, but nothing really fit the bill in their model range. I then came upon Specialized. The Specialized Epic is awesome but I didn’t really want the brain suspension because it’s heavy and gets mixed reviews. Plus, it only has 100mm of travel and this is a bike that I still want to ride for fun the other 364 days of the year. I then looked at the Specialized Epic Evo which ticked all the boxes. 120mm front travel, 110mm rear travel, 180mm rotors for the big downhills and best of all sub 24lbs. The other great thing about it, no proprietary components which made for such a pain on the Cannondale. I really wanted XTR again but seeing as how it included the new Sram XX Eagle SL transmission drivetrain and Level ultimate brakes, I was sold.
When I got the bike, it was perfect. It was my first electronic drivetrain and I loved it. I also found myself really liking the Rockshox suspension. It’s a one time set and forget kind of deal which I actually ended up liking quite a bit. The only thing I changed out were the tires and the grips. After doing a lot of research before the Ouachita Challenge, I ended up choosing the 2.4 WT Maxxis Aspen tires. They held up great in the OC which is way rockier and more technical than anything I’d see at the LT100. Plus, as a pair, they are lighter than the Specialized tires that came oem, by a good ½ lb between the pair. I also changed the grips to Ergon GS1 Evos. I bought an Ergon Pro SM saddle and fully intended to use it, but ultimately decided I like the Body Geometry saddle well enough to keep it. I also used a small Speedsleeve under the seat which carried 2 CO2 inflators, 1 Tublito inner-tube, an inflator air chuck, a Wolftooth tire lever, and a Speed plug. The Epic Evo has a built-in Swat mini tool, chain breaker, and chain link so nothing else was needed. Last, the Specialized cages are terrible. They make it very difficult to remove a bottle and reinstall on the fly. I transferred over my trusty Arundel side pull cages to remedy this. Total bike weight after all the changes was right at 23.6 lbs, pretty darn perfect.
Specialized Epic Evo w/ the Speedlseeve under the saddle
Next up was my on-person clothing and equipment. The biggest issues are contact points. I have a Hincapie kit which is always my go to so no changes there. In addition, I would start the race with Gore standard non-insulated arm warmers. I used Fox ranger gel gloves, which I am a long-timeuser of and last shoes. Shoes were a bit of an issue. I have used the Lake MX238 for years and I will guarantee; there is no more comfortable shoe. I’ve used Giro, LG, Sidi, Shimano, Mavic, you name it; Lake wins for me. However; my old pair of Lakes were pretty beat up and I had and one of the boa laces had broken right before the OC race. I was concerned they could have another failed boa. I ordered a new set of Lake MX238 shoes. When I tried them on, I could tell something was different. Not bad, just different. As it turns out I ordered the blue which has a different, tougher upper. I was used to the supple and faster wearing Ecco leather upper. After a lot of back and forth I decided to order the Lake MX242. It’s a unique looking shoe, with multiple straps on the side that conform to your foot. It’s marketed for people with abnormally shaped feet, but I found it to be perfect for my regularly shaped feet.
My hydration pack was next. I used two USWE Hydro 3 hydration packs. The first one would be used from the race start to the first pit stop at Twin Lakes out, around 40 miles. It would be loaded with a full water bladder, a Hotshot cramp prevention drink, a 2nd Tublito tube, 1 pack of Maurten’s 320 and 2 extra Gu packs. The plan would be to switch to the second USWE pack at the 1st pit stop which would be loaded with a 2/3 full bladder, one Hotshot, and a rain jacket only. On the 2nd pit stop at Twin Lakes inbound, I would switch back to my first USWE which my crew would have topped off with water, leaving the rest of the contents untouched. The thought was that I could make Twin Lakes outbound within 4 hours, and switch the lighter USWE to go up Columbine. Rounding out my personal equipment would be Oakley Sutro glasses, Swiftwick socks and my old Kask Mojito helmet.
FINAL PLANNING
As we started closing in on the date, I listened constantly to every podcast. They were very insightful but towards the end there, they gave me a lot more concern and anxiety than I think was necessary. I understand they are just doing their job for the sake of entertainment, but as Hottie says, I really was starting to get freaked out! Around the end of July, I got confirmation of my corral placement which ended up being Gold corral, or the very first out of 13 corrals. I have held a XC Cat 1 USAC license in the past so this was the explanation for putting me in gold. I felt better about it though because Toby was placed in the same corral for the same reason. We finally figured, oh well, we’re just gonna get passed by a ton of people.
