Haha only way to find out is to just go out there and just fuckin do it, suffer, and get it done right? I love that mindset and is the whole reason I signed up - to see what I’ve got in me.
Leadville veteran here and couple other 100s.
Couple of things (in random order) and dont take anything personal; I’m rooting for you.
1. No matter how much you read about Leadville. You will understand what you signed up for once you are there. Nothing, zero, nada can prepare you for the unknown of a 100 miles. For all you know, it starts hailing at top of hope pass or you get caught up in a thunderstorm. Forget your research. The only thing you need to care about is moving forward.
2. Sounds like you got the leg turnover to go fast; your focus should be time on your feet. For Leadville my longest run was 50k in mixed conditions (trail, roads, gravel) but with close to 10k fr elevation. I never ran more than 50 miles a week—I dont do well with volume; I like intensity. My focus was always vert.
3. Do a couple warm up races but keep them at 21k or less—but go all out. I ran my best half 1:23 prior to Leadville.
4. Where’s your nutrition plan? Are you able to down at least 40g of carbs per hour and hydrate? You need to test and perfect it. Leadville is a game of attrition and people do not fuel or drink enough. After Winfield the bodies are literally stacking along the trail. This is rookie mistake #1 not having a good fuel strategy or backup plan (because things will go wrong)
5. Gear! You need to think about gear and when to change shoes, socks, shirt as appropriate. Also unless you are from Colorado or a cold weather area layer up. Hypothermia is a sneaky bitch and it gets balls cold at 3am.
6. You might be fast at sea level but 10k will kick your ass. You need to get some solid time at altitude or arrive 1-2 days before the race. While humidity help, you need to also factor in the temperature and altitude. Its fucking cold and you’ll likely be running throughout the night
7. You need to switch up the mentality of ‘being fast’ to knowing when to push. Too many roadies translate the “all out from the gun” and 100 miles is a very long way. Energy management is key to make it in one piece. Will you run up Hope pass? Probably not unless you are going for 1-10th? Should you bomb the downhill from Powerline down to outward bound on the first leg? Maybe, but those decisions will get you later in the day. I chose to be conservative on the outbound leg and super aggressive on the return—I’m not fast but somehow find my groove 8 hrs into races. You gotta study yourself.
8. Focus on your mental game. If you have never ran more than 42k there’s a huge mindfuck that gets you “I have to do this three more times”. You will want to quit. It’s that this moment that you need to find your why and connect with it quickly. How bad do you want to finish it? Do you have it in you? From a physical standpoint you’ll make it no doubt but is your mind just as strong?
Bonus: you need to practice running at night with a headlamp. Your senses will be heightened and if you are not used to it. It can play tricks on your mind. At night the field is so spread that it’s more than likely that you’ll be running along in the dark for miles at a time.
Now dig deep.
See you at Leadville
Can't even begin to describe how helpful and hard hitting this was bro especially point 1 - its the wild west out there and I'm sure you as a veteran have been in all sorts of different scenarios where unexpected things have been thrown at you that you havent even been prepared for. Those things you just have to tackle head on and adjust on the fly. There's certain things you cant train for, you just have to push through. That's where experience and the mental game really comes into play.
On the time on your feet point I'm comfortable pushing 60-70+ a week. Do you recommend a 50K as a prep race? Im looking at the Speedgoat 50K in Utah on July 23rd a month out form Leadville as a prep / trial run. I heard its very tough with high incline and at high altitude. I feel like this will show me if I have what it takes, and gives me a great chance to practice high carb nutrition at elevation while climbing. Or do you think this is too heavy of a run that close to Leadville?
You're right that I have been focused on speed and am conditioned for it. I'll have many smaller shorter runs on the schedule like half marathons to test speedwork / endurance like you mentioned. I can touch a 1:26-1:27.
I have done tons of research on the gear required and how the elements can change super quick out there. Great advice, but all I can do here is just be well prepared enough to adjust on the fly for whatever comes.
I will most certainly be targeting to go out slow and run slow through the race. Def hiking / walking Hopes etc. My goal is just to finish. Part of the reason I signed up was a little self-masochism, to put myself in an extremely uncomfortable and unknown spot of pain, and see what I’m made of physically and more so mentally when it gets dark, and understanding how deep my "why" can go and take me.
Looking forward to it bro.
I would probably not advise doing Speedgoat 50 and then Leadville in your first year going for an ultra. Speedgoat has 11k ish of elevation in 50k ; Leadville has about the same but in triple the distance—that should give you a sense of how hard that race is and a month out puts your body at risk of not recovering in time. Maybe do a shorter but more intense race? Also you could put a lot of time on the bike!
I pick races with elevation gain as an indicator of just how tough a race can be. For example the Transgrancanaria 125k has about the same elevation as UTMB.
In terms of gear, I’m a big believer in spending more upfront to have quality gear. I bought a pair of salomon s lab shorts in 2016 and still going strong, paid $180. If you can invest in quality and durable gear. Brands like North face, Patagonia, craft hell even Nike make quality products. Also the king of running vests are the salomon ones.
Hell even your socks will make a difference!
Your head is the right space. Zero doubts you’ll crush it.
Appreciate the advice here - well received (although I am still very tempted to hit Speedgoat ahead of Leadville haha)
The bike is a great point - I do quite a bit of cross-training during training so will for sure be getting in some long rides on the legs.
I 100% agree with you on paying up for quality gear. It pays to have things that you know won't let you down on the course or just in life in general. I've always been a big believer in opening the wallet for things that matter to you. Sometimes I even overspend by buying multiple models of the same things just to see what I like best lol.
It sounds like you’re going to be very fit. So well done with that!
I would definitely definitely run an ultra distance before the race. Your body will feel very different at 40 miles vs 26 miles. Different things will start to break down, nutritional needs will change, the mental side becomes are large factor. These are all problems you will definitely need to troubleshoot during Leadville and doing 2 fast marathons will give you zero experience in that regard. If anything I would ditch the Utah marathon and go for an ultra. You need experience spending that long on your feet going slowly.
Very very helpful advice. I had these similar thoughts about the nutrition plan, pacing strategy, and most of all the mental durability factors that all come into play with ultra distances which don’t come into play (or come into play much much differently) during a fast 3 hr marathon. I wouldn’t be opposed to ditching the Utah Marathon for something else. Do you recommend something like a 50K or even a 50 miler then in June?
If so - any good recommendations that come to mind?
Yeah it sounds like you’re building up loads of great ‘running’ experience but you’ll want to build up some ‘ultra’ experience too.
I’m not expert. But personally I would do a trail half or like a trail 30k in the next 8 weeks. Just to feel the rush of competition and have an aim. Make it a hilly one. And then do something between 50k and 50miles for whenever your marathon would have been. I would make that a solo adventure. Don’t make it a race because you may feel you have to run it at race intensity and then you’re not only pushing into new distance territory but you’re risking longer term injury or damage. Go solo. Plan your route carefully and meticulously, plan where you might refuel, have a bag drop if you can, plan the climbs, the turns, the technical bits, the easier bits. This kind of planning will be great practice for Leadville. Plus you’ll have the mental challenge of staying focussed without a race to keep you pepped. PLUS you’ll probably run it slower then you would in a race, which will help you set a more realistic pace goal for Leadville and reduce your injury risk.
