Leadville Colorado sits at about 10,200 feet above sea level
at the base of the several large mountains, Massive and Albert, within the
Rockies. For the past 30 years the town
has hosted one of the most epic 100 mile trail runs in the world. The race starts and ends in Leadville at the
end of 6
th and Harrison. The
race course is an out and back that has it’s runners traversing 3 major climbs
and descents, twice. In fact mile 40 to
mile 60 is arguable the hardest 20 mile segment that there is in any race. Runners must climb and descend over Hope
Pass twice, reaching altitudes of 12,600 feet.
See below the pics from the top of Hope Pass at the aid station.
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| Pre Race in Leadville |
Daley Ervin signed up for this race about 9 months ago when
registration opened. He pinged me on a
Saturday or Sunday telling me that he wanted to run it and I quickly agreed to
sign up as well to pace him for at least the first 50 miles. Well, as time grew near I decided that I’d
give it a go as well.
Daley has paced me for three LT 100’s, two of which we’ve
finished in under 30 hours and one ended in a DNF. So he knows the course well, in addition to
how hard the race is. However, pacing
30-40 miles is completely different from running the entire 100, which he was
soon going to find out.
Daley, Joleen (his Mom), Carla and I all arrived on Thursday
night rather late due to flight delays.
Francisco and Brian, the other part of our crew/pacers arrived on Friday
afternoon. While Greg had arrived before all of us and was hanging out in
Leadville in an RV waiting for our arrival.
Carla had found a nice house on Airbnb up in Leadville that easily
accommodated all of us. We held our
usual pre race planning session, along with printed plans and instructions for
the crew and pacers. We made our trek up
to the local grocery store and loaded up on all kinds of food that we’d eat
both pre, during and post race.
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| The Elusive Belt Buckle |
By 6PM on Friday Carla and Joleen had made some rigatoni
pasta with olive oil, salt and pepper along with some Italian bread. I ate light while the young bull ate heavy
and we dispersed to hit the rack shortly thereafter. Sleeping at altitude is always a bit of a
challenge, but it didn’t seem to be a problem this year. I try to get 6-8 hours of sleep before a big
race like this and managed to get in about 7 hours before the alarm went off at
the godforsaken hour of 3:15AM.
Having everything organized and ready on Saturday morning
allowed for a smooth, calm morning and I was able to suck down a bagel and a
bottle of water. At 3:40AM we left the
house and drove about 6 blocks to the race start. As usual the race start is abuzz with anxious
runners and spectators. The morning
temps felt pretty pleasant at around 42F, much warmer than some years.
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| Brian and Joleen in Twin Lakes Waiting for Daley & Phil |
Daley and I had mapped out the race plan, laying out the
targeted times for each aid station.
Equipped with my Garmin, I was able to keep us pretty much on pace
through the first 50 miles. Some aid
stations we came in early while other aid stations we arrived late. All in all we hit our targets, except for the
last aid station where we were behind by over 30 minutes. Or put differently, we were 30 minutes from
missing the last cutoff leaving us 4 hours to run the last 13 miles. While that may seem like a lot of time, it’s
not on 87 mile legs.
 |
| Daley taking a Break at Fish Out |
Daley and I were able to run together for the first 50 miles
of the race. After 50 miles it rarely
makes sense for two runners to stay together and run because each has strengths
and weaknesses that are counter productive to the other. We decided to each pick up a pacer at mile
50. Daley picked up Scot and I picked up
Francisco, both seasoned, experienced ultra runners who know this course very
very well. More importantly they can
pace a runner and keep them on schedule.
As races progress so does a runners ability to rationalize staying at an
aid station for an extra 5 minutes, or walking for a while instead of
running. A good pacer keeps their runner
focused and moving forward as the merciless hands of time keep ticking towards
the 30 hour mark.
 |
| Race Crew & Pacers At Twin Lakes Out Aid Station |
The Twin Lakes to Winfield Station leg was brutal as
usual. No matter how many times that
I’ve climbed that mountain it never gets any easier. In addition, I still get tricked by the false
summits along the way. The weather was hot,
but we were protected, for the most part, by the shade of the huge evergreens
that canvased the mountainside. We
crawled at snails pace up the mountain.