Last thing to do before leaving town would be to download the entire course into my Garmin Edge 1030. I would highly recommend doing this. Garmin’s climbpro feature is incredible and even though I did not look at it much during the race, the beeps alerting you at the beginning and end of each climb are very helpful. The screen basically gives you a visual reference of where you are on the climb, its steepness, and how much further you have until the top. The elevation profile of the course really shows the intensity of each “major” climb. Below is an image of the course profile:
We left the Sunday before the race to give us a total of 6 days acclimatization. Ultimately it would be great if we could spend a few weeks at altitude but that just is not a realistic option with work. I also do not agree with the premise to get there the day before, since I know from experience at high elevation, I feel it that first day. The Sunday before the race, we set out for Westcliffe, CO. Our good friend and newly named crew chief, Bill, would host us in Westcliffe, Colorado. Coming from 600 feet we thought it best to slowly acclimate before going all the way in to the Leadville area and being at 7800 feet, Westcliffe was a perfect spot.
We stayed in Westcliffe for 3 nights and rode every day while there. The first day the altitude was noticeable as expected. I have been at high altitude many times before and knew the first few days would be the toughest. When you’re less than a week out, your training is done and all you can do is ruin your upcoming race through fatigue. The goal is to keep fresh but not overdo it. The rides were no longer than an hour and I stuck to my training plan religiously through this. As they say, “if the hay’s not in the barn by now, it’s not gonna be!” We stayed in Westcliffe til Wednesday morning. During this time, I should also mention, we came way off any kind of diet! It was time for carbs and lots of em! Pastas, rice, you name it, it was every night of the week! Even enjoyed a “Slopper” which is a deconstructed hamburger with chili over the top.
On Wednesday we drove to Twin Lakes where we stayed in our friend, Patrick’s house at 9200 elevation. Patrick had offered up his house back in January, and the driveway exits directly on to the race course! The house was perfect as you could see the Twin Lakes aid station from the front yard. Wednesday afternoon we drove over to Leadville and Pre-road from the starting line of the race. We rode about the first 7 miles of the race course, about 1/3 of the way up the first climb, St Kevin’s (pronounced Keevin’s). We then u turned and followed the final 8 miles of the course back to the finish line. Total time at a super chill pace was around an hour and 20 minutes and I was very glad to have done this. It gave a good idea of the speeds at the start and what you had at the end of the race via “The Boulevard” climb, which I’ll get to more. Thursday we took all day off and went back into Leadville to pick up our racer packets.
That afternoon Toby and I held the first ever“torque party”, a made-up term where you go top to bottom on your bike and torque down every single bolt, including the bolts on your shoe cleats! I’d highly recommend doing this, I’ve heard of many people losing their whole day because of a loose bolt, pedal, you name it. We ate huge spaghetti Thursday night. Friday it was back to Leadville for the racer’s meeting, which really starts to get the excitement going. The founders of the race Ken and Merilee Choubler speak about how the race came about, basically a last ditch effort to save their town of Leadville after the area mines were closed. They are well known in the mtb community and their pre race speeches are legendary. It was a great experience to see them live and be a part of the Leadville family. We wandered back through the expo once more and then headed back home. We made a big pot of rice and grilled chicken teriyaki for dinner and went to bed around 8:30. Tomorrow would be the culmination of 8 months of training and planning.
The view from our Twin Lakes house, the aid station is on the far left at the base of the tress. Also, the
Highest point of the race Columbine climb is in the background.
RACE DAY & EXECUTION!
I was up at 3:45AM which was more sleep than I expected. I rarely sleep well the night before races, and they say it doesn’t matter, but for some reason I slept pretty well. I made my usualoatmeal breakfast with bananas and had my coffee. The day prior, our friend Gary recommended we use PR lotion. It claims to prevent leg fatigue and since we found some in town the day prior, we decided to give it a try. I know you shouldn’t try things on race day but figured it was just lotion so it could only help. We got dressed and headed over to Leadville around 5:15am.
It was cold and overcast probably around 38 degrees. We brought our down jackets and threw them on over our kits and hydration packs. Then was the waiting game as Toby and both leaned on our bikes and stared off into the abyss. Bill took a picture of us about this moment that really captured my thoughts at the time. The nerves should’ve been ramping up but I was almost catatonic. I was excited but knew the day would be long and I was just anxious to see what my training and preparation would amount to. I didn’t even really notice that my legs were beginning to get really cold. About 5 minutes out we shed the jackets and gave them off to Bill. All kitted up with just me and my bike, ready to go. 105 miles of high alpine Colorado mountains lay between me and getting right back to the spot where I was standing, and hopefully fast enough to earn the coveted buckle! After Ken’s motivational speech the shotgun went off!
