First things first, before getting into my thoughts on this year’s Leadville Trail 100, I need to thank all of the wonderful volunteers out on the course and my fantastic crew. Both groups are definitely the unsung heros of ultra-running!
My crew was Laura and her family. The DeWitt Family has gained plenty of experience crewing ultras over the years for my coach, and companion for most of the race, Paul DeWitt. Their experience wasn’t limited to Paul’s races, however, as his wife Judy and father Jim are previous LT100 finishers. This really made the aid stations a breeze and helped keep me on track. I also had my father in law, Jim, as pacer for the final 50 miles. Who could ask for a better crew?
Now onto the race itself:
The race starts in Leadville, CO (elevation 10,152 ft) and takes runners 50 miles to Winfield and back while climbing / descending 15,600 ft.
Ready to Run
We lined up in downtown Leadville for the 4am start on Sat morning in brisk 45 degree temps. The traditional shotgun blast set us off on our trek through the high trails. The LT100 is nice, in that the course starts with a slight downhill, allowing runners to get a little warmed up before spiking the heart rate. Of course, I was also wondering how “The Boulevard” would feel in another 98 miles... Following the flicker of headlamps, we wound our way around Turquoise Lake at a comfortable pace toward the first aid station at the May Queen Campground. Paul and I found his parents camped just before the “official” aid station around 2:06 into the race (13.5 miles); we ditched our headlamps, got fresh nutrition supplies and set off for the next aid station at Fish Hatchery.
Leaving May Queen, we started the first notable climb of the race up and over Sugar Loaf. We did some hiking up Hagerman Pass Rd and then bombed down the “Power Line” to Fish Hatchery. Running down the Power Line wasn’t too bad, but I could see how a major crash happened during the LT100 Mountain Bike Race the week before. It was packed dirt, but with large ruts winding back and forth across the trail. I have an interesting downhill running style - I like to imagine I am skiing on steep pitches and end up with a sort of skipping gate. It works for me - it keeps me from tripping and helps me avoid blowing up my quads trying to brake too much. However, it also provides entertainment for those running with me. Paul seemed certainly entertained. We reached Fish Hatchery (mile 24) around 3:58 and once again swapped out nutrition supplies with the crew.
Coming Into Fish Hatchery
The next leg was my least favorite of the race. Fish Hatchery to Treeline is only about 4 miles, but is all road. Treeline is an interestingly named point on the course. Normally in the mountains “treeline” is the altitude where trees stop growing. In this case, it is above some fields and the point where you reenter the woods to leave the valley. Paul pointed out to me at this point that the river beside the road was the headwaters of the Arkansas River - interesting to think that what was little more than a creek at this point turns into the famed Arkansas. Mercifully, this leg only took us about 40min and brought us to about mile 30.
Coming Into Treeline
We met our crew again at Treeline and then set off on my favorite outbound leg of the race. Treeline to Twin Lakes got us into more of the mountain “running” I was looking forward to. Passing near the base of Mt Elbert (highest peak in CO), we headed to the Half Moon aid station. This section of the course is fairly new (2009 was the first year) and it eliminates what I heard was a short, steep climb near the Mt Elbert Trail Head. After Half Moon, we climbed up to the CO trail and ran or hiked (depending on the pitch of the terrain) through stands of Aspen and along soft dirt. The views to Twin Lakes were worth the price of admission to this point. However, I did make a mistake along this stretch and didn’t drink enough. The day was warming up and I came into Twin Lakes (mile 40) thirsty around 6:54.
Once again, we swapped out nutrition and headed for the toughest climb and highest point on the course, Hope Pass. There is 15,600 ft of climbing in the LT100, but most of it comes between miles 40 and 60 where runners must cross Hope Pass twice.