I was able to make it to Hope Aid Station about 5 minutes before Daley,
so I snapped a few pics, loaded up on soup and cookies as well as sucking down
a bunch water and reloading my camelback.
When Daley arrived I told him to grab a seat on an old log while I got
him Roctane and soup, several times. He
was looking pretty beat up at this point, as were most runners. I was feeling it but knew that we had to get
down the hill and then return back up it.
This kept me determined to keep my fluids and calorie intake up so that
I could mount the final attack on this mountain. As we reached the peak of Hope’s Pass I
snapped a few pics of Daley as well as the scenary, because I knew that this
would most likely be my last time to go up and over Hope.
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| Daley Summiting Hope Pass Out |
As I approached Winfield Station Daley was about 5 minutes
behind me. I was welcomed by Scot and
Francisco. It’s always great to see
familiar faces, especially if they’re your pacer. Fco grabbed my camelback while I went through
the aid station to get weighed. I
checked in at 184lbs, right at what I started the race at. I sucked down more soup, cookies, chips and
water and quickly departed spending no more than 2 minutes there. I took off down the road while Fco was
getting my camelback taken care of as well as getting himself prepared. We ran into Daley and Scot coming down into
the aid station as we exiting. Daley was
looking beat down and I knew that Scot would have to work hard to keep Daley
pushing forward.
Fco and I turned off the road and began our 4.5 mile journey
up the backside of Hope Pass. It was a
long long trek up the mountain, but we persevered and made it. We descended into Hope Pass and grabbed more
soup and water and began our 5 mile descent into Twin Lakes. We were able to run most of the down hills,
occasionally stopping or slowing down to catch our breath. Daley and I had left Twin Lakes at 12:30PM
and Fco and I returned at 8:45, which was around the original target. It was an 8 hour and 15 minute 20 mile tough
tough distance that we had covered.
Daley managed to come in at 9:05PM, about five minutes after Fco and I
began our night slog through Half Pipe and to Fish Aid station. We walked the ups and “ran” the flats and
downs. I was getting really sleepy
during this segment of the course. It is
my least favorite part of the run and it seems as though it takes forever. We arrived at Fish around 1:30AM, which was
about 15 minutes ahead of plan. Daley
and Scot arrived about 5 minutes thereafter.
I was really impressed that Daley had gotten his second wind and Scot
was able to pace him into Fish right on time.
At 76 miles out and 24 miles to the finish, our next leg was 6 mile run
and climb up and over power line and a 5 mile descent into Mayqueen Aid
Station.
At Fish Fco handed off the pacing baton to Greg. He kept me entertained for the first few
miles with a head lamp that rivaled the sun, which lit the way up Power
Line. Greg was ever the optimist,
frequently telling me that we were almost there (at the top of the last major
climb of the race), which I knew wasn’t true having been up this trail over a
dozen times before. It was fine by me,
he was keeping me on pace and awake, which was the most important point at this
juncture of the race. After ascending
the last climb, we began our descent into Mayqueen, which seemingly took
forever. I thought for sure that Scot
and Daley were going to catch us, because Daley looked really good at Fish and
I felt terrible.
When we approached the last aid station I was a bit confused
about the time. Although we came in at
about 5:50AM for some reason I was thinking that we had 4.5 hours to finish the
last 13 miles. When we’d end up having
only 4 hours. At about 5:55PM Scot came
running in telling us that Daley was 5 minutes behind and to get ready as we were
going to have to push it to get in under the 30 hours. All I could think was at that time, there is
no fucking way I’ve run 87 miles and not going to get a fucking buckle. Within minutes Daley arrived, limping in,
saying that he couldn’t run anymore because of his hurt foot. With no sympathy Scot ushered him through the
aid station telling him that he couldn’t sit down and keep going. I got up out of my seat, realizing that we
only had 4 hours and not 4.5 and in a mild panic began to run down the road to
catch up with Daley. Well, that didn’t
take but about a minute and we all agreed that we’d have to run a minimum of an
18 minute mile into Leadville to finish, but decided that we should try to keep
a 16 minute mile pace just to be sure…at least until we were certain that we
were close enough to walk it in.