At 6:30, with chopper overhead, we tore off the starting line at a blistering pace. The first 4 miles are all downhill and very fast. You are bar to bar and within feet of several hundred other racers at speeds of 30+mph. You need to be relaxed and on point at the same time. I knew I was not fast enough to hang with the gold and silver corrals so I quickly let them ago, along with my buddy Toby I might add. By the time we started getting close to first big climb, St Kevin’s, it was just me and a few other riders from the gold corral. The chopper was over St Kevin’s with the leaders at this point and I was still probably a 1/4 mile away. At this point the corral that started 2 minutes behind me started to catch up with me. I had a very close call as someone passing me bumped my bars. We were around 20mph and I had the “close call” shimmy of the bars but fortunately was able to keep it upright. Shortly after speeds slowed as we began the ascent of St Kevin’s.
St Kevin’s is an all dirt climb and isn’t technical but has ruts and rocks. It’s a little over a mile and around 1100 feet elevation, the first of 12 “rated” climbs according to Garmin’s algorithm. I will credit being among fast racers for being able to ride all of St Kevin’s. Everyone in the group was a strong rider and nobody was walking. The top of the climb has the first neutral aid station named Carter Summit (out). 11 miles out of the start, I hit Carter Summit at 57:49.
Once you get to the other side of St Kevin’s is Turquoise lake road, a paved fast, fast, fast(did I say fast?) downhill. My top speed on this section was 42+mph and it was awesome. Being on smooth pavement the speeds could’ve gone even higher, wide open road, no sharp turns; perfect. Toby managed to get his top speed on this descent as well, 47mph! I knew the descents would be fast and I realized if I was going to buckle, I would need to make up time on the descents. I let her fly!
Then came the 2nd big climb of the day, Sugarloaf Outbound. As the names suggests, this climb takes you to the top of Sugarloaf summit, or the top of the Powerline climb. This was a little rougher climb than St Kevin’s but my speed was slow so it wasn’t much of an issue. There were less noticeable lines and the chunk of rocks is more prevalent. It’s nothing technical though so if you are familiar with off-road riding you’ll be fine. I do remember this climb well though as this is where I got passed by the dream chaser. He starts in last place and raises money for every rider he passes. Seeing as how he would pass over 85% of the field, I fully expected to see him pass me! About this time, I started to see the notorious powerlines come into view, signifying the top of the powerline climb. Once my climbpro went off telling me the climb was complete I was right at 2:01, and 21 miles in.
The Powerline downhill is the roughest descent of the day, full of chunky, half buried, off camber rocks and undulating ground. It is notorious for pinch flats and bad accidents and unfortunately today would be no exception as I heard someone went down hard. Most of my cycling experience is off road mountain biking so I feel comfortable on rough trails and rocky downhills, experience that would come in handy. I passed a lot of racers on the downhill portion of Powerline.
The Powerline climb (Image courtesy of Velo Outside Online)
The section after powerline outbound is considered the “flat” section of the course. You start out on a paved roadheading due east and then turn south for the trip to the first official aid station, Pipeline out. This is where everyone will tell you to work with others. I find that mountain bikers generally suck at drafting and working together and today would not be an exception. I rode most of this section off and on with a few others, but for all intents and purposes, I was solo. No big deal though because we would be back on dirt soon. I pulled in to Pipeline out, mile 26 at 2:24. As you can imagine, there were people everywhere. This is something you see on videos but can’t fully appreciate the chaos until you’re riding down the middle of the gauntlet. Toby and I had both planned not to stop at this aid station, so I just kept my line right down the middle. Quickly though, my second close call would happen at this time. A rider looking to pit crossed from right to left, directly in front of me, and braked hard to avoid passing his pits. I had to lock up both brakes and skid my bike to a stop to avoid him. Frustrated, but glad to still be on 2 wheels, I started pedaling back out. Right about the time I was starting to get pissed, the guy that cut me off rode up and apologized. The Leadville family was in full effect and all was forgiven.
