EN Does Leadville 100 Run!
Who's In?
This is the unofficial official thread for all things related to the Leadville Trail Run 100 for 2019. The following ENers have already secured entry into the 2019 running of the race: @Gabe Peterson , @tim cronk , @Clark Mitchell , @Scott Giljum, and @Tim Sullivan. The first four of us secured our entry via the Run Camp, and @Tim Sullivan got a gold coin at Rattler last year. The Run Camp includes three days of coached running on the course plus entry for little more than the cost of an Ironman. It still has slots as of 12/17, but according to social media it's nearly full.
I'm tagging the other EN athletes I know who are interested: @Francis Picard (hoping to get a gold coin at Rattler), @Trent Prough (may have already secured a slot via the Run Camp), and @scott dinhofer.
Run Camp - June 21-24
The plan is to rent a house in or near Leadville for EN athletes. Who's in for the house?
I've been working with Marvin Sandoval this year, and he has agreed to provide us with a course breakdown during the downtime in the Camp. He's won the Leadman competition and has been on the podium several times. He lives in Leadville and know the course intimately.
Honestly, I would not recommend running Leadville without doing the Camp or rolling your own. This is a tricky course.
Keys to the Race
The folks following my journey for the last few years probably remember that I took a shot at the Leadman in 2017, which is how I met Marvin. I made it through all the races but jacked up my knee by stepping in a hole around mile 25 of the Run 100. I made it to the turnaround point at Winfield before I decided to live to run another day. I got to see the entire course and researched it extensively. It's a devious course, and my only DNF out of dozens of races.
So here are some of the things I learned. Perhaps this will help the EN crew prepare.
- The crux of Leadville is Hope Pass. It comes after Twin Lakes when you've already put in more than 40 miles. It's a legit climb over the pass, about 3,000ft each way. The backside is more technical and exposed. Said another way, you'll get about 50% of the vertical for the entire race in about 20 miles. Training should include lots of vertical with practice pwoer hiking with poles. I'll probably due my back-to-back runs with the first being runnable, and then the second being power hiking and descending. Ideally find something you can do twice to simulate turning around at Winfield and going back the way you just came.
- Altitude is a big wild card since almost the entire race takes place above 10,000ft. Everyone has a different reaction. My buddy who crewed me was basically drunk from the altitude. For me, my digestion struggles after about 8-9 hours effort at this altitude. The Leadville MTB 100 is the only race I've puked in. I'll load up on calories early and then roll Coke probably the second 50 miles.
- The 30 hour cutoff is aggressive. I think part of the 50% DNF rate is that the 30 hour cutoff gets in your head. If it was 32 hours, I think the DNF rate would be more in line with other 100s at around 30%. Unfortunately, the cutoffs are based on the times runners have historically made it to aid stations, and most run the first half too fast.
- Most of the race is runnable, except Hope Pass and Hagerman Pass/Powerline. Be prepared to run long stretches without the usual hiking breaks basically between the Start/Finish to Twin Lakes. There are climbs up Hagerman Pass outbound and Powerline on the return that break it up a bit. I'd recommend planned walking breaks on the flattish sections.
- The weather is totally unpredictable. I got caught in a freezing rain at the top of Hope Pass. Luckily I had a lightweight jacket and pants. Other runners were shivering with hypothermia. Then 20 minutes later it was hot on the backside of Hope Pass. Be prepared for rain and cold, even if it is sunny and 70F. It can change in less than an hour with the Rocky Mountain weather.
- Have pacers starting from Winfield (the turnaround point). For some reason, the race heavily discourages you from having a pacer at Winfield, saying the road is treacherous (it's not bad at all). The thought of turning around and doing Hope Pass again is daunting. I knew my day was done from the injury, but I contemplated going back and it just seemed unimaginable. You will be in a dark place at Winfield. You'll need the mojo of a pacer. If you can't line one up in advance, there are pacers looking for runners at Winfield. Grab one.
I'm looking forward to one helluva adventure with the EN crew! Add to the thread with your thoughts or questions.
Comments
@Gabe Peterson - thanks for tagging me, while i may have "interest" and will certainly be following this thread, I don't have any short term (or long term) ambitions to do this race (I say that now)
I do look forward to seeing how it unfolds for the group this year!
@Gabe Peterson I will definitely be following this thread. This would be a 2020 goal for me, but never to early to...
@Gabe Peterson Thanks for getting this going. So much good info.
IN for the Camp/LV 100.
IN for the EN Camp House. (will be solo).
LV 100 Run rough plan. Race is 8/17-18 , In a perfect world , Fly into Denver around the 1st, spend 1-2 days there, move up a few thousand feet for 1-2 days, then spend the last 2 weeks in Leadville, for training, tapering, and altitude adaptation. Heather will come out a few days before the Race. Open to possible house sharing for any or all of the above dates should anyone else be arriving that early, However will probably move to a room when Heather arrives for privacy/comfort for at least 8/15-8/19.
Training Layout - 50k in January and then 66k in March both runnable, so will stay focussed on running/cycling/strength. In April I will ADD HIKING. Travel from AZ to NH in mid to late May should set up the last 2 months of specificity pretty good. Thinking a 4 week build, short taper into Camp , short recovery after camp, another 4 week build, 2+ week taper in Colorado. I love the 5 day per week running tues/weds/thurs and sat/sun schedule. 1 day speed work, 1-2 days hiking with poles , back to backs on the weekends , with mon/fri OFF RUNNING. Will focus on getting 140'-150' elevation per mile average on my runs and as much as possible on the Hikes. Will continue to swim/bike but at a reduced maintenance capacity and mostly on my mon/fri off run days.