Just out of Twin Lakes Aid Station, the course crosses a swampy area and then a river. Preparing for the race, I had wondered how the river crossing would feel. I didn’t need to worry, with the warm temps, it was absolutely refreshing! After crossing the river, the course pitches up and it becomes a “one foot in front of the other” affair. The first 2/3 of the climb are in the woods and I ran out of fluid shortly before the Hopeless Aid Station, just above treeline* (*traditional definition). We broke out of the trees into a high alpine meadow filled with llamas, alpacas, and the Hopeless volunteers. I don’t know that I have ever been so happy to see an aid station. I refilled my handheld bottles, drank a couple extra glasses of water and Powerade, admired the views (they were breathtaking!), and set off to finish the climb. Paul and I zig zagged up the final switchbacks to the top of Hope Pass. The cool breeze up above treeline almost brought a chill and I could see how this could be a scary place in a storm. As we neared the top of the climb, we exchanged pleasantries with Anton Krupicka and his pacer Dakota Jones (winner of the 2010 San Juan Solstice 50) flying down the trail, leading the race. It was amazing to watch these two run, they looked smoother and in more control on this mountain trail than most people do on the Wrightsville Beach Loop. At the top of the pass, we took a brief glance around at the amazing view, and started down to Winfield. Soon, we were into more and more two-way traffic as the leading runners made their way back up Hope Pass from Winfield. At the base of the trail you get onto the dusty Winfield Rd for the 2.3 miles to the aid station / turn around. Most drivers were polite, but a few just had to kick up extra dust. We reached Winfield at 10:05, matching my fastest 50 miles (a training run in Umstead Park).
Coming Up the Dusty Winfield Rd to the Turn Around
At Winfield, we picked up my pacer (Jim) and our, now 3 man, wolf pack headed back to Hope Pass. Hope Pass is steeper from Winfield, but shorter. Once on the trail, it was pretty crowded with those still on their way to the turn around. It was also around 80 deg, I was sweating, and couldn’t wait to get back above treeline and into that refreshing breeze I knew was waiting for me. I fought mild nausea most of the climb and had to force my Perpetuem down while listening to my pacer nag me about eating / drinking more. At one point, Jim told me I could tell him to shut up if he was getting on my nerves. My response was an immediate “Shut Up Jim!”, which got a laugh from Paul’s neighbor Mike (a fellow runner) who seemed to be on a similar pace most of the day. I had been trying not to complain, but at the top allowed myself to say a half joking “this shit sucks”. Finally back to Hopeless (how could you call such a beautiful place “Hopeless”?), I got some broth and noodles and we continued back to Twin Lakes. Jim got to laugh with Paul as he saw my downhill technique for the first time and opined that I reminded him of a horse (he didn’t say exactly which part). Back to the river, I couldn’t wait to wade my legs into the cold water. Legs refreshed, we headed into Twin Lakes where the crew waited with fresh shoes and socks. I was now at mile 60 and every step would be my longest run ever.
View from Twin Lakes
Leaving the Twin Lakes Aid Station is a nasty little climb. It is only maybe 50 feet vertical, but it is pretty much vertical. We scrambled up however, and headed back toward Treeline. The day took on the golden glow of afternoon and the CO Trail and aspens were even more beautiful than they were in the morning. My stomach was feeling much better, although I did have to take it easy after eating for a few minutes or I would get severe hiccups. This would continue for the rest of the race, but as long as I could still fuel myself and keep moving, I figured it was a small price to pay.
We came into Treeline and picked up a single headlamp, which Jim wore. We had been making our splits all day for a 23hr finish, but knew that we would have to run almost the entire leg from Treeline to Fish Hatchery to stay on pace. I didn’t like this leg during the day, but like an ugly coed it was a little better in poor light. Jim would take the lead whenever a car approached (he had the light) for safety and then drop beside me after it passed. This started to get on my nerves (I don’t like running with cars when I haven’t been going since 4am). Once we took the left onto the road to Fish Hatchery I decided to run and picked up the pace. We came into the aid station at 17:00 (mile 76), right on schedule for 23 hrs and refueled for the final notable climb. The aid station volunteers gave me a cup of broth and told me I was in 51st place.