This next section was through trees and soft loamy soil an I really enjoyed it. It felt like normal mountain biking, no insane climbs and no crazy af downhills. At mile 34 and 2:55 we hit the one small part of singletrack on the whole course. This was a ribbon of smooth singletrack that left no room for passing. No big deal though, we were moving at a good enough pace I didn’t mind. We got dumped out on the road for the climb over into the twin lakes aid station. This climb was easier than the others and despite having the stats for a huge climb in my hometown, in light of the other climbs of the day; it was relatively easy. The glorious beep of the Garmin signified the top of the last climb before my first planned stop of the day. I’d soon be seeing my crew at the Twin Lakes aid station.
I came flying down the road into Twin Lakes and had a chance to marvel at the un-ending sea of traffic that law enforcement had blocked off for all of us racers. This was an awesome thing to see as I flew across 82 and had to really shut it down before entering the quick little downhill section of singletrack that would take you on to the party known as the Twin Lakes aid station. It was a zoo, car after car, hundreds and hundreds of people. I have to give Toby credit here. He had the forethought to set up our bright white pop up the day before so I knew exactly where I was going. Just in case though, we had a small Texas flag streamer that was set up and I felt elated when it came into view a few hundred yards out. As I got closer, I saw Bill in a bright yellow jacket flagging me into the pits.
The second I stopped, Bill immediately started taking my empty GU wrappers. He and Gary reloaded my Gu packets that I had preplanned in a Ziploc the night before. They switched out my USWE pack and had me ready to roll within 2 minutes. They also gave me updates on my other buddies and then I was out just as quickly as I was in. On my way out I saw Simon, another friend with his dog, up the trail and we joked that there was nothing downhill for the next 10 miles. Columbine was looming.
Crew Chief Bill making sure I have everything I need at TwinLakes outbound
The climb out of Twin Lakes is not often mentioned as being a climb at Leadville, but it is significant and you will notice it. We had ridden this Friday for a few hundred yards so I was expecting it but the thrill of the aid station visit vanished almost immediately. The Leadville 100 is an out and back course which means, unless you are in 1st place, you are guaranteed to see the leaders of the race coming back towards you at some point. So it was at this time, the motorcycle leading out the race leaders passed me heading the other direction.
Race leader and eventual winner, Keegan Swenson would come flying by me a few minutes later. He would go on to cross the finish line in 5:43 breaking the course record by over 15 minutes, a record I imagine will stand for some time. As I came down off this climb it was a smooth road of double track in a wide-open meadow. You can see twin lakes alternate aid station way off in the distance and the ride there was fast and fun. I came through the aid station with my head on a swivel, wanting to ensure there were no other issues like I had at pipeline. All was good though, I exited the aid station and began up the long straight road towards Columbine.
At the end of this road, the course turns left and the Columbine climb begins in earnest. It’s an 8 ½ mile climb with 3500 feet of elevation gain, topping out at a total elevation of 12,500 feet. This is the climb that gives the race its nickname, “The Race Across the Sky”, for pretty obvious reasons. I was averaging around 4 mph at this point so I just pretended I was starting a two-hour movie and would be done when I got to the top. It was at this point of the race where you really have to mentally tough. The idea that you’re only about 45 miles into a 105-mile race can overwhelm if you let it. You’re not even halfway and you’re only just beginning this insane climb. It’s easy to let the demons settle in, but you just have to keep moving and never stop.
Going up Columbine, it’s switchback, after switchback, after switchback, over and over. Racers coming down past you reaping the rewards of what you are still sowing. It was for me the toughest moment of the race. I had swiped away from climbpro page so wasn’t exactly sure where I was on the climb. When I exited above the tree line I felt like I was getting close and began to get excited. I looked up to my left and could see the top of the mountain. I thought, “good.” What I could also see were little itty-bitty specs of mountain bikers, near the top. I thought, “bad.” My excitement was premature, I still had a hell of long way to go. It was at this moment my only voice of frustration came out, a simple, “Oh my God!” But that would be it, I just kept turning over the pedals.
At this point, I entered the goat trail where it becomes so steep it’s virtually impossible to ride, especially in traffic. Everyone was off the bike walking, trudging up the “conga line” as it’s been called. Once it smoothed out some, I was back on the bike. As side note, the seat post dropper was great here. I dropped it every time I cameoff the bike because it made getting back on so much easier. We rode for another ¼ or maybe half a mile and then it was off the bike again and back to pushing. Right about this time my buddy Toby came down past me. He reiterated what we had discussed a hundred times, “just keep moving man, you’re doing awesome!” It was great to see him and I was glad to know he was having a good race. Renewed with some words of encouragement from my buddy, it was back on the bike and time to get this climb done! Since I had turned off my climb pro screen I didn’t even realize how close I was to the top until my Garmin let out the glorious beep that the biggest climb of the day was over!
