Tim Cronk 2019 Leadville 100 Trail Run Plan
Why the 100 mile run? - Cause its impossible and scares the shit out of me.
Why Leadville? - Leadville was the first 100 I wanted to do, via entry to the Leadman Series. Thankfully I came to my senses and bailed on that idea , although the Leadman is still in my head, specially since watching the MTB last weekend. Last year I got my feet wet in the 100 arena with Vt100 and Ghost Train 100. Thanks to other EN'ers @Tim Sullivan @Gabe Peterson and @Clark Mitchell signing up for Leadville I am back to my original 100 idea. Having spent some time in Leadville through the camp, training , watching the MTB race, meeting the founders and those that run it, I couldn't be happier with my race choice.
Below is a great article on the history of Leadville the town, how the race came about, and the story of Ken Choubler the founder and his partner Merilee. Without even knowing the history of Ken when you first meet him and listen to him you can tell he is a force.
Prep- I believe I have done absolutely everything I can to prepare myself for race day. This includes a longterm approach of a solid 8 months, attending the Leadville 100 Run Camp with Gabe and Clark which I would highly recommend even if you don't wanna run the LV 100, racing a couple 50k's and a 57 miler along the way, speed work 1x per week, lots of running, hiking, walking, elevation, good nutrition , rest , and educating myself through books, blogs, race reports, anything Leadville 100 Trail Run specific . Capping off the prep with 2.5 weeks at altitude to acclimate and taper .
Above a picture of run PMC peaking CTL at 85.
The 100 mile distance does not care how much you have done. From here success will be determined by making smart decisions for the remainder of the taper , prep, and execution of the 30hrs that is Leadville. And pure mental tenacity. Usually when I am approaching game day I try to work my mental game up into a bit of a frenzy, by listening to lyrics, searching motivational quotes etc, I want the horns and fangs to come out on race day! For Leadville you have to look no further than Ken Choubler quotes and speeches. They may seem a bit corny or sales pitchy, but when he delivers them with the skill of a preacher/politician/cowboy/miner and 14x Leadville finisher himself, he means them and you believe him. I believe him!
"I will commit , I will NOT Quit"
"You are better than you think you are, and you can do more than you think you can"
"Make friends with pain, and you will never be alone"
"Dig deep into that inexhaustible well of grits, guts, and determination"
"Keep your gun clean, your knife sharp, don't lie, cheat or steal, always feed your dog and horse first, and never turn your back on a friend"
"Motivation will get you through your training, motivation will get you to the start line, but motivation will NOT get you to the finish line, you will have to want it, when the hurt comes and it will , you will have to do what the Leadville miners did, and that is to Dig Deep"
"Its only going to hurt for 30hrs, if you quit, its going to hurt for an entire year, until you can try again"
Goal - 1. sub 25hrs Big Buckle 2. sub 30hrs little Buckle 3. Finish no matter how long it takes. 4. Learn something
Pre-Race - Arriving in Colorado on 8/1 for the 8/17 race has giving me lots of time at altitude. Staying in Alma about 70 min from Leadville. Mostly hiking, some running, walking and even a couple days on the MTB. Getting above 14k -4x, 13k -1x and 12k -2x, while living at 10-11k. Actually bagged 6x - 14'ers and 1 of them twice :-) Watching and helping crew the EN MTB racers last weekend. Clark came in a week early and is staying in Alma. We are moving over to Leadville on Thursday for pre-race admin and the big day. Heather is coming in on Wednesday. Our airbnb maybe a bit tight with the racers, pacers, and crews. But unlike Ironman the vibe will be much more relaxed, and I cant think of a better bunch of people I'd like to spend time with.
My Crew - Heather "aka" secret weapon, nephew Baxter, and @Stephanie Stevens. Best crew ever, I am a lucky racer.
The Plan-This is just a basic structure layout , it will be dynamically changing as we go based on weather, time of day, and other variables. Without going into too much detail I plan to use a run/walk/hike technique determined by terrain, hiking the steepest sections . Will drink sports drink every mile and to thirst, eat blocks or sip gel every 30 minutes to an alert, eat substantial calories at each of the 7 "crewed" aid stations. There will be 7 non crewed aid stations where I will refuel off the course. Below is the break down to each of the Aid stations, with my expected pace, elapsed time, time of day, and what I plan to do at each Aid station. NOTE: paces for my calculations were derived from running the course via Run Camp, then allowing for an easier pace and the 100 mile fade. The paces and time of day estimates are just that, a starting point. I plan to execute via RPE with no power or HR input or observation. The pace/times I get at each check point will not be a factor on how I execute going forward , until I get to the last AS with 13 miles to go, at this point I can do math and possibly change pace to meet any finish goals that are possible in that last 13 miles. Lets call it "the line"@ mile 87 :-)
Weather assumption at this point - the current forecast in Leadville is lows in the 30's/40's and highs in the 60's/70's for the next week through the race day, with very low chance of precipitation, typically there is a high chance of precipitation in the afternoons. Additionally sunrise is around 6:15 and sunset is around 8pm.
