Leadville Trail 100 - DON’T DNF! Survive the altitude and make the cut offs! 

It sounds crazy, and it felt it at first, but you adapt. I learned to love it and look forward to it every week. I am still doing it once a week with friends. It's a strength routine that compliments running perfectly.

@jbeech01 You still finished. I am still riding the high of this race well after crossing the finish line. It's something I think will stay with both of us for years to come. Wear that buckle proud!

😁 I say that every time I'm near a crazy drop. Especially on tired legs...

Thanks @averagewanders. The altitude did a number on me. If you got that under control the race is manageable. Get there super early if you can, or spend some time at altitude if your schedule allows it.

Thanks!

Ha! Nobody ever gets the reference to the punk band. Great running with you for the brief time we did. I think I saw you later in the race pass me looking strong. Great job getting that first hundred done!

Damn, that's crazy we didn't chat at all. Good job on the finish!

I was coming off a DNF at Leadville the year prior. I was pretty locked in to running and nothing more. Less social than I usually am. Got the buckle this year though!@@BouncingSoles

congrats to you too, if you had to go back and do it again what would you tell a first timer?

@@robertsmith908 I would NOT have got there 3 days before. I would go for Friday morning arrival. I was tired heading into the race from horrible sleep because of altitude sickness. I didn't have 2 weeks to arrive early. Had I stayed at home longer I would have got better rest vs then at Leadville. The race is also all about Hope Pass, keep it super easy and light until you get over the climb. If you make it there you got a really good chance of finishing.

Thanks Jeff, Gotta represent my home town Philly! Those shirts are antiques from 2009 and 2010!

Glad you enjoyed it

Thank you! That race was the highlight of my running career and I made sure to capture every moment I could on film.

@chadadams1127 I think I acclimated to the elevation in the last half mile. 😆😆

@@BouncingSoles, I meant that as a compliment for sure! I have a tendency to go out way to hard/fast and then drag myself to the finish line! 👍

Thanks. I only make a few of these a year so it means a lot.

Thanks!

I used this backpack mount for it. www.amazon.com/Garmin-Backpack-Tether-Accessory-Devices/dp/B00CHEJP6C/ref=asc_df_B00CHEJP6C/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=312129973570&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=1157901597639460178&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9007232&hvtargid=pla-457616097270&psc=1

The rim to river shirt? Ha, well most running shirts are cheap. I wore it because its all white to reflect the intensity of the sun. It does remind me of a nice trip to West Virginia and another great 100 mile race.

I used a decent amount of Tailwind, and refilled from my drop bags. I had Justin's almond and Hazelnut Butter pouches. I used them a lot in training, but got sick of them by Hope Pass. In the video there was a runner by the name of Sandra who swapped out some of her Spring Energy running gels and they were delicious (can't thank her enough for that). I tried to sit down and rest at the aid stations and took in whatever hot food/soup looked appetizing. The aid stations had lots of Cliff Shot Blocks. They were going down well late into the race, and I kept filling my pockets at every aid station. I had a timer on my watch going off every 30 minutes to remind me to eat and I made sure I just kept putting a handful of those blocks in my mouth. It was not easy to eat at the end. The final thing I ate in the last 10 miles was an amazing breakfast burrito from my pacer and that fueled me to the finish. I did carry Tums/ginger chews in my pack but never needed them.

Hey there, how was your sodium management? It was SUPER hot this year and I saw lots of athletes dropping because of that. Also, it was hard to eat because of how dry it was with the heat. Sorry to hear about the DNF but that was a super tough race. I finished in 29:47 so I wasn't much faster than a DNF but I just made it. (Like a Lead Balloon - Billy Yang Documentary was about my race.)

@Kyle-zk7oq The gut can be trained like anything else, but in your situation you would have had to slow down and cool off so blood flow could go back to the stomach. I would check out Jason Koops "Training Essentials for Ultrarunners" for lots of great tips on training the gut leading up to Leadville.

I feel that my sodium was just fine. I was drinking plenty of my SIS electrolyte powder. And to be honest I don't think it was that hot for more. Between June and July I spent over 4 weeks camping/running in Leadville and all along the course.@@jbeech01

It's not just in warm temperatures. Even this winter on some long runs I can't stand to eat anything... nothing sounds appetizing. I do own that book and have read it... I think it's time I work with a sports nutritionist and get some professional assistance. @@BouncingSoles

99% of runners are just trying to finish

At Twin Lakes 1 I had my drop bag and where I picked up my trekking poles. It's a critical spot in the race because its before you make your way up Hope Pass and where the race gets serious. I didn't fell the effects of the altitude all day until I started to climb to 12,000 feet. I was constantly sitting down and struggling to catch my breath.