The top of the Columbine Mine climb is the halfway point of the race. I reached it at 5 hours and 45 minutes, which was 5 minutes behind my goal. This was the first time of the day I really started doing the math of my race. If you have done endurance racing, you know it’s basically a combination of 1/3 racing, 1/3 eating, and 1/3 doing the math in your head of your pace and time. If I doubled my time from here it would be 11 ½ hours but this course is known for having a negative split, which means the second half is faster. This would put me on a pace of 11:15, over my goal of sub 11 hours. I had some work to do so I made the triangle turn around without stopping at the aid station and began bombing down the 8 mile long downhill.
The course is out and back and it’s at this point where you see everyone that is behind you coming up. There were still hundreds of people pushing their bikes as I flew past them downhill, mere feet away. It was much rougher at the top then I thought it would be which kept my speeds down. This was a fortunate thing for one unlucky guy. Right as I began my descent a guy pushing his bike uphill fell over in exhaustion with his head directly in front of my tire. I slammed on the brakes and swerved off the trail. As he tried to regain his composure he let out the most dejected sounding, “sorry dude.” I couldn’t be mad though, I had just experienced what he was doing and knew it was the hardest part of the day. Leadville family and all, ya know.
I continued down further down below the tree line back among the Aspens and remember grinning ear to ear as I flew down the mountain passing all the racers still on their way up. Iwas both excited to be done with the longest climb of the day, but in a weird way I felt bad for all the riders still on their way up. Regardless, I was riding strong and was enjoying one of the prettiest areas of the race course. Having said that, I really started to feel the fatigue in my arms on this downhill. You want to go fast and lay off the brakes but at the same time, too much speed and a small mistake can end your day or even worse. I kept the speeds reasonable though as I clicked off the switchbacks all the way back down. I even remembered to shout out my signature “SWITCHBACK” in the high-pitchedvoice my friends and family know me for! As I made the last right turn off the mountain I hit the long straight slightly downhill road back into Twin Lakes alternate.
I dropped the seat post and got as small as I could and let it fly. 28-30mphs with zero effort; it was a thing of beauty. I remember passing a much smaller rider than me at this point, only because of my additional weight. Whatever, I’ll take it, and besides they’ll pass me on the next climb anyway! I came back through the Twin Lakes alternate station with no mishap. I remember noticingthat the crew all had much more serious looks on their faces as they waited for their racers. The excitement of the outbound portion was noticeably less on the inbound. This was the point in the race where racers were either meeting their goals or missing them and the crews knew it. I imagined a lot of the riders I passed on the way down and realized that I had witnessed many that would be pulled from the race at the first time cut off. It sucks to think of the amount of work and energy everyone puts into the race; I felt bad knowing that many would come up empty today. I came back in to Twin Lakes again for my 2nd official stop of the day at mile 60 and time of 6:29. I had managed to pick up 10 minutes on the descent and move my pace up from 11:15 to 10:45!
The second stop was like an F1 stop, our crew was on fire. I pulled in, continuing to straddle the bike, emptied all my GU trash from my left pocket while Bill refilled my right pocket. I switched back to my original USWE pack which had been refilled to the brim. I felt Simon pushing my foot off the pedals so he could re lube my chain. At the same time, Gary handed me a mini Coke and ordered me to drink some. Then I remembered I was hot up on Columbine so Bill and Gary pulled my arm warmers off. Just like that, I was back on the pedals and out of my 2nd pit of the day in less than 2 minutes. I was feeling awesome knowing I had shaved 30 minutes off my pace and if all went well I would reach my goal of 10 ½ to 11 hours.
I climbed out of Twin Lakes feeling strong and welcomed the smooth pavement. Right as I crossed Highway 82, there was a very distinctive looking guy wearing jeans and the signature Leadville buckle. He was running behind all the racers headed up hill giving encouragement and even pushing a few. I remember thinking how cool this was and yet another example of the Leadville family. I would find out later, the man was Bahram Akradi, the founder of Lifetime Fitness; the owner of the Leadville Race Series. He had raced all the Leadville series and was out there supporting all the racers that day. I wish I would have known who he was so I could tell him thank you for continuing on the Leadville tradition.