After checking into Leadville on Thursday, going out to dinner with the group . Friday will be a carbo loading day, admin packet pickup , briefing , preparing any drop bag, and crew bags, and crew plan. Early to bed. Alarm at 3am, coffee, very small breakfast. Head over to the start prior to 4am.
The Start - planned starting temp around 40 degrees, wearing shorts, long sleeve techincal and a short sleeve technical shirts, using orange mud single bottle vest, gloves, beanie hat, headlamp, rain jacket, gaiters, blister kit and bathroom kit. Skratch in the bottle , blocks/gels in pockets.
Only providing time estimates for the crewed AS. Actions only at non crewed AS.
Mayqueen- CREW AS #1 12.6 miles , 10:30pace , Start to Mayqueen segment time 2:15 , TOD eta 6:15am. Actions- drop light and beanie hat, pickup safari hat sunglasses, dump trash, refill bottle, sandwich
Outward Bound AS- dump trash, refill bottle, blocks/gels
Treeline Alternate CREW AS #2 26.5 miles, 13:00pace, Mayqueen to Treeline segment time 3:02, TOD eta 9:17am. Actions- dump trash, sandwich
Half Pipe AS - dump trash, refill bottle, blocks/gels
Twin Lakes CREW AS #3 38 miles, 13:00pace, Treeline to Twin Lakes segment time 2:23, TOD eta 11:40am. Actions- swap hydration pack from single bottle to 2 liter (half full) with poles that I intend to carry for the duration, and clothes for Hope Pass vest, hat, gloves, rain jacket, space blanket, apply sunscreen , sandwich
Hope Pass- Check fluid level
Winfield NO CREW 50 mile turnaround - will have a drop bag at Winfield for emergency, extra clothes and shoes, will refill bladder, feed off AS, and top off blocks/gels. Entertain the idea of a volunteer pacer.
Hope Pass- Check fluid level
Twin Lakes CREW AS #4 62 miles, 18:45pace , Twin Lakes to Twin Lakes segment time 7.5hrs, TOD eta 7:10pm. Actions - dump trash, change socks and shoes, pick up waistbelt light, charger for watch, refill bladder, sandwich, blocks/gels. Evaluate TOD vs target TOD to determine Night Clothes Change here at TL or next crewed AS.
Half Pipe AS- dump trash, refill bladder, blocks/gels
Treeline Alternate CREW AS #5 - 74 miles , 16:30pace , Twin Lakes to Treeline segment time 3:18, TOD eta 10:28pm. Actions- dump trash, charger, safari hat and sun glasses , do a full complete change into night clothes if did not do at Twin Lakes, pick up beanie hat and petzl headlamp, sandwich or ramen.
Outward Bound AS- dump trash, refill bladder, blocks/gels
Mayqueen CREW AS #6 - 87 miles, 16:30pace, Treeline to Mayqueen segment time 3:37, TOD eta 2:05am. Actions- drop trash, refill bladder, sandwich or ramen, Heather will pace me for the last 13 miles to finish :-)
Tabor Boat Launch CREW AS #7- 93 miles, 14:00pace, Mayqueen to Tabor Boat Launch segment time 1:10, TOD eta 3:15am. Actions- last check till finish line.
Finishline- 100 miles , 14:00pace, Tabor Boat Launch to Finishline segment time 1:38, TOD eta 4:53am. 24:53 total time @ just under a 15'pace.
Nutrition- will drink skratch in my first bottle and my first bladder when I change backpacks, then I will drink GU off the course, drinking every mile and to thirst, eating 60-100 calories every 30' in the form of blocks/gels/or whatever looks good at an aid station of from my crew, eating something substantial around 250-350 calories every 2.5-3.5hrs in the form of a sandwich or whatever looks good at the aid station or crew. I will always be carrying a sleeve of blocks and a couple gels between AS. Caffeine will be introduced slowly as late in the day as possible in the form of gels, blocks, coke, mountain dew.
Additional Execution thoughts/plans- I plan to minimize weight and moving parts as much as possible. NO phone, NO HR strap, NO STRYD Pod, use 1 bottle vest , when switching to 2 liter vest only fill half way at each AS. I will NOT minimize clothes needed to safely go over Hope Pass twice. I will NOT minimize clothes needed after dark.
I am lucky to be here. I am lucky to be racing with @Gabe Peterson , @Clark Mitchell , @Tim Sullivan . I am lucky to have Heather, Baxter, and @Stephanie Stevens crew for me, I would never be able to thank them enough.
Questions, comments, thoughts, ideas, missing anything, wanna know more? All is welcome.
Comments
Major mojo! Super excited for you and can't wait to see the results.
I'm not in a position to offer much help / guidance. Physical fatigue, hunger, darkness, cold... can all lead to metal errors and slowed /poor judgment. Where possible, I'd try to come up with hard and fast guidelines now so I could just 'execute' rather than 'decide' on race day.
Best of luck!
@tim cronk nothing I have to teach the Master. You've put in phenomenal work. Now it's time to enjoy the fruits of your labor. Take a moment at the top of Hope Pass to breath it all in. It doesn't get any better than this.
My only recommendation is to start wearing belts so you can wear the shit out of that big ass buckle! See you Thursday!