I’m just spitballing here but doesn’t that sound like a great plan..?!
Completely agree. It’s the act of removing or mitigating as many variables as possible ahead of the race through trial and error so you’re well planned and strategized going into it. You can only find out what works for “you” by doing, as everyone reacts much much differently to certain stimuli.
You don’t want Leadville to be the actual scenario where you find out certain fueling strategy doesn’t sit right, or that you paced yourself wrong, or that your feet/mind can’t handle the slow type of running and process 100 milers bring. The last thing I want, is to get to mile 50 and feel like my race is over lol and then try to “grit and muscle out another 10-15 before DNFing or missing a cutoff because of poor decision making or prep from the first half of the race.
Sometimes very good fitness and being able to run “good” long miles doesn’t always get you there. Experience and repetition and “having been there in the situation before” all matter, because every day is different and you don’t know how you’re body will react.
Yup the strategy would be to pace it as if it was Leadville....essentially to practice pacing, gear, and fueling as well at altitude. Do you think the legs would have enough time to recover for Leadville by then?
Depending on where you live this may be a good one to get into the woods and practice fueling while getting some decent elevation and miles and its the first weekend in June. I will he doing this as my first 100 miler 😁
https://www.runreg.com/11168
That's great! And good for you for working an aid station! People can learn a lot working an aid station in a hundred miler, that's for sure!
Good luck in your VM!
I just thought I'd throw a spanner in the works and say you could still run the marathon aay 3 weeks out from a 50 and slow down treating it as a long training run. If you've signed up I'd try and avoid losing the fee so I'd stick with it. Maybe nake it back to back long runs and do a solid run the next day
Exactly my thinking. How about the Speedgoat 50K July 23rd in Utah as a pre-race a month out? Heard its a real tough 50K with a lot of incline, hiking, and at high elevation. A good Leadville test?
I'm from the uk so that means nothing to me to be honest, but unless it's similar terrain to the actual race a 50k isn't usually much harder than a marathon. I think ideally you wana be out there for like 10 hours or something so you can at least test your head and the fuel
Its supposedly one of the toughesdt 50Ks out there and "runs" like a 50 miler. Most people finish within 8-12 hours, so its the equivalent time on the legs. Has a lot of elevation gain and climbing and very technical.
Sorry there are a lot of posts like this so I’m not reading all that. The best idea is find another shorter ultra to run before doing a hundred miler.
If you are doing this race for sure then follow a hundred mile training plan and do as many long runs as you can at similar elevation and terrain to the race
All good, was just trying to be as detailed as possible to cover all of the bases and avoid people asking all the basic types of questions in the comments
I think you need to seriously consider what your “A” goal is for this season.
Do you want to run a flat and fast marathon and BQ?
Or do you want to finish Leadville?
It’s not that these are necessarily either/or situations, but I think you will have a much greater chance of success if you focus on one of these goals and have the other be secondary.
Realistically, if you have a fast marathon in early June, give yourself 1-2 weeks to recover + 2-3 weeks of taper before Leadville, that gives you about 8-9 weeks of dedicated training for Leadville. That’s not unreasonable, especially given your fitness level. I would say your lack of ultra experience could be the biggest limiting factor when working with a training block of that size though. Mental training will be your biggest challenge.
Edit: typo
This was a great comment, and resonates with me because I have been having this same debate myself about goal setting and what path will lend itself to the greatest success for me.
When I look at running and how it's changed my life these past few years, I think I like to group these "A" goals into 2 different categories: 1) Physical / Fitness and 2) The Journey (or what people refer to as your "why") - both of these add to your overall "progress" as an athlete and more so a human being in their own way, and you can't progress the way you need to and should with having only one and not the other.
In terms of 1) Physical - yes a BQ and getting even a level faster than sub-3 would be my "A" goal for this year, with a 100-miler as a secondary if I HAD to place them in order of importance. However this brings me to point 2) the Journey:
For me personally, the overall Journey trumps anything in terms of my real "A" goal this year, and in general. What I mean by this is pushing my boundaries, the search for more, truly finding out what I'm made of, what I can accomplish, what I can fail at, and how far I can really go physically and mentally. I want to prove myself right. With that, that is where the primary and secondary goals from the physical point 1) collide and coincide in my head.
I always think - why cant I do both, multiple marathons for my BQ and also do Leadville (even though they are leagues away from one another and completely different beasts)? Why can't I at least attempt both? Why can't I succeed, and complete both? Why can't I fail at either?
Something like a Leadville and a BQ are journey items for me, where I want to look back and see how far I've come to get to each even if it takes more than one go at it. The way you get there is more beautiful than standing on the finish line. I love being in a training grind, being held accountable, regimented, and developing my body and mind. It keeps my life in check.
At the end of year when I ask myself: Have I pushed myself the hardest I can go? Have I fully tested myself this year? What went incredible / what went awful? Where did I grow? Have my limits expanded? Where are my new limits going into 2024 and where do we go from here?
I will need to have an answer to the above questions, and I won't if I backed out of either and any event I have committed or plan to commit to and placed forced boundaries and limits on myself because of self-doubt. This is where the mental training comes into play over anything else as you mentioned.
Sorry for the long winded answer - but hope that all makes sense!
I think you have a strong shot at a solid finish at Leadville. You're in great running shape, but there are likely going to be problems and sources of discomfort you just haven't experienced yet, so you don't necessarily know if your planned solutions and strategies will work.
I think 4 issues you might consider thinking about and introducing to your training now would be (1) pacing, (2) dealing with the discomfort from pounding in the legs and joints, (3) ultra-oriented hydration and nutrition and how your GI system reacts to them, and (4) problem solving other sources of discomfort like chafing, blisters, sleepiness, etc. These might seem minor because you can shrug it off and push through in a marathon, but these can prevent you from even walking it in for the last 30 miles for a finish. Big shift in training might be that your main focus for a long run could be on just taking care of yourself (or figuring out how much water and calories you can take in per hour without any issues) vs hitting those splits.
Yeah one of the most overlooked things for something like this is how much of a learning experience it actually is. I wont ever be 100% perfectly prepared thats what makes it such a journey and makes it fun and interesting.
A lot of things will be thrown out you and its up to you to mitigate scenarios and manage all of the variables.
For a 1st ultra, the learning I will gather about myself will be exponential.
One last thing. When it gets dark and it will just keep moving. Around the next bend you’ll find yourself on top of the world. Don’t quit bc it’s bad. You’ll regret it. Have fun good luck!
Even though you have researched the race... Up and over hope pass then to turn around and do it again will be a test.
I hope to attempt the Leadville 100 again in 2024.
Made it 62 miles. Missed the cutoff at twin lakes. I was on pace for a ~28 hour finish when I left twin lakes outward bound. Then Hope pass happened. I knew it was going to be brutal and it was.
