The Road to Leadman ended 50
miles too short. The Leadville Trail Run
100 didn't go as hoped. I hyperextended my knee around mile 25 when I stepped
in a hole hidden in a grassy field the course takes you through. Gutted it out
to make it to Winfield at mile 50, but I was using a hiking pole as a cane by
that point even with two lidocaine patches on the knee. I decided better to
live to run an ultra another day.
Still I accomplished a combined total of 239
miles with 33,000+ ft elevation gain all at elevations above 9500 ft in 5
races.The Leadville races were an amazing experience: got to
live my dream of racing in Leadville that I had since reading Born To Run, did my first MTB race at
the Silver Rush, saw the Trail Run 100 course including the llamas at Hope Pass,
and most of all met lots of great people and made new friends along the way. While it is still fresh in my mind, here are my key
take aways and general musings on the Leadman. Hopefully, this is useful for anyone else considering the Leadmna or any or the Leadville races, or for myself to dig up next time I go back. I am optimistic that my knee will heal and I can take another shot at a
100-miler this year.
Key Take Aways and General Musings:
There is a reason 80% of the Leadman
competitors are from Colorado. They get to train on the courses
frequently. The ideal way for an out of
state competitor to tackle the Leadman is to live in the Leadville area
starting about two weeks before the Trail Marathon in June and staying through the
Leadville Trail Run 100. If that’s not
possible, at least sign up for both the MTB and Run camps. The run camp is reasonably priced but the MTB
camp commands a premium simply because cyclists are willing to lay out more cash
than runners. One sport the barrier to
entry is a pair of shoes versus a $5,000+ bike.
Master the MTB 100 and Trail Run 100
races individually first. Most of the Leadman competitors had done at
least one before. I would shoot for
being able to hit at least 10:30 on the MTB so you can do an easy 11:30 for
the Leadman and save your legs for the Trail Run 100. For the Run, expect to be about two hours
slower and shoot for at least a 27:00 standalone time.
The Leadman is really about the Trail
Run 100, which is really about Hope Pass (3,000+ ft of vertical each way).
I’d focus my training about 70% on the conquering the run. I was worried about the MTB since I only had
a year of MTBing under my belt and did basically 50/50. The cycling will help you build endurance but
it won’t prepare you for prepare you for the pounding of running or to climb
over Hope Pass and back starting 40 miles into the run. Barring the knee injury, I think I would have
made it to the finish, but it would have been brutal, way more brutal than any
part of the MTB 100.
Hire a coach who has Leadman experience.I connected with Marvin Sandoval, a
Leadman winner and Leadville local who knows the courses intimately, but it was
not until the last month. I’d hire him
from the beginning to structure my training and go out to Leadville to train
with him. I searched early in the
process but didn’t find many options. I
met him later through the Leadman Hopefuls & Alumni group on Facebook.
The margin for error on a 100-miler is
much smaller than a 50-miler. If I couldn’t see where I was stepping, I
should have walked through that grassy field.
It would have cost me maybe 10 minutes.
I gutted it out to the 50-mile mark thanks in part to the lidocaine
patches, but there was no way I could have hobbled another 50-miles.
Find nutrition that works at 10,000+ ft. I
thought I had my nutrition dialed in based on all the events I’ve done in the
past such as 50-milers and WRIAD. It
even worked fine for the Trail Marathon and Silver Rush 50 MTB. However, right at 7-8 hours into the MTB 100
and Trail Run 100 my stomach went south.
I puked my guts out at mile 70 of the MTB 100 and only made it to the
finish on Coke. I was more prepared on
the Trail Run 100 and had a 12-pack of Coke and Snickers bars with my crew. I came into Twin Lakes at mile 40 at 8 hours and
I couldn’t take Tail Wind or eat any of the nutrition on me. I slammed down a bottle of Coke and took
another one in my running vest and a Snickers bar for Hope Pass. I made it over off Coke and Snickers,
occasionally forcing myself to take a drink of Tail Wind. I would have just stuck two Cokes in my
running vest and filled my pockets with candy bars at each crew stop for the
rest of the race. I have no idea how
that would have worked out. The only way
to find what works would be to train in Leadville.
Lidocaine patches only give me about 2 extra
hours. Based on advice from the Utah Leadman, I went
to my doctor (who is also an endurance athlete) and had him prescribe me
Lidocaine patches. If you any of the
medics at the race have to give you one, you’re DQed. However, they don’t care if you carry them
and use them. (Note: you will be DQ’ed
if you use supplemental oxygen). About 2
miles before Twin Lakes, the pain from my knee was unbearable. I’d loaded up on Tylenol but it wasn’t
working. In desperation, I pulled out a
patch and slapped it on my knee.