Climbing out of Twin Lakes the road was full of spectators, I remember getting a laugh at a speed limit sign that said, “Speed Limit 30 MPH – Your Speed Mach 1.” It was great to see everyone lining the road in their camp chairs in front of their houses. It makes me want to go back and be a spectator because they looked like they were having a blast. One you reach the top of the Twin Lakes climb out, you keep heading north on the paved road, bypassing the singletrack you rode outbound. Because of this, I was not familiar with this section of the course. It was mostly road though and with a slight downhill, it was most welcome. The only negative, if I can call it that, was the wind was out of the south earlier in the day so I was expecting a tailwind, which never happened. The wind had switched back from out of the north.
As I turned off the road I heard my Garmin beep when I didn’t want it to. It was not to signify a turn, but a climb, dammit! I knew it was coming though because the single track outbound was downhill but I wasn’t expecting it to be a rated climb. It was a grind and I remember seeing the motivational posters placed alongside the course as if they knew you would need them right about now. “You’re better than you think you are”, “Dig Deep”, “You can do more than you think you can.” I just kept telling myself, one climb at a time, don’t think about anything other than finishing the climb you are on.
Once we finished the climb we got back into the flattish loamy soil I mentioned earlier and I started riding behind two other riders, a male and female off the front. She was riding strong off the front and never wavered or looked for someone to take a pull so I obliged. I was happy to settle in and take the draft, even if I felt a little uncool about it. We rode all the way into Pipeline aid station together and I was bummed to see my “two new friends” pull off to pit. I kept riding on through the aid station, exiting solo and completely by myself. I was at mile 75 at 7:31, which put me on a 10:45 pace; I started to let myself envision that buckle; if only just a little because the notorious Powerline climb was still ahead.
Around this time the weather started to turn. I had expected cold and rain on the top of Columbine at 12,500 feet and instead got hot sun. Because of this, I had all my rain gear with me when I went up my Columbine. Now, at the lowest part of the course, I had no rain gear, not even arm warmers. I was kitted out for hot weather as the rain started and the temps dropped back into the 40’s. I was on the road in a rain storm out of the north with the wind in my face and the cold air burning my lungs. My glasses were covered with water and I couldn’t read my Garmin, but I was on a paved road so I just kept turning the pedals. After several miles riding straight north, I made the left hand turn towards powerline and the weather started to get a little better, the rain stopped and the sun started to peak out. The roads also began to have more fans along the road and they were all cheering me on because they knew I was about to hit the climb that put the Leadville 100 on the map.
At 8:03 I started up Powerline. Powerline is technically 4 miles but the toughest climbing is a 1300-foot elevation gain within the first 3 ½ miles. The average pitch is over 7% with a few stretches reaching over 20% grades. Needless to say, it’s hard any day, but with 80 miles of hard racing in your legs; it’s downright stupid. I started up confidently and thought back to how rough it was coming down, rough enough to rattle my mini tool loose. I must not have been the only one to have issues because the ground was littered with equipment, not the kind you intend you to lose either. As the climb makes a left into the trees, it gets very steep as you come back right. I tried to ride it, but quickly realized the futility in that and got off and started walking. I was pushing my bike up the steepest pitches I had ever encountered.
Fortunately, there were some dudes playing Black Sabbath and cheering us on. I remember laughing when someone requested Ozzy Osbourne instead, thinking bro, isn’t Black Sabbath close enough?! (In case my mom reads this, OzzyOsbourne is the former lead singer of Black Sabbath). Anyway, it was about this time I hit the 3rd power pole which I had learned from the pod cast meant you should start riding again. I hopped back on my bike and started riding. I made it for about another ½ mile and I had to get off due to traffic, but I was totally cool with that. I had planned on being on the 4 mile stretch for a full hour and it looked like I would get every bit of that. Right about this time I came upon a female racer on the side of the trail. She had removed her prosthetic leg and was re-adjusting the strapson the side of the trail. No words, simply remarkable.
As I got closer towards the top of Powerline I felt the tingling in my legs that no cyclist ever wants to feel; cramps are here! I didn’t hesitate to stop and pull out my Hotshot. I slammed it and it tasted awful, but I hoped for the best. Their claim is that it shocks/resets your nervous system to end your cramps. I don’t know the science of it, but the foul taste will definitely give you a shock to the system! I got back on my bike determined to finished the rest of the Powerline climb. As I reached the top of the climb I heard my Garmin give my reward; at mile 84 I had completed the Powerline climb!