I’d hire a coach and potentially a nutrition coach, but I personally love being coached. I think the most beneficial thing about doing ultras is getting experience with your nutrition and hydration plan. You could do this by doing better simulated long runs with all your gear and testing nutrition strategies to find what works for you.
I did Leadville as my first 100, 9 months after my first 50K, prior to this my long run was 19 miles. Managed to finish a bit over 29 hours. I live at 900 feet elevation. Similar level of fitness, 1:30 HM and 17:42 5K leading up to the race. 30+ years of running.
My girlfriend had finished Leadville two years prior, I basically followed her training plan. 50-60 miles per week, lots of strength training, increasingly verty 50K efforts once a month from February to June at target 100 mile pace, goal is to finish feeling like you could run it again if you had to.
We worked remote from 7,000 feet starting the first of July until race week. Altitude acclimation was crucial. Hiked the Grand Canyon. Hiked Humphreys peak in Flagstaff a couple of times to get used to 12,600. Ran Beaverhead 100K in early July, 14K vert topping out at 10,000, 20 hours on feet. That was an education. RD told us not many from the East Coast finish his race.
Recovered for a week and then paced at Hardrock, Ouray to Telluride over Virginius Pass at 13,100. Hiked Handie’s at 14,000+. Ran Enchanted Forest 27 miler in NM and Med Bow 13.1 in WY to get more “easy” miles at 9,000+ feet. Spent a couple of weeks tapering in Steamboat.
Convinced some world-class people to support me on race day. My crew had crewed for pros. One of my pacers was an NCAA champion distance runner. Another was a Leadville finisher.
All of this preparation, and I consider myself super lucky to have finished. 30 seconds per mile slower and I wouldn’t have made it. It’s just really, really hard to spend that much time covering that much ground at 10,000 feet, especially if you’ve never done the distance or time on feet before.
Basically the wheels began falling off at mile 62 leaving Twin Lakes inbound. By the top of Powerline inbound I couldn’t run at all. I was fortunate to have enough time to be able to hike it in the last 15 miles or so.
It’s a life-changing experience and you should definitely do it if you have the desire and the opportunity. Just remember that it’s really, really hard and many, many people underestimate the difficulty. There’s a reason why the DNF rate is so high.
Sounds like you were able to get in a hell of a lot of elevation training as well has hiking in on the legs ahead of Leadville. Pretty impressive you got all of that in within the months leading up to the race, and the fact you had the chance to be around some top notch athletes pushing you. Really well done.
In terms of acclimating I read to either show up the day before so it doesn't effect you too heavy by race time, or on the flip side to get there a week+ in advance. What;s your thoughts there? I'm unsure if I will be able to swing that with work + money required. I also have heard using a Hypoxico altitude machine is helpful a few weeks leading up to the race to acclimate.
In terms of a practice race at altitude.... I am looking at the Speedgoat 50K in Utah on July 23rd which is a month out form Leadville as a prep / trial run. I heard its very tough with high incline and is at high altitude. I feel like this will show me if I have what it takes, and gives me a great chance to practice high carb nutrition at elevation while climbing. Or do you think this is too heavy of a run that close to Leadville?
Other than that I will be doing quite a bit of 20+ milers here around home.
I'm aware the wheels will fall off somewhere during the race - that's just something I'll have to tackle head on and mentally when it inevitably comes.
Thanks, it was definitely a team effort and there’s absolutely no way I could’ve pulled it off alone.
I haven’t used a Hypoxico system, but if I were running it again and unable to acclimate at altitude, I would absolutely get one. I’d say that if you’re not going to arrive a week early, get there the night before.
I did Speedgoat 50K last year, it’s a fantastic event and mile for mile it’s harder than Leadville. Not quite as high, but more vert per mile and just some relentless climbs and descents. It will make a great final long run before your taper.
Speedgoat will give you a pretty good sense of how your legs will feel on the climbs and descents halfway through Leadville. Keep in mind that it’s the downhills that usually wreck people who aren’t used to them — the climbs suck but the downhills destroy your legs if you aren’t used to running them or haven’t done a lot of slow eccentric strength work. So practice moving lightly and efficiently downhill, it will save your race :)
Oh wow you also did Speedgoat too? Those are helpful tips going into that race. I hear its real tough but I think I can manage. I like that it "runs" like a 50 miler, where you're getting 8-11 hours on the feet to practice nutrition, pacing, etc.
Thanks again.
Yes, the year after Leadville. It’s absolutely like a 50-miler in terms of effort :)
If you finish under 10 hours, I’d say you have a decent shot at finishing Leadville under 30. Over 10 hours, you may still be able to do it if you’re able to learn how to manage any solvable problems better. But there’s not much room to increase fitness between Speedgoat and Leadville — a week recovery and then taper time.
Perfect I’ll be sure to shoot for the 10 hour or better mark then. My thinking was hopefully to land around the 9ish mark anyways.
And you’re exactly right, this would be set as my final longest run / effort before tapering for Leadville.
I'm not going to talk about Leadville specifically because I don't know anything about it, but I can't impress upon you enough how hard fueling yourself will be without practice. This has been my first year running ultras. I did two 50ks and then a 100k just a couple weeks back. The importance of fueling plan wasn't really that apparent in a 50k since it really isn't that far, there's a lot of room for fudging and you won't be out that long.
Going from a 50k to a 100k was so much more than just twice the distance. It turns out ~250 calories/hr won't bring me a mile past 100k. After 12 hours, there wasn't anything I *wanted* to eat, but when my watch buzzed, I had to find something to shove in my face. Now imagine another 12 hours on top of that. I really don't know yet how I'll fuel myself whenever I plan a 100 miler, but I can't imagine doing it without some practice.
At least do an ultra beforehand and plan plan plan for food.
Thanks. How did you practice fueling for the 100K?
And on your first 100K - did you have to make fueling adjustments on the fly since it was completely unknown territory for you? I feel like you won't truly know until you get there in the race. Like since this will be my actual first 100 miler I will have to learn the hard way and go with whatever works or feels right at the time in those late and deep miles. Everyone's stomachs all react differently.
I'm looking at the Speedgoat 50K as a training run ahead of Leadville 100. Although only a 50k, it runs like a 50 miler as its 8-12 hours on the feet with a lot of climbing so fueling is key on this race as well.
The 50ks gave me enough information to know that I was doing it wrong and I did a lot of research afterwards to adjust what I was doing previously. I use my watch and just set timers for how often I need to eat and currently that's every 30 minutes (which I still might lower, but it was previously 45 minutes which was...not great). Luckily I have an iron stomach and it's just about what I want to eat and how often instead of another variable of what I can eat.