@tim cronk I got a little teared up when I started reading this. To me there is nothing better than having a goal, scrapping it for some reason, and then coming back to it in the future and saying "ok fucker, now I'm coming for you!!" I love it.
You've been a big inspiration and role model to me. Thanks so much for putting this together, there are a LOT of nuggets in here for all to learn from.
Like @Gabe Peterson said earlier, not much to tell the master, except you've done the work and planned the day. Now just execute and enjoy!!
@Rich Stanbaugh brought up a good point. Does you crew / pacers have instructions if the wheels fall off when you role into AS? If they can see that mentally or physically you are broken, what is their course or action? Motive you, push you, crack the whip, throw in the towel, etc You may not want that to be an "in the moment" decision.
I will be tracking all of you all day! Good luck!
@tim cronk Anyone reading, this ^^^ is how you prepare to for a 100 mile trail foot race. I have been so in awe of your approach all year. Congratulations. When you have great endurance and ninja race skills - this is the kind of thing you take on. Perfect race for you.
This. Will. Be. Epic.
@tim cronk All those quotes from the infamous Ken Chlouber should be filed into every racers head. I particularly like "Make friends with pain, and you will never be alone". There has to be times when running at night in the mountains you feel a sense of being alone, but not really.
So excited to watch you pull this off. Kind of wish I could be back at Twin Lakes to crew for you.
You got it Tim!
@tim cronk, Watching you train and plan and execute during the past ~18 months, starting with R2R2R and then run camp and now race week has been a great joy and huge learning experience. The thought, detail and work that goes into your preparation is amazing. I look forward to celebrating at the finish on Sunday.
I don't have anything to add to your plan, you've got it covered. Though, I'm not sure if I should laugh or cry about the fact that "the line" is at mile 87...
I'd just like to say Thank You for sharing your knowledge and time with me, I truly appreciate it.
Good skill to you on Saturday, I have no doubt that you will overcome any obstacles and find success.
You've got the attitude, you've done the work, you've acclimated, and you definitely have the skill. So all you need is a Little Luck!
Stay warm, stay fueled, stay hydrated, and stay awake.
I'm a little sorry I won't be there to pace or cheer, but I;ve got my own journey to tend to right now...
The only thing you lack is beard game. Good skill and go crush it. Very motivating.
It's been an exciting season watching you sharpen your knife. You've fed the horse, you don't lie cheat or steal, the gun is clean, now its time to dig deep and run with those friends. Time for you to shine, T Cronk. Your EN family has your back!!
Wow. Just wow. You have things covered from every angle. I continue to be amazed and impressed with what you do and can't even wrap my mind around a 100 miler let alone at 10K elevation.
You've got all the controllables covered...here's to good luck that the non-controllables fall in your favor as well.
Following closely!!!
here is something I got lately that works magic...derived from the quote: "we don't smile because we are happy.... we are happy because we smile..." try and smile for no reason and feel the change... when things get tough, remember to smile ;)
u are such an inspiration..
good luck to u my friend
hahahaha... and it was my 100th post... must be a lucky sign
Good racing to you Tim. You are as prepared as one can be for the challenge of the "unknown". Go earn the BIG buckle, because we all want to hear the stories of this journey.
Looks like you are having a great day. See you at the finish.
Ha circling back to my plan while I write my Report and noticed I never hit the Post Comment Button.
@Rich Stanbaugh That is the beauty of EN. Everybody and anybody is in the position to offer help/guidance through any level question or interaction prompting the discussion or thought to the plan. You are so spot on mental fatigue effecting judgement and decisions. Every race plan and race execution is and exercise in minimizing unnecessary complications, moving parts, number of decisions, without making a mistake or making as few as possible. The one thing and one of the most important things during this eating contest while I run 100 miles is to eat/drink on schedule. I consider this a done deal. Unfortunately the dynamic parts that do require thought and decisions as the day/night progresses is clothing choices , which is going to be huge for me. I have a general idea of where and when I will need to change to warmer/dryer stuff but my crew will have the options/choices and my thought processes along the way to help me make hopefully the correct choices.
@Gabe Peterson and @Clark Mitchell - Respect :-) Look forward to working those Ultra plans with you guys after Leadville.
@Patrick Large thank you so much for the kind words
@matt limbert I plan to channel your beast mode when its time to Dig Deep :-)
@Sheila Leard was a pleasure spending time with you last weekend and meeting Tom. Thanks for following!
@Al Truscott They have a saying in Leadville that you bring a piece of Leadville home with you. When you come back to Leadville "its welcome home" when you get here the first time "its welcome to the family". Through the time we have spent together and all I have learned from you, you are always with me on these endeavors, not to mention the part of Al Truscott that is part of the other EN'ers who will be here as well.
@Robert Sabo yeah I tried the beard game last year = big fail :-)
@Emily Brinkley I channeled your GRIT although I did NOT sport the unibrow :-)
@Jeremy Behler YES it was a lucky weather day, just what I needed!
@DAVID RICHMOND I smiled, I cried. 100th post coincidence I THINK NOT!
@Gary Lewis Big Buckle aquired, story to come :-)
@robin sarner thanks for following and the kind words