Greg, delivered successfully delivered me to Mayqueen and I
picked up Brian as my pacer to get me to the finish line. Last year was Brian’s first Leadville
experience and he successfully got me to the finish line, despite me coming
into Mayqueen just 5 minutes under the cutoff.
He didn’t know how to use his watch then, and this year proved to still
be a challenge. I gave him a ton of shit
while we meandered around Turquois Lake and he gave it right back saying that
he was only doing what a pacer needed to do…and that was to make certain that I
keep on pace, took in my calories and kept hydrated. After more than 24 hours of running
everything that comes out of your mouth is like that of a 4 year old child, the
brutal truth. There is no mincing of
words, no soft pedaling, just a blunt no patience in your face fuck you
truth. Thankfully Brian knows me very
well and understands my shortcomings at this point of the race as well as my
ornery unforgiving desire to just get to the finish line in under 30 hours.
Brian and I dropped Scot and Daley about 1 mile into the
last leg of the race. There were a bunch
of runners on the trail and we decided to push it hard to put some distance
between them and us, as well as bank some minutes and build a “cushion” to
insure an under 30 hour finish. At about
7 miles into the last segment Scot and Daley managed to catch us, which was
surprising given Daley foot problem. I
was again impressed with Daley’s tenacity and ability to tuck away the pain and
focus on the prize….the elusive Leadville Trail 100 belt buckle.
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| Crossing the Finish Line with my Three Pacers |
We all stuck together from this point on, looking at our
watches, calculating the distance and with a measured amount of paranoia pushed
on to make certain that we’d secure some hardware. As we walked briskly down the dirt road
towards Leadville, we confirmed that we were only 1.5 miles out and it was only
about 9:15AM, leaving us plenty of time to make it in. We slowed our pace and began to soak it all
in. The sun had begun its climb into the
morning sky as we began to shed our
clothes from the night before. As we
approached the section where the dirt road becomes paved we could see the
school where we were a day and a half before listening to Ken telling us all
that we were tougher and stronger than we thought we could be and to dig deep
down into that indomitable well of grit and determination and to commit that we
would not quit.
Joleen came running down the road when she saw us all
rounding the corner and yelled to Daley just how proud she was of him. She gave him a huge hug and kiss, took some
pics of everyone and we continued our march to the finish. When we got to the top of the hill we were
able to see the street light at the end of 6th and Harrison along
with the finish line. We could hear the
cheers of support from the crowd of family, friends and locals. It was the home stretch.
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| Scot, PT, Greg and Brian Post Finish |
We were greeted by Greg and Fco, while Carla had the camera
closer to the finish and was snapping pictures…..pictures that capture a
priceless moment in time. It is a time
when a group of friends spend 30 hours working as a team to conquer a course
that only 4 out of 10 people finish. We
depend on them and they depend on us.
They did what they said they’d do…..therefore we must do the same. Finishing is never a given. In fact there are many points throughout the
race that you simply want to quit, just fuck it, it’s ok…there’s some rationale
that will justify quitting. In the end
you can’t simply quit…..for so many reasons that you could keep a psychologist
employed for a lifetime to ponder.
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| Time for a nap after the Finish |
Daley, Joleen and Scot crossed the finish line at 29:42,
together. I crossed at 29:42 and change with
my arms stretched acrosse the backs of my three pacers Brian, Fco and Greg
while Carla took more great pictures.
After crossing the finish line Marilee gave us a big hug and draped a
medal around our necks, followed by a great big hug by Ken, telling us just how
proud he was of us. We went to the
medical area where we were once again weighed and asked a series of questions. Daley went into the medical tent to have them
look at his ankle and get an IV of fluids.
I walked over to a shady grassy area and curled up and fell fast
asleep.
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| BAM!!! A HUGE Accomplishment….. |
So many people ask why you run 100 miles. Everyone has a reason. There has to be a reason…..personally I have
many.
A special thanks to the crew and pacers. Depsite the fact that I was a bossy, mouthy
unappreciative asshole during the race, I am forever grateful to each and every
one of you. Without your support there
is no way on God’s green earth that Daley or I would’ve made it to the finish
line. Carla, it goes without saying, but
I will say it nonetheless, you are the best!
Next up….IM Louisville…ugh.