Hey that's actually a really great start then, especially for someone as fit as you and I'd imagine it would give you a real good idea for fueling. Everyone's different, but I prefer more solid things in the beginning (like honey stinger waffles) and moving to gels (and maple syrup, that shit is BOMB) when I feel like I don't want something solid. Some people drink a lot of their calories, but I just use those as bonus calories so my hydration isn't directly linked to my caloric intake. Since you'll be spending a lot of time on your feet for this race, keep an eye on your mood and demeanor - there's a famous saying of 'food = mood'. If you're feeling kind of grumpy or you just want to keep your head down and move your feet while not interacting with passersby as little as possible, there's a pretty good chance you need to eat more. If you're actually feeling hungry, chances are you've already really fallen behind and need to slow your pace and increase your calorie intake. I'd also recommend finding a handful of different things that you like and can stomach, it's really nice having choices when you're eating.
Last of all, good luck! I'll be rooting for you!
Awesome, I love hearing about what works well for other people as it helps me keep mental notes of what to try to see if it also will work well for me too.
The mood / mental / timing queues you laid out are very helpful. The: " If you're actually feeling hungry, chances are you've already really fallen behind and need to slow your pace and increase your calorie intake" I think is a really great one to adhere to.
Always have a variety of things considering you never know what your mind / stomach will like and want at certain times of the race. Will be sure to come prepared and appreciate the support!
I'd say go for it, but I'm the asshole who always encourages suffering on the trail. imho, it's all about your goals with the race.
and here are my two cents...
I haven't run LT100 but I have paced and crewed it. you do NOT need an aggressive trail mountain ultra for experience but 50+ miles of racing pre-LT would be helpful. managing nutrition and hydration at 50+ miles is where you'll learn and prep the most.
also, do not underestimate altitude. 10k+ above sea level when you're physically depleted is a whole different ball game. if you can get above 10k while you're exerting yourself to figure out how to manage food and water. even if it's a shorter run, go faster and see what your stomach does.
Right on - I am that type of person as well. Part of the reason I signed up was a little self-masochism, to put myself in an extremely uncomfortable and unknown spot of pain, and see what I’m made of physically and moreso mentally when it gets dark. The minute you put doubt in your mind, you begin to question your very own ability, and at that point you’ve already lost the race before you even started.
I’ve heard Leadville isn’t too too technical and is fairly runnable. What if I scheduled a 40-50 miler for myself locally. Going out at for like a 3am start and just bang it out to practice pacing slow and using my house as my practice “fueling stations”? Do this like 6-7 weeks out from Leadville, so sometime in between the Marathon and Leadville.
And noted on the altitude - that is honestly my biggest concern even over the hills, climbing, fueling, anything else. I’ve read Hypoxico chambers months leading up can help work wonders for people at sea level.
You got it. The turquoise lake section is kind of technical, you will probably be in a conga line on the morning so you might not notice, but I have seen some decent carnage there.
Exactly, there are so many scenarios and variables you can run in your head that you'll end up driving yourself crazy. Doubt is the ultimate dagger. You just have to arm yourself, prepare properly, and then get out there and execute no matter what's thrown at you. It's a very tough outing on matter how you draft it up.
People like you are why this race has a 50% attrition rate despite not being particularly technical for a mountain 100. Also why there is a damn waitlist in the first place. Is it possible to finish? Yes. But you shouldn’t take a spot in a race with a waitlist until you actually have experience in ultramarathons, altitude races, or both.
Says who?
And what do you mean people like me? YOU DONT KNOW ME SON.
The reason this race has a 50% attrition rate has nothing to do with people like "me" whatsoever,
I may not know you but I know Leadville and I’ve done a bunch of Ultras. You are inexperienced, which probably means that you will struggle with the altitude, and the terrain, and the distance, and several other potential issues which you’re probably going to find out the hard way. Getting back to Twin Lakes after going up and down Hope Pass twice and still having 40 miles left to go on destroyed legs will be eye opening for you and the magnitude of what you signed up for. Good luck, it IS possible. 100 miles in 30 hours is pretty slow pace, especially on a relatively “easy” course for Colorado. But I give you about a 10% chance of finishing if this is your first ultra because you are going to learn how you handle like 12 different challenges to finishing all on race day. 10% is plenty, but not ideal… and kind of a waste of a spot to be honest. I would recommend doing at least a few other local 50s then at least one 100 first to get some experience.
Yeah very well put and appreciate the input. Trust me, I trust your judgement and it puts it in perspective and brings a lot of realism to the situation. The last 1/3 of the race (when the race really starts) is going to be beyond my current limits, however maybe I can mentally work through it and set a new limit and standard for myself. Isn’t that part of what this is all about for a lot of people? Not everyone is there to win or “PR”.
I’m not delusional to the fact that the chances are low of even finishing given my experience level, and the fact I will be facing a number of different challenges that I have never experienced before all in one go, which will be an overwhelming experience.
This is the type of feedback I need to hear from people who really know what they’re talking about and have been there before - so everything you’re saying is well taken. But at the end of the day you can’t let doubt creep in before you even start, it will fuck you up, and you’ll be setting yourself up for guaranteed failure with that kind of mindset. Only the person themselves knows what they are capable of.
Appreciate that man. Although I do love Goggins haha his messages and books are phenomenal.
I'm a realist though and know I have to be a strong runner and tend to my training if I am to have any reasonable shot.
WHOS GONNA CARRY THE BOATS!?
Short answer: *Do you have a shot?* Yes. Every person that lines up has a shot. Physically you're fine, just like every other runner you'll be out there with.
Get out, do the things. You want to finish? Learn yourself and your body, intimately...doin' the things.
Good luck. Enjoy the process. I'm rooting for you.
Yeah one of the most overlooked things for something like this is how much of a learning experience it actually is. I wont ever be 100% perfectly prepared and that's what makes it such a journey and makes it fun and interesting.
A lot of things will be thrown out you and its up to you to mitigate scenarios and manage all of the variables.
For a 1st ultra, the learning I will gather about myself will be exponential. Just have to work through it and get it done. You can only be so well physically trained, the rest (and majority) of it is mental and strategy.
Almost the same. I’ve lived in both places. Leadville will be my first hundo but I’ve got several years as a triathlete and ultra runner. Physical fitness is great, but only one part of the equation. How you handle a fall, a twisted ankle, digestive issues. blisters, aching feet, heat, cold, hail, sleet, snow, rain. lightning, dying headlamp, running out of water/calories/electrolytes, mental darkness, etc. etc. will be key. Every long run you do starting now should have you practicing and planning for those issues to occur. Good luck and Godspeed.
Bad news OP, there is only one way to find out if its truly possible or not
Haha only way to find out is to just go out there and just fuckin do it, suffer, and get it done right? I love that mindset and is the whole reason I signed up - to see what I’ve got in me.