Instantly, the pain went away and I was running like a gazelle. I got to Twin Lakes and told my crew to find
out what the maximum number of the patches I could use was and then double it
because that was probably what I’d need to do to finish the race. However, the pain slowly returned as I hiked
up Hope Pass. At the top, I slapped
another patch on. It did absolutely
nothing. I hobbled down the backside of
Hope Pass using a hiking pole as a cane with the realization sinking in that it
was going to be a one way trip.
The Leadville Trail Run 100 has the most
admin of any race I’ve done, bar none. My race plan required careful planning
for each aid station since they are 10-15 miles apart. Most ultras have you hit an aid station every
5-6 miles. My crew and I spent all of
Friday before the race driving to each aid station and carefully rehearsing what
to do. We made adjustments to the plan
based on what we saw. Then I spent all
night packing gear and preparing my nutrition.
I passed out a 9PM exhausted. I’d
spread that across at least two days next time.
Have two crews for the Leadville Trail
Run 100 that leap frog each other to the next aid station.
The aid stations are a zoo. There
are crew and spectators everywhere. I
had to shoulder check a spectator (who saw me coming!) to get out of Twin
Lakes. Your crew can end up parking up
to 2 miles away and hoofing it in. It’s
a lot to ask. They could probably
consolidate for the inbound leg where you’re going slower and about 50% of the
runners have dropped.
What’s Next:
Assuming the
knee heals up and I’ll have the ability to run again, I can’t let the 2017 go
by without finishing a 100-miler. That
was really the goal of the Leadman.
Stagecoach 100-miler in Flagstaff,
AZ on September 23. Interesting looking
race but I don’t know many people in AZ so I’d probably have to go solo. Unlikely to be able to preview the course in
advance.
North
Face Endurance Challenge Utah50-miler in Park City, UT on September 23 AND
Pony Express 100-miler in Faust, UT on
October 20. Both are driving distance
from my home. I’ve wanted to do the
North Face Endurance Challenge the last two years but it didn’t work out. The Pony Express runs the historic route of
the same name out through the Utah desert.
Crewing is easy because they drive ahead of you in a car. While it checks the box for a 100-miler, it
is certainly not Leadville in terms of epicness or difficulty. Still it’s a race on that has been on my
radar because I think it would be really cool to run the Pony Express route. This is clearly the easiest option.
Rio Del Lago 100-miler in Granite Bay, CA
on November 4. This combines the
American River 50 mile and Way To Cool 50k courses, and it is a Western States
qualifier. My sister lives nearby, so I’d
have family support. I have tons of
friends in Northern California, making finding a crew doable. However, I have a backpacking trip planned
the weekend before in Death Valley that I’m committed to and would likely not
enter the race very fresh. I could
probably squeeze in a trip in advance to preview the course since I have work
obligations in the Bay Area. I’ve run
the paved multi-use portion before. I
could also still do the North Face Endurance Challenge with this.
I’m leaning
toward the Pony Express because it will be the simplest. I’ve already taken a lot of time away from my
family and work for the Leadman. I’ll
probably keep RDL in mind as a backup if something interferes with the Pony
Express. Any other races I should consider?
Special thanks to all the EN crew who've followed this adventure and offered tons of great advice and support!
Gabe thanks for sharing your journey.... Great take always and lessons... I think you should take a breather , let the knee recover completely , and then set yourself up for success , 100% focus on the run for minimum 2 months, there is no such thing as an easy 100 miler but choose one with much lower altitude, minimal elevation change , and good surfaces... Laps are fine as well for setting up choices (clothes, food , etc).... Javelina 100 comes to mind late October but don't rush it! After that you can do an EPIC one like Leadville, HURT, Wasatch, or Mongollon
@tim cronk definitely plan to take at least two weeks off. My body feels surprisingly good. I'm not sore at all today versus being being wrecked for a week from my last two 50-milers. I'm pretty sure my legs had it in them to make it the 100 miles without the stupid tweak to the knee. But I need some time off to make sure the knee heals fully and to mentally recharge.