I then began what I would consider the second roughest descent of the day. My arms were on fire at this point and all the moisture in the air had my brakes howling as I made my way down the rocky and roughest descent of the day. I felt my rear brake fade a little at this point and it’s stopping power diminish. Fortunately, I was about to make the hairpin turn signifying the start of smooth fireroad for the next few miles. I opened her up again, dropping the seat post and getting small, taking in the effortless 25-30mph downhills; all the while grinning as those miles clicked off. At the bottom of the fire road was another hairpin turn back to the left. At this turn, there were hundreds of spectators and law enforcement cheering us on. One more (big) climb to go!
The inbound climb back up to Carter is all paved and I remembered my 40+mph speeds down this portion of the course early in the day. I felt strong as the pavement was smooth and I remember having a much lower heart rate than I expected. I was turning over a big gear and I was ready to get home. It started raining again and I was shivering, unable to easily shift gearsdue to the numbness in my hands. I just kept climbing, knowing the top of the climb was coming soon. I remember a guy riding up behind me and asking, “So I guess you made your choice?” I thought for a second, huh? Then I realized he was referring to the quote on the back of my jersey, “Get Busy Livin’ or Get Busy Dyin’.” As Red from Shawshank Redemption said, “That’s Goddamn right!”
Just then, a guy on a road bike riding downhill towards us was asking if anyone had a tube for another racer. I had 2 with me, one in my pack and one in my speed sleeve under my seat. I was thinking I would give him one if I saw him, but damn I’ll be honest; I did not want to stop! As it turns out, by the time I reached him he already had the tire off and was replacing his tube. I asked if he needed anything as I rode by and gave me the, “all good,” so I kept going. I pulled into the last aid station, Carter summit at mile 89 at 9:52. I was only 15 miles out and standing at the top of the first climb of the day.
At this point, I knew that with the exception of a few miles at the end, it was all downhill and/or flat the rest of the way in. I decided to stop and have them top off my USWE pack with Gu Roctane so I wouldn’t have to pull any bottles the rest of the way in. I started off the summit with a great feeling of relief and then the trail pitched up! What the hell is this?! And it was steep, but I had forgotten all about it! Fortunately, it wasn’t long. In Dallas it would be a huge climb, today it was just a fly in the ointment, just enough to annoy you. I made it over the top and began the true descent of St Kevin’s.
I was flying down the rocky descent of St Kevin’ feeling pretty fast and at this moment a female racer shouted “left, left, left” and blew past me. As I said, many very strong riders on this course both male and female. As I mentioned earlier, we had pre-ridden about 1/3 of this climb the previous day. I had remembered Toby saying, “when you see this meadow on race day, you’re gonna know you’re almost done!” When I saw the wide-open meadow, an extreme wave of joy washed over me. I knew every inch of the course from this point forward.
As I was riding the last few miles of the race, there were 2 guys and a girl chatting it up on the flattish sections. I rode behind them for a while and remember thinking I could go faster without much more effort. I was anxious to get home so I passed them by. More “friends” gone. As I made it to mile 102 I made the left turn up the Boulevard climb.
The Boulevard climb is the last-ditch effort, kind of cruel joke of Ken and Merilee (the race founders), to remind you how hard the LT100 is. It’s a rough section of course full of “baby heads,” the baseball sized loose rocks that just kill your momentum. You have to pick your line carefully because with a full day of racing in your legs it’s easy to get off your line and have to walk it. Of course I did though,and hopped off the bike to push for a while. Once I could see a clear path out of the rocks and on to the smooth road, I jumped back on the bike and began pedaling again. I exited the top of the off-road climb and crossed the last highway with law enforcement cheering me on. I would be on pavement from this point forward.
It’s a quick downhill from here to the last right turn of the day. As you turn right you are on 6th, a straight shot to the finish line. Unfortunately, you are also on a fairly steep uphill surrounded by a neighborhood. Imagine the hills in San Francisco. After a few blocks of climbing I crested the hill. Looking down the hill and up 6th, I could see the red carpet guiding you to the finish line. I dropped the seat post, got small and relished the last downhill of the day.