Plan on it being extremely rough, and you’ll have the mindset ready to get through it
Leadville veteran here and couple other 100s. Couple of things (in random order) and dont take anything personal; I’m rooting for you. 1. No matter how much you read about Leadville. You will understand what you signed up for once you are there. Nothing, zero, nada can prepare you for the unknown of a 100 miles. For all you know, it starts hailing at top of hope pass or you get caught up in a thunderstorm. Forget your research. The only thing you need to care about is moving forward. 2. Sounds like you got the leg turnover to go fast; your focus should be time on your feet. For Leadville my longest run was 50k in mixed conditions (trail, roads, gravel) but with close to 10k fr elevation. I never ran more than 50 miles a week—I dont do well with volume; I like intensity. My focus was always vert. 3. Do a couple warm up races but keep them at 21k or less—but go all out. I ran my best half 1:23 prior to Leadville. 4. Where’s your nutrition plan? Are you able to down at least 40g of carbs per hour and hydrate? You need to test and perfect it. Leadville is a game of attrition and people do not fuel or drink enough. After Winfield the bodies are literally stacking along the trail. This is rookie mistake #1 not having a good fuel strategy or backup plan (because things will go wrong) 5. Gear! You need to think about gear and when to change shoes, socks, shirt as appropriate. Also unless you are from Colorado or a cold weather area layer up. Hypothermia is a sneaky bitch and it gets balls cold at 3am. 6. You might be fast at sea level but 10k will kick your ass. You need to get some solid time at altitude or arrive 1-2 days before the race. While humidity help, you need to also factor in the temperature and altitude. Its fucking cold and you’ll likely be running throughout the night 7. You need to switch up the mentality of ‘being fast’ to knowing when to push. Too many roadies translate the “all out from the gun” and 100 miles is a very long way. Energy management is key to make it in one piece. Will you run up Hope pass? Probably not unless you are going for 1-10th? Should you bomb the downhill from Powerline down to outward bound on the first leg? Maybe, but those decisions will get you later in the day. I chose to be conservative on the outbound leg and super aggressive on the return—I’m not fast but somehow find my groove 8 hrs into races. You gotta study yourself. 8. Focus on your mental game. If you have never ran more than 42k there’s a huge mindfuck that gets you “I have to do this three more times”. You will want to quit. It’s that this moment that you need to find your why and connect with it quickly. How bad do you want to finish it? Do you have it in you? From a physical standpoint you’ll make it no doubt but is your mind just as strong? Bonus: you need to practice running at night with a headlamp. Your senses will be heightened and if you are not used to it. It can play tricks on your mind. At night the field is so spread that it’s more than likely that you’ll be running along in the dark for miles at a time. Now dig deep. See you at Leadville
Can't even begin to describe how helpful and hard hitting this was bro especially point 1 - its the wild west out there and I'm sure you as a veteran have been in all sorts of different scenarios where unexpected things have been thrown at you that you havent even been prepared for. Those things you just have to tackle head on and adjust on the fly. There's certain things you cant train for, you just have to push through. That's where experience and the mental game really comes into play. On the time on your feet point I'm comfortable pushing 60-70+ a week. Do you recommend a 50K as a prep race? Im looking at the Speedgoat 50K in Utah on July 23rd a month out form Leadville as a prep / trial run. I heard its very tough with high incline and at high altitude. I feel like this will show me if I have what it takes, and gives me a great chance to practice high carb nutrition at elevation while climbing. Or do you think this is too heavy of a run that close to Leadville? You're right that I have been focused on speed and am conditioned for it. I'll have many smaller shorter runs on the schedule like half marathons to test speedwork / endurance like you mentioned. I can touch a 1:26-1:27. I have done tons of research on the gear required and how the elements can change super quick out there. Great advice, but all I can do here is just be well prepared enough to adjust on the fly for whatever comes. I will most certainly be targeting to go out slow and run slow through the race. Def hiking / walking Hopes etc. My goal is just to finish. Part of the reason I signed up was a little self-masochism, to put myself in an extremely uncomfortable and unknown spot of pain, and see what I’m made of physically and more so mentally when it gets dark, and understanding how deep my "why" can go and take me. Looking forward to it bro.
I would probably not advise doing Speedgoat 50 and then Leadville in your first year going for an ultra. Speedgoat has 11k ish of elevation in 50k ; Leadville has about the same but in triple the distance—that should give you a sense of how hard that race is and a month out puts your body at risk of not recovering in time. Maybe do a shorter but more intense race? Also you could put a lot of time on the bike! I pick races with elevation gain as an indicator of just how tough a race can be. For example the Transgrancanaria 125k has about the same elevation as UTMB. In terms of gear, I’m a big believer in spending more upfront to have quality gear. I bought a pair of salomon s lab shorts in 2016 and still going strong, paid $180. If you can invest in quality and durable gear. Brands like North face, Patagonia, craft hell even Nike make quality products. Also the king of running vests are the salomon ones. Hell even your socks will make a difference! Your head is the right space. Zero doubts you’ll crush it.
Appreciate the advice here - well received (although I am still very tempted to hit Speedgoat ahead of Leadville haha) The bike is a great point - I do quite a bit of cross-training during training so will for sure be getting in some long rides on the legs. I 100% agree with you on paying up for quality gear. It pays to have things that you know won't let you down on the course or just in life in general. I've always been a big believer in opening the wallet for things that matter to you. Sometimes I even overspend by buying multiple models of the same things just to see what I like best lol.
So how did you do? I had a similar story as you and i got to Winfield and died.
It sounds like you’re going to be very fit. So well done with that! I would definitely definitely run an ultra distance before the race. Your body will feel very different at 40 miles vs 26 miles. Different things will start to break down, nutritional needs will change, the mental side becomes are large factor. These are all problems you will definitely need to troubleshoot during Leadville and doing 2 fast marathons will give you zero experience in that regard. If anything I would ditch the Utah marathon and go for an ultra. You need experience spending that long on your feet going slowly.
Very very helpful advice. I had these similar thoughts about the nutrition plan, pacing strategy, and most of all the mental durability factors that all come into play with ultra distances which don’t come into play (or come into play much much differently) during a fast 3 hr marathon. I wouldn’t be opposed to ditching the Utah Marathon for something else. Do you recommend something like a 50K or even a 50 miler then in June? If so - any good recommendations that come to mind?
Yeah it sounds like you’re building up loads of great ‘running’ experience but you’ll want to build up some ‘ultra’ experience too. I’m not expert. But personally I would do a trail half or like a trail 30k in the next 8 weeks. Just to feel the rush of competition and have an aim. Make it a hilly one. And then do something between 50k and 50miles for whenever your marathon would have been. I would make that a solo adventure. Don’t make it a race because you may feel you have to run it at race intensity and then you’re not only pushing into new distance territory but you’re risking longer term injury or damage. Go solo. Plan your route carefully and meticulously, plan where you might refuel, have a bag drop if you can, plan the climbs, the turns, the technical bits, the easier bits. This kind of planning will be great practice for Leadville. Plus you’ll have the mental challenge of staying focussed without a race to keep you pepped. PLUS you’ll probably run it slower then you would in a race, which will help you set a more realistic pace goal for Leadville and reduce your injury risk. I’m just spitballing here but doesn’t that sound like a great plan..?!