Javelina would be a good one with the loops, requiring minimal crew support. Unfortunately, I have a backpacking trip in Death Valley planned for a good friend's "bachelor party" that weekend. I'm looking at the Pony Express here in Utah for the reasons you touched on: it's not a high elevation, it's a good surface (basically a dirt road across the desert), it only has two significant climbs, and best of all it's only an hour drive from my home. I just need to recruit a couple buddies to drive ahead in the SAG vehicle. Then I'd like to tackle an epic one like Leadville or Wastach Front next year.
@Scott Alexander thanks! It was an adventure for sure and no regrets for taking my shot at it!
Congratulations on your accomplishments! That was a lot packed into a short amount of time. Thanks for sharing so much information on your journey. I really enjoyed it!
Gabe, I've been quietly following your journey with a bit of jealousy and a lot of awe. 26.2 miles is an ultra for me, and the idea of doing the Leadman series is story book inspiration. Your methodical approach and in-depth preparation was as important as any physical gifts or training you might have. And the joy you obviously get from these efforts is a beacon for others - keep it up, AFTER you are sure you will not be doing any permanent damage to your legs. You'll need 'em for a few more decades, in their natural state. It's tough to run with a titanium knee.
@Al Truscott it was definitely a lot of fun researching and racing, even with the disappointing ending. My knee is feeling pretty good and looks like there was no permanent damage. Going to test it out some more this weekend. If it feels good, then I'm planning to take a shot at the Pony Express 100 in October. I need to move past the DNF and get back on the horse...or pony in this case...again.
You're a huge inspiration for me! I hope I get to do even half the cool shit you've done and continue to do!
@Gabe Peterson - have yet to read all of this, i can't imagine the bummer that injury must have been after all you've been through. Thanks for including me in the journey and I still lament the scheduling conflict that prevented me from showing up for the LT100 Run.. Keep me posted on what's next and I hope to be picking your brains on this series in 2 years!
@Scott Dinhofer definitely a bummer. The Leadman is a great experience -- you should definitely do it! We'll have to hook up next time you're in Utah and grab a beer to discuss. The one thing I'd say is start thinking about doing a 100 mile run before you take on the Leadman. Ideally, do the Leadville Run 100 in 2018 or 2019. Leadville is one of the toughest 100 milers, and doing it as your first 100 miler as part of the Leadman is adventuresome. If I could do one thing differently, this would be it. If you do the Leadman in 2020, I may join you!
Comments
The Road to Leadman ended 50 miles too short. The Leadville Trail Run 100 didn't go as hoped. I hyperextended my knee around mile 25 when I stepped in a hole hidden in a grassy field the course takes you through. Gutted it out to make it to Winfield at mile 50, but I was using a hiking pole as a cane by that point even with two lidocaine patches on the knee. I decided better to live to run an ultra another day.
While it is still fresh in my mind, here are my key
take aways and general musings on the Leadman. Hopefully, this is useful for anyone else considering the Leadmna or any or the Leadville races, or for myself to dig up next time I go back. I am optimistic that my knee will heal and I can take another shot at a
100-miler this year.
Still I accomplished a combined total of 239 miles with 33,000+ ft elevation gain all at elevations above 9500 ft in 5 races. The Leadville races were an amazing experience: got to live my dream of racing in Leadville that I had since reading Born To Run, did my first MTB race at the Silver Rush, saw the Trail Run 100 course including the llamas at Hope Pass, and most of all met lots of great people and made new friends along the way.
Key Take Aways and General Musings:
What’s Next:
Assuming the knee heals up and I’ll have the ability to run again, I can’t let the 2017 go by without finishing a 100-miler. That was really the goal of the Leadman.
I’m leaning toward the Pony Express because it will be the simplest. I’ve already taken a lot of time away from my family and work for the Leadman. I’ll probably keep RDL in mind as a backup if something interferes with the Pony Express. Any other races I should consider?
Special thanks to all the EN crew who've followed this adventure and offered tons of great advice and support!
For what you did do...much congratulations! That definitely counts as epic!
Javelina would be a good one with the loops, requiring minimal crew support. Unfortunately, I have a backpacking trip in Death Valley planned for a good friend's "bachelor party" that weekend. I'm looking at the Pony Express here in Utah for the reasons you touched on: it's not a high elevation, it's a good surface (basically a dirt road across the desert), it only has two significant climbs, and best of all it's only an hour drive from my home. I just need to recruit a couple buddies to drive ahead in the SAG vehicle. Then I'd like to tackle an epic one like Leadville or Wastach Front next year.
@Scott Alexander thanks! It was an adventure for sure and no regrets for taking my shot at it!
You're a huge inspiration for me! I hope I get to do even half the cool shit you've done and continue to do!