Interval
|
Time of Day
|
Chip Time
|
Chip Pace
|
Gun Time
|
Gun Pace
|
Start
|
4:00:20AM
|
|
|
|
|
May Queen 1 - 13.5 mi.
|
6:14:25AM
|
02:14:06
|
09:56 min/mi
|
02:14:26
|
09:58 min/mi
|
Outward Bound 1 - 24.5 mi.
|
8:36:17AM
|
04:35:58
|
11:16 min/mi
|
04:36:18
|
11:17 min/mi
|
Half Pipe 1 - 31 mi.
|
9:56:53AM
|
05:56:34
|
11:31 min/mi
|
05:56:55
|
11:31 min/mi
|
Twin Lakes 1 - 39.5 mi.
|
12:01:37PM
|
08:01:18
|
12:12 min/mi
|
08:01:38
|
12:12 min/mi
|
Hope Pass 1 - 45.1 mi.
|
3:02:35PM
|
11:02:15
|
14:42 min/mi
|
11:02:36
|
14:42 min/mi
|
Winfield - 50 mi.
|
4:40:06PM
|
12:39:47
|
15:12 min/mi
|
12:40:08
|
15:13 min/mi
|
Hope Pass 2 - 54.9 mi.
|
6:56:21PM
|
14:56:02
|
16:20 min/mi
|
14:56:22
|
16:20 min/mi
|
Twin Lakes 2 - 60.5 mi.
|
8:49:56PM
|
16:49:37
|
16:42 min/mi
|
16:49:58
|
16:42 min/mi
|
Half Pipe 2 - 69 mi.
|
11:49:05PM
|
19:48:46
|
17:14 min/mi
|
19:49:07
|
17:15 min/mi
|
Outward Bound 2 - 75.5 mi.
|
1:36:01AM
|
21:35:42
|
17:10 min/mi
|
21:36:03
|
17:10 min/mi
|
May Queen 2 - 86.5 mi.
|
5:59:13AM
|
25:58:54
|
18:02 min/mi
|
25:59:14
|
18:02 min/mi
|
FINISH
LINEFinish
|
9:42:25AM
|
29:42:06
|
17:50 min/mi
|
29:42:27
|
17:50 min/mi
|
Getting off the bike was a great relief. Now I was actually to run, which was the only part of the IM that I was actually trained up for. The temps at this point were at above the 100F heat index level. I drank a gatorade in the bike transition and carried two out with me…hydration and electrolytes were important. Carla and Jack were there at the transition. She snapped a few pics and off I went onto the two lap run course. I decided to try and maintain a 10-11 minute mile for the first lap, given the extreme heats and desire to have some gas left in the tank for lap 2. I actually felt pretty good running the flats and downs and walking the ups. By the time I made it through lap 1 I saw Carla and Jack. They greeted me and Carla was nice enough to tell me that my pace was too slow…nice…exactly what I needed to hear. It pissed me off and I started out on lap 2, grabbing another gatorade from my drop bag. Between the gatorade, soup broth, cookies and chips I was able maintain a good energy level and keep a good pace. In fact my last 13 was a negative split. As the sun began to set we gained some relief from the heat, although the humidity was still a challenge. Many runners had been reduced to a walk. As I was about 1-2 miles out there were a lot of runners just starting their first lap…which I couldn't imagine doing. I knew that there was no way that 99% of them would have enough time to finish. As I came down the final stretch I could see the finish line in all of the lights, with the crowds cheering loudly. I let a few runners pass me so that I could come down the finishing chute by myself, slowly to take it all in and enjoy the moment. Instead the moment got me amped up as I began to wave to the crowd to get them excited. I jumped around and let out a ton of energy and relief as I crossed the finish line holding up 8 fingers for my 8th finish. 
I lowered my head and a nice lady put the finisher medal around my neck, asked me if I was ok and then ushered me over to get my picture taken and hand me my finishers shirt. Having Carla and Jack there to experience this with me was pretty special. It's a very very hard race. I started in dead last place of 2,388 athletes. As the race progressed I was able to climb up to 935th place or in the top 37% of all competitors. Post race we drove back to Nashville getting in at 12:15AM and had to take a 6:30AM flight to LA for work. Morning came early, but I was very very happy to log another Ironman finish. Cheers!!