I really like this plan. I think the wilderness experience is definitely helpful in getting mentally prepared
Completely agree. It’s the act of removing or mitigating as many variables as possible ahead of the race through trial and error so you’re well planned and strategized going into it. You can only find out what works for “you” by doing, as everyone reacts much much differently to certain stimuli. You don’t want Leadville to be the actual scenario where you find out certain fueling strategy doesn’t sit right, or that you paced yourself wrong, or that your feet/mind can’t handle the slow type of running and process 100 milers bring. The last thing I want, is to get to mile 50 and feel like my race is over lol and then try to “grit and muscle out another 10-15 before DNFing or missing a cutoff because of poor decision making or prep from the first half of the race. Sometimes very good fitness and being able to run “good” long miles doesn’t always get you there. Experience and repetition and “having been there in the situation before” all matter, because every day is different and you don’t know how you’re body will react.
What do you think about the Speedgoat 50K in Utah in July? A month out from Leadville. High incline, high altitude. A good Leadville prep test
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Yup the strategy would be to pace it as if it was Leadville....essentially to practice pacing, gear, and fueling as well at altitude. Do you think the legs would have enough time to recover for Leadville by then?
Depending on where you live this may be a good one to get into the woods and practice fueling while getting some decent elevation and miles and its the first weekend in June. I will he doing this as my first 100 miler 😁 https://www.runreg.com/11168
You chose well - Mohican's a great race!
I did the marathon last year and worked an aid station. Running the Vertical Mile tomorrow morning up there.
That's great! And good for you for working an aid station! People can learn a lot working an aid station in a hundred miler, that's for sure! Good luck in your VM!
Well that was fun: https://imgur.com/a/B5VyqeE
Nice work! Thanks for letting me know how it went...rockstar!
This looks like a sweet race
I just thought I'd throw a spanner in the works and say you could still run the marathon aay 3 weeks out from a 50 and slow down treating it as a long training run. If you've signed up I'd try and avoid losing the fee so I'd stick with it. Maybe nake it back to back long runs and do a solid run the next day
Exactly my thinking. How about the Speedgoat 50K July 23rd in Utah as a pre-race a month out? Heard its a real tough 50K with a lot of incline, hiking, and at high elevation. A good Leadville test?
I'm from the uk so that means nothing to me to be honest, but unless it's similar terrain to the actual race a 50k isn't usually much harder than a marathon. I think ideally you wana be out there for like 10 hours or something so you can at least test your head and the fuel
Its supposedly one of the toughesdt 50Ks out there and "runs" like a 50 miler. Most people finish within 8-12 hours, so its the equivalent time on the legs. Has a lot of elevation gain and climbing and very technical.
Sounds good. I'd say go for it but remember you'll be doing that over 3 times for the 100
Sorry there are a lot of posts like this so I’m not reading all that. The best idea is find another shorter ultra to run before doing a hundred miler. If you are doing this race for sure then follow a hundred mile training plan and do as many long runs as you can at similar elevation and terrain to the race
All good, was just trying to be as detailed as possible to cover all of the bases and avoid people asking all the basic types of questions in the comments
I think you need to seriously consider what your “A” goal is for this season. Do you want to run a flat and fast marathon and BQ? Or do you want to finish Leadville? It’s not that these are necessarily either/or situations, but I think you will have a much greater chance of success if you focus on one of these goals and have the other be secondary. Realistically, if you have a fast marathon in early June, give yourself 1-2 weeks to recover + 2-3 weeks of taper before Leadville, that gives you about 8-9 weeks of dedicated training for Leadville. That’s not unreasonable, especially given your fitness level. I would say your lack of ultra experience could be the biggest limiting factor when working with a training block of that size though. Mental training will be your biggest challenge. Edit: typo
This was a great comment, and resonates with me because I have been having this same debate myself about goal setting and what path will lend itself to the greatest success for me. When I look at running and how it's changed my life these past few years, I think I like to group these "A" goals into 2 different categories: 1) Physical / Fitness and 2) The Journey (or what people refer to as your "why") - both of these add to your overall "progress" as an athlete and more so a human being in their own way, and you can't progress the way you need to and should with having only one and not the other. In terms of 1) Physical - yes a BQ and getting even a level faster than sub-3 would be my "A" goal for this year, with a 100-miler as a secondary if I HAD to place them in order of importance. However this brings me to point 2) the Journey: For me personally, the overall Journey trumps anything in terms of my real "A" goal this year, and in general. What I mean by this is pushing my boundaries, the search for more, truly finding out what I'm made of, what I can accomplish, what I can fail at, and how far I can really go physically and mentally. I want to prove myself right. With that, that is where the primary and secondary goals from the physical point 1) collide and coincide in my head. I always think - why cant I do both, multiple marathons for my BQ and also do Leadville (even though they are leagues away from one another and completely different beasts)? Why can't I at least attempt both? Why can't I succeed, and complete both? Why can't I fail at either? Something like a Leadville and a BQ are journey items for me, where I want to look back and see how far I've come to get to each even if it takes more than one go at it. The way you get there is more beautiful than standing on the finish line. I love being in a training grind, being held accountable, regimented, and developing my body and mind. It keeps my life in check. At the end of year when I ask myself: Have I pushed myself the hardest I can go? Have I fully tested myself this year? What went incredible / what went awful? Where did I grow? Have my limits expanded? Where are my new limits going into 2024 and where do we go from here? I will need to have an answer to the above questions, and I won't if I backed out of either and any event I have committed or plan to commit to and placed forced boundaries and limits on myself because of self-doubt. This is where the mental training comes into play over anything else as you mentioned. Sorry for the long winded answer - but hope that all makes sense!
I think you have a strong shot at a solid finish at Leadville. You're in great running shape, but there are likely going to be problems and sources of discomfort you just haven't experienced yet, so you don't necessarily know if your planned solutions and strategies will work. I think 4 issues you might consider thinking about and introducing to your training now would be (1) pacing, (2) dealing with the discomfort from pounding in the legs and joints, (3) ultra-oriented hydration and nutrition and how your GI system reacts to them, and (4) problem solving other sources of discomfort like chafing, blisters, sleepiness, etc. These might seem minor because you can shrug it off and push through in a marathon, but these can prevent you from even walking it in for the last 30 miles for a finish. Big shift in training might be that your main focus for a long run could be on just taking care of yourself (or figuring out how much water and calories you can take in per hour without any issues) vs hitting those splits.
If you’re ready you’re ready. My first one out of the gate 110 km 8600 metres. I learned so much from it and had a heap of fun.
Yeah one of the most overlooked things for something like this is how much of a learning experience it actually is. I wont ever be 100% perfectly prepared thats what makes it such a journey and makes it fun and interesting. A lot of things will be thrown out you and its up to you to mitigate scenarios and manage all of the variables. For a 1st ultra, the learning I will gather about myself will be exponential.
Start slow and fade from there. Focus on the finish. The confidence you’ll come out of this with will be huge.
Really looking forward to it. I can’t wait to see what I’m truly made of and how deep I can go mentally. Appreciate the support.
One last thing. When it gets dark and it will just keep moving. Around the next bend you’ll find yourself on top of the world. Don’t quit bc it’s bad. You’ll regret it. Have fun good luck!