As I got to the bottom of the hill, about 500 yards out, little kids were sticking their hands out for a high five which I happily obliged. I wanted to finish strong, but as I heard the crowds cheering loudly on either side of the chute I involuntarily slowed down. I guess my subconscious wanted to take it all in. In fact, I was so dazed, I didn’t even roll across the red carpet proper, but a little to the right of it. I had finished in 10 hours and 57 minutes.
I saw Toby almost immediately as I crossed the finished line, waiting on his old, slower buddy. 10 months earlier he was the only one that agreed to do this insanity with me and had finished in a remarkable 10:28. When I saw him I damn near started crying. I was so relieved to be done racing, but I was also realizing that I was achieving something that I had been working on achieving for the last 10 years. It was a culmination of years of entry attempts, 9 months of daily 5am workouts, eating perfectly, going to bed early, relentless planning and time commitments. In that moment, it all paid off; CHECK!
It was an incredible feeling as one of the race organizers put the finisher medal over my neck. We made our way through the chute where a lady presented me with my buckle. As Ken said in the pre-race meeting, “The buckle, the buckle, oh, that glorious buckle!” The obnoxiously oversized, silver and gold rodeo style buckle that you’ll probably never wear and means nothing if you don’t want it is. But for those that do know what it means; it means a hell of a lot! And I finally had one!
Bill rounded up me and Toby at this point and herded us back to the truck. Toby and I had planned on changing and going out with Bill for dinner in town. At this point though we were so thoroughly beaten; we just decided to go back to the house. That night we recounted the day. 23 Gu packets eaten, 9 liters of water taken in, 4000 calories taken in, 8800 calories expended. 105 miles over 12 rated climbs with a total elevation gain of 12000 feet. We had planned on drinking a ton of beer but ultimately weren’t even able to get a single one down. In fact, I didn’t even eat much dinner. I went to bed early and thought about using my buckle as my pillow.
Thinking back about went well, I can say I did some things right and some things wrong. In my planning, I was worried 360 calories per hour would be too much and it would lead to digestive issues. I actually stumbled on the number my mistake in my initial figures, and I decided to go with it though and it paid off. I felt strong all day and my stomach never got upset. I credit Maurten’s 320 drink mix for this. The “science” they claim with the liquid not fully diluting until it reaches your intestines (vs your stomach) is apparently correct. The Hotshot may or may not have been the reason I dropped my cramps on powerline, but whatever; they didn’t come back after I took it so I’m a believer.
My bike, Specialized Epic Evo, was perfect for the course, lightweight for climbs and long suspension for downhills. There is no convincing me there is a better bike, especially at 51 years old. I also credit Toby for his idea of the 2 stops plan and the 2 USWE packs. It was the perfect strategy and having nutrition and liquid for 4 hours allowed us to both hit the refueling points well inside our targets. This allowed for a total stopped time on the day of 13 minutes, 2 pits and 4 “naturebreaks.” The cold day was unexpected and without the sweating of hot day, well, more nature breaks.
My heart rate was my guide all day and I did not want to get anywhere near threshold. My maximum recorded heart rate is 181 with a threshold of 170, or the amount I can sustain for an hour. Of course, I did not want to be anywhere near either one of those numbers for a full day of racing so my target was around 85% of my threshold,or 145bpm. As it turned out my overall average heart rate for the day was 140, with a maximum heart rate on the day of 163. Looking back I could’ve gone harder. My average heart rate could’ve withstood high 140’s which would’ve made for a harder day, but I would’ve gone faster.
If I were ever to consider going back, I would hit the first climb, St Kevin’s harder and Columbine a lot harder. Knowing now how long you have to recover coming down the Columbine climb, and coming back to the lowest elevation point of the race, you have plenty of time for your heart rate and legs to recover. For St Kevin’s I was just too nervous to blow up on the first climb and I was too cautious. I would also go harder on the flat sections to take advantage of the lower altitude. I am also glad I got as light as I did, but I could’ve gotten lighter. Even at 175 I would probably try and get below 170.
I never really did a true functional threshold test using power, but more power and less weight is always faster. Last, I would do squats and leg exercises every single day in training, at least during my build weeks. I would do this until my legs were noticeably larger. My body configuration changed during my training and my leg muscles grew, but the pounding your legs take is immeasurable, so I would make this the main focus of my training in the future. Stronger, harder, faster, would be the mantra of the next race.
Who knows what the future will bring, but I cannot imagine I have seen the Leadville family for the last time! Until next time,Get Busy Livin’ or Get Busy Dyin’!
-Cam
Thanks for the write up, great information!
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