Sunset at Treeline
I grabbed my own headlamp at Fish Hatchery and we headed back into the darkness. All day long I had wondered how I would feel when I was tasked with climbing back up the Power Line after going 70-80 miles and had tried to keep something in reserve for this moment. I told Jim that if we pushed the pace, I thought we could reach May Queen in 20hrs and then finish under 23. He said something along the lines of “maybe you can...” We reached the base of the Power Line and I just started hiking with determination. Quickly, Paul faded behind me and, not long after, so did Jim. Jim and I reconnected briefly part way up the climb and I assured him I was ok with nutrition. He had been carrying my Perpetuem (muling is legal at Leadville), but I had a stash of GU with me. Little did I know that I wouldn’t see him again until close to the finish. I kept up an aggressive pace and just started passing people up the climb. This leg felt the best of the final 50 miles. I felt a little bad about dropping Paul and Jim, but just kept hearing Eminem in my head “if you had, one shot, one opportunity, to seize everything you ever wanted, one moment, would you capture it or just let it slip?” I decided to continue listening to his advice and said to myself “I’ve got to lose myself in the moment, I own it, I’ll never ever let it go...” I reached May Queen in 19:45, grabbed a cup of potato soup, a quarter sandwich, refilled my water bottle, and grabbed my Camelbak (which I had strapped a light to) for the final push.
I left May Queen with 3:15 to go around 13.5 miles. I began a run/walk on the trail around Turquois Lake. I would run the smooth sections and walk the rougher stretches or where I couldn’t see well. I thought of a friend of Paul’s who that morning (actually that was yesterday wasn’t it? or was it?) had fallen, presumably in this section, and hit his side on a rock. He was considering dropping out of the race when we saw him because he was pissing blood. I figured at this point, discretion might be the better part of valor. It also got interesting, as there are several trails that all seem to intersect around Turquois Lake, most presumably leading to some camp site or other unknown location hidden in the darkness. It didn’t seem so confusing in the morning, but there was also a steady line of people at that time. Now, I was alone hunting for the next piece of ribbon tied to a tree (why don’t they use reflective ribbon?) or glow stick marking the correct trail. I remembered another runner saying that you should never stray too far from the lake and with that in mind, was able to stay (mostly) on the correct trail. At one point, I did catch up to 2 runners with their respective pacers where several trails intersected. We all looked around for the correct trail until one of us spotted the next marker and we were off again. I came up out of the woods and found my crew waiting for me at the road, concerned that I might need something (Laura thought I might have grabbed an empty Amphipod waist pack and would be out of GU). I told them I was fine and asked for a mileage check. A guy nearby called out “4.5 to go” and looking at my watch, sub 22:45 or even 22:30? looked like a possibility. I dropped back into dark woods and the search for the next course marker. Sat morning we had passed a metal gate and Paul had told me this was the 5K point, so I kept an eye out as I seemed to switch from dirt road to trail and back. Finally, I could see the lights of the Leadville High School, but still no gate (now I was back to hoping to just break 23hrs). I came out onto paved road where Laura was waiting, ready to run the last mile with me (you can have extra “pacers” the last mile). I asked what she was doing (I still had over 5K right?) and she said, “Matt, you’re there! The finish is around the corner, this is The Boulevard! 1 mile to go”. Together, we rounded the last corner and I could see the red stop light that marked the finish up ahead. I crossed the line in 22:28:00, earned my “Big Buckle” and a hug from race director Merilee Maupin.
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| Crossing the Finish |
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| Laura, My Final Mile Pacer |
Gear Used:
Shoes: Innov8 Roclite 295
Socks: Injinji
Hydration System(s): Ultimate Direction hand held water bottles, Camelbak, Amphipod Airlite with snap flasks
Nutrition: Water, Gatorade, Powerade, Perpetuem, GU, Endurolites, Coke, Broth, Misc bites of stuff from aid stations
Other: Headlamps, arm warmers, hat, sunglasses, Waterman sunscreen