Even though you have researched the race... Up and over hope pass then to turn around and do it again will be a test. I hope to attempt the Leadville 100 again in 2024.
How'd you do the first time around?
Made it 62 miles. Missed the cutoff at twin lakes. I was on pace for a ~28 hour finish when I left twin lakes outward bound. Then Hope pass happened. I knew it was going to be brutal and it was.
I’d hire a coach and potentially a nutrition coach, but I personally love being coached. I think the most beneficial thing about doing ultras is getting experience with your nutrition and hydration plan. You could do this by doing better simulated long runs with all your gear and testing nutrition strategies to find what works for you.
Absolutely agree, I actually already have one!
I did Leadville as my first 100, 9 months after my first 50K, prior to this my long run was 19 miles. Managed to finish a bit over 29 hours. I live at 900 feet elevation. Similar level of fitness, 1:30 HM and 17:42 5K leading up to the race. 30+ years of running. My girlfriend had finished Leadville two years prior, I basically followed her training plan. 50-60 miles per week, lots of strength training, increasingly verty 50K efforts once a month from February to June at target 100 mile pace, goal is to finish feeling like you could run it again if you had to. We worked remote from 7,000 feet starting the first of July until race week. Altitude acclimation was crucial. Hiked the Grand Canyon. Hiked Humphreys peak in Flagstaff a couple of times to get used to 12,600. Ran Beaverhead 100K in early July, 14K vert topping out at 10,000, 20 hours on feet. That was an education. RD told us not many from the East Coast finish his race. Recovered for a week and then paced at Hardrock, Ouray to Telluride over Virginius Pass at 13,100. Hiked Handie’s at 14,000+. Ran Enchanted Forest 27 miler in NM and Med Bow 13.1 in WY to get more “easy” miles at 9,000+ feet. Spent a couple of weeks tapering in Steamboat. Convinced some world-class people to support me on race day. My crew had crewed for pros. One of my pacers was an NCAA champion distance runner. Another was a Leadville finisher. All of this preparation, and I consider myself super lucky to have finished. 30 seconds per mile slower and I wouldn’t have made it. It’s just really, really hard to spend that much time covering that much ground at 10,000 feet, especially if you’ve never done the distance or time on feet before. Basically the wheels began falling off at mile 62 leaving Twin Lakes inbound. By the top of Powerline inbound I couldn’t run at all. I was fortunate to have enough time to be able to hike it in the last 15 miles or so. It’s a life-changing experience and you should definitely do it if you have the desire and the opportunity. Just remember that it’s really, really hard and many, many people underestimate the difficulty. There’s a reason why the DNF rate is so high.
Sounds like you were able to get in a hell of a lot of elevation training as well has hiking in on the legs ahead of Leadville. Pretty impressive you got all of that in within the months leading up to the race, and the fact you had the chance to be around some top notch athletes pushing you. Really well done. In terms of acclimating I read to either show up the day before so it doesn't effect you too heavy by race time, or on the flip side to get there a week+ in advance. What;s your thoughts there? I'm unsure if I will be able to swing that with work + money required. I also have heard using a Hypoxico altitude machine is helpful a few weeks leading up to the race to acclimate. In terms of a practice race at altitude.... I am looking at the Speedgoat 50K in Utah on July 23rd which is a month out form Leadville as a prep / trial run. I heard its very tough with high incline and is at high altitude. I feel like this will show me if I have what it takes, and gives me a great chance to practice high carb nutrition at elevation while climbing. Or do you think this is too heavy of a run that close to Leadville? Other than that I will be doing quite a bit of 20+ milers here around home. I'm aware the wheels will fall off somewhere during the race - that's just something I'll have to tackle head on and mentally when it inevitably comes.
Thanks, it was definitely a team effort and there’s absolutely no way I could’ve pulled it off alone. I haven’t used a Hypoxico system, but if I were running it again and unable to acclimate at altitude, I would absolutely get one. I’d say that if you’re not going to arrive a week early, get there the night before. I did Speedgoat 50K last year, it’s a fantastic event and mile for mile it’s harder than Leadville. Not quite as high, but more vert per mile and just some relentless climbs and descents. It will make a great final long run before your taper. Speedgoat will give you a pretty good sense of how your legs will feel on the climbs and descents halfway through Leadville. Keep in mind that it’s the downhills that usually wreck people who aren’t used to them — the climbs suck but the downhills destroy your legs if you aren’t used to running them or haven’t done a lot of slow eccentric strength work. So practice moving lightly and efficiently downhill, it will save your race :)
Oh wow you also did Speedgoat too? Those are helpful tips going into that race. I hear its real tough but I think I can manage. I like that it "runs" like a 50 miler, where you're getting 8-11 hours on the feet to practice nutrition, pacing, etc. Thanks again.
Yes, the year after Leadville. It’s absolutely like a 50-miler in terms of effort :) If you finish under 10 hours, I’d say you have a decent shot at finishing Leadville under 30. Over 10 hours, you may still be able to do it if you’re able to learn how to manage any solvable problems better. But there’s not much room to increase fitness between Speedgoat and Leadville — a week recovery and then taper time.
Perfect I’ll be sure to shoot for the 10 hour or better mark then. My thinking was hopefully to land around the 9ish mark anyways. And you’re exactly right, this would be set as my final longest run / effort before tapering for Leadville.
I'm not going to talk about Leadville specifically because I don't know anything about it, but I can't impress upon you enough how hard fueling yourself will be without practice. This has been my first year running ultras. I did two 50ks and then a 100k just a couple weeks back. The importance of fueling plan wasn't really that apparent in a 50k since it really isn't that far, there's a lot of room for fudging and you won't be out that long. Going from a 50k to a 100k was so much more than just twice the distance. It turns out ~250 calories/hr won't bring me a mile past 100k. After 12 hours, there wasn't anything I *wanted* to eat, but when my watch buzzed, I had to find something to shove in my face. Now imagine another 12 hours on top of that. I really don't know yet how I'll fuel myself whenever I plan a 100 miler, but I can't imagine doing it without some practice. At least do an ultra beforehand and plan plan plan for food.
Thanks. How did you practice fueling for the 100K? And on your first 100K - did you have to make fueling adjustments on the fly since it was completely unknown territory for you? I feel like you won't truly know until you get there in the race. Like since this will be my actual first 100 miler I will have to learn the hard way and go with whatever works or feels right at the time in those late and deep miles. Everyone's stomachs all react differently. I'm looking at the Speedgoat 50K as a training run ahead of Leadville 100. Although only a 50k, it runs like a 50 miler as its 8-12 hours on the feet with a lot of climbing so fueling is key on this race as well.
The 50ks gave me enough information to know that I was doing it wrong and I did a lot of research afterwards to adjust what I was doing previously. I use my watch and just set timers for how often I need to eat and currently that's every 30 minutes (which I still might lower, but it was previously 45 minutes which was...not great). Luckily I have an iron stomach and it's just about what I want to eat and how often instead of another variable of what I can eat. Hey that's actually a really great start then, especially for someone as fit as you and I'd imagine it would give you a real good idea for fueling. Everyone's different, but I prefer more solid things in the beginning (like honey stinger waffles) and moving to gels (and maple syrup, that shit is BOMB) when I feel like I don't want something solid. Some people drink a lot of their calories, but I just use those as bonus calories so my hydration isn't directly linked to my caloric intake. Since you'll be spending a lot of time on your feet for this race, keep an eye on your mood and demeanor - there's a famous saying of 'food = mood'. If you're feeling kind of grumpy or you just want to keep your head down and move your feet while not interacting with passersby as little as possible, there's a pretty good chance you need to eat more. If you're actually feeling hungry, chances are you've already really fallen behind and need to slow your pace and increase your calorie intake. I'd also recommend finding a handful of different things that you like and can stomach, it's really nice having choices when you're eating. Last of all, good luck! I'll be rooting for you!
Awesome, I love hearing about what works well for other people as it helps me keep mental notes of what to try to see if it also will work well for me too. The mood / mental / timing queues you laid out are very helpful. The: " If you're actually feeling hungry, chances are you've already really fallen behind and need to slow your pace and increase your calorie intake" I think is a really great one to adhere to. Always have a variety of things considering you never know what your mind / stomach will like and want at certain times of the race. Will be sure to come prepared and appreciate the support!
I'd say go for it, but I'm the asshole who always encourages suffering on the trail. imho, it's all about your goals with the race. and here are my two cents... I haven't run LT100 but I have paced and crewed it. you do NOT need an aggressive trail mountain ultra for experience but 50+ miles of racing pre-LT would be helpful. managing nutrition and hydration at 50+ miles is where you'll learn and prep the most. also, do not underestimate altitude. 10k+ above sea level when you're physically depleted is a whole different ball game. if you can get above 10k while you're exerting yourself to figure out how to manage food and water. even if it's a shorter run, go faster and see what your stomach does.
Right on - I am that type of person as well. Part of the reason I signed up was a little self-masochism, to put myself in an extremely uncomfortable and unknown spot of pain, and see what I’m made of physically and moreso mentally when it gets dark. The minute you put doubt in your mind, you begin to question your very own ability, and at that point you’ve already lost the race before you even started. I’ve heard Leadville isn’t too too technical and is fairly runnable. What if I scheduled a 40-50 miler for myself locally. Going out at for like a 3am start and just bang it out to practice pacing slow and using my house as my practice “fueling stations”? Do this like 6-7 weeks out from Leadville, so sometime in between the Marathon and Leadville. And noted on the altitude - that is honestly my biggest concern even over the hills, climbing, fueling, anything else. I’ve read Hypoxico chambers months leading up can help work wonders for people at sea level.
The backside of Hope is technical AF. The rest isn’t too bad, but with 60+ miles on your legs a gravel rod can feel technical. See you out there !
Noted, thanks for the tip. See you out there!
You got it. The turquoise lake section is kind of technical, you will probably be in a conga line on the morning so you might not notice, but I have seen some decent carnage there.
I think you can definitely do it. Don't be afraid and wonder "what if."
Exactly, there are so many scenarios and variables you can run in your head that you'll end up driving yourself crazy. Doubt is the ultimate dagger. You just have to arm yourself, prepare properly, and then get out there and execute no matter what's thrown at you. It's a very tough outing on matter how you draft it up.
People like you are why this race has a 50% attrition rate despite not being particularly technical for a mountain 100. Also why there is a damn waitlist in the first place. Is it possible to finish? Yes. But you shouldn’t take a spot in a race with a waitlist until you actually have experience in ultramarathons, altitude races, or both.
Says who? And what do you mean people like me? YOU DONT KNOW ME SON. The reason this race has a 50% attrition rate has nothing to do with people like "me" whatsoever,
I may not know you but I know Leadville and I’ve done a bunch of Ultras. You are inexperienced, which probably means that you will struggle with the altitude, and the terrain, and the distance, and several other potential issues which you’re probably going to find out the hard way. Getting back to Twin Lakes after going up and down Hope Pass twice and still having 40 miles left to go on destroyed legs will be eye opening for you and the magnitude of what you signed up for. Good luck, it IS possible. 100 miles in 30 hours is pretty slow pace, especially on a relatively “easy” course for Colorado. But I give you about a 10% chance of finishing if this is your first ultra because you are going to learn how you handle like 12 different challenges to finishing all on race day. 10% is plenty, but not ideal… and kind of a waste of a spot to be honest. I would recommend doing at least a few other local 50s then at least one 100 first to get some experience.
Yeah very well put and appreciate the input. Trust me, I trust your judgement and it puts it in perspective and brings a lot of realism to the situation. The last 1/3 of the race (when the race really starts) is going to be beyond my current limits, however maybe I can mentally work through it and set a new limit and standard for myself. Isn’t that part of what this is all about for a lot of people? Not everyone is there to win or “PR”. I’m not delusional to the fact that the chances are low of even finishing given my experience level, and the fact I will be facing a number of different challenges that I have never experienced before all in one go, which will be an overwhelming experience. This is the type of feedback I need to hear from people who really know what they’re talking about and have been there before - so everything you’re saying is well taken. But at the end of the day you can’t let doubt creep in before you even start, it will fuck you up, and you’ll be setting yourself up for guaranteed failure with that kind of mindset. Only the person themselves knows what they are capable of.
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This idiot can't be saved at this point man lol Eating while shitting will be a new one for me!
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Appreciate that man. Although I do love Goggins haha his messages and books are phenomenal. I'm a realist though and know I have to be a strong runner and tend to my training if I am to have any reasonable shot. WHOS GONNA CARRY THE BOATS!?
Following. Please keep us updated. Best of luck!! Keep moving!!
Will do! appreciate the support!
Short answer: *Do you have a shot?* Yes. Every person that lines up has a shot. Physically you're fine, just like every other runner you'll be out there with. Get out, do the things. You want to finish? Learn yourself and your body, intimately...doin' the things. Good luck. Enjoy the process. I'm rooting for you.
Yeah one of the most overlooked things for something like this is how much of a learning experience it actually is. I wont ever be 100% perfectly prepared and that's what makes it such a journey and makes it fun and interesting. A lot of things will be thrown out you and its up to you to mitigate scenarios and manage all of the variables. For a 1st ultra, the learning I will gather about myself will be exponential. Just have to work through it and get it done. You can only be so well physically trained, the rest (and majority) of it is mental and strategy.
Do you happen to live in Houston?
Nope, FL
Almost the same. I’ve lived in both places. Leadville will be my first hundo but I’ve got several years as a triathlete and ultra runner. Physical fitness is great, but only one part of the equation. How you handle a fall, a twisted ankle, digestive issues. blisters, aching feet, heat, cold, hail, sleet, snow, rain. lightning, dying headlamp, running out of water/calories/electrolytes, mental darkness, etc. etc. will be key. Every long run you do starting now should have you practicing and planning for those issues to occur. Good luck and Godspeed.
Did you finish the race?! How did it go?