Course Specifics- after reading RR's , watching Leadville on youtube, reading the athlete guides , and anything else on Leadville, beginning to get a pretty good understanding of the course going into the camp. Still lots more to learn/think about prior to the camp, but I believe after the camp everything will be very clear.
Poles- Thinking run without until Twin Lakes , absolute no brainer for Hope Pass and back. The question will be drop them at Twin Lakes return or carry them the last 40 miles???.
Water Crossings - I think there is only one section of water crossings (actually 2-3 of them all in the same area) just pass Twin Lakes mile 40ish and mile 60ish return??? If this is the case, socks at Twin Lakes outbound, socks at Winfield, and socks/shoes at Twin Lakes inbound???
Lights and Chargers - Light to start, then should be fine until Twin Lakes inbound but will plan to have lights/chargers Twin Lakes inbound and Winfield.
Clothes/Weather - besides the distance, then the altitude, my next biggest concern is freezing to death. I will not be messing around here and lots of my choices will be based on weather forecasts, however I will NOT be going over HOPE PASS without Full Rain Jacket, another top, tights , hat/gloves, regardless of how sunny/warm it is. The remainder of the course will be more minimal (again based on forecast and feel of the day) but will always have a windbreaker, and I fully expect to bundle up when the sun sets.
Just some of the things I am thinking of this early in the game. Besides surviving this beast , the goal will be Sub 25 for the Gold Buckle :-)
100 running?!? Crazy people! haha
100 MTB'ing, that's what I'm going for!
@Gabe Peterson Thanks for starting the thread, so much good info here and so much still to learn.
I'm in for camp and also in for the house for camp.
What scares me the most about this event is the base elevation. I don't have a way to simulate that, so the tentative plan is to carefully over-prepare and then hope for the best. I do have a good way to simulate the elevation gain, so that will be a focus of my weekend long runs.
Here we go!
@Gabe Peterson thanks for getting this rolling. I’m definitely in for the camp house.
@tim cronk when I paced a guy over hope pass last year, it got chilly at the top on both sides, but you spend a lot of it in the woods which cuts out wind affect, at least it did that day. And you are right about the water crossing and where it falls. There was no way to avoid it, and changing shoes at Twin Lakes inbound would be a no brainer. You cross it after Twin Lakes outbound, so if you want to change at Winfield you could. That would mean three pairs of shoes/socks to deal with the crossings.
Im terrified of the altitude, though I did ok in my much more limited running there this summer, so I’m hopeful. The distance combined with hope pass (both what it is as well as where it falls in the race) are scary.
The guy I paced was suffering, so we were pretty slow, but you might want or need your headlamp again at Winfield. I would rather have it and not need it than get stuck on the backside of that pass and not have it.
I’m still just wrapping my head around the challenge. Sorting out the details comes next I guess.
@scott dinhofer sorry, I could have swore you said you were interested in the Rattler Groupme. Still you could come out and crew to join in the fun. 😀
@tim cronk Super stoked to race with you this year! I love the ballsy goal of the Big Buckle! RealEndurance.com has a fun tool that will predict your time in an ultra based on a correlation analysis of your previous results. It has your 50% finish at 24:57. You'll have a whole 3 minutes to spare! 😀
On poles, I'll probably carry them the entire way. My setup with the Salomon quiver and BD carbon poles is pretty unobtrusive. After Twin Lakes on the return, the climb up Powerline is stout and poles could come in handy. I pushed my MTB up about half of it. Also, poles are really useful if you get injured and need to take weight off your legs, or if it rains and you have to slop through the mud.
@Scott Giljum is right about the water crossing. I forgot about it. But it's important because it almost guarantees blisters. The water crossing comes about a half mile after Twin Lakes. There is no avoiding it. The RD has someone standing there to make sure you run through it. The RD makes it clear that you can't take an extra pair of shoes and leave the old ones after the crossing to be retrieved on the way back. However, you could still bring fresh socks and change them out. The water is murky with grit and my shoes were full of small gravel. I'm thinking I'll wear gators (which I hate) to minimize the grit that gets in and have an extra pair of socks in case of blisters. Then I'll do a full foot wash on the return trip at Twin Lakes.
Definitely have a light at Winfield. I got there before the cutoff and it was already starting to get dark. If I'd gone back over, it would have been partly in the dark.
@Gabe Peterson didnt even know about realendurance.com pretty cool.... The estimates from Ultrasignup.com for me has been pretty accurate wonder if its the same program ...3 minute window HUGE :-) I will have the quiver/bd pole set up for sure. Very good point on having poles incase of injury to legs.
Hope to make it with the lottery or qualify, I would sad to miss that party !
Even more motivation to do great and execute perfectly at Rattler and be with the EN biggest BAMF
I'm sure that all of you saw that season 2 of The Leadville Podcast has started. I'm a Fatty fan from way back so I've been listening in.
I'm going to start looking for a house for the Run Camp. So far, it looks like me, @tim cronk, @Clark Mitchell, and @Scott Giljum (I think you said you were in on the Rattler Groupme). Will any of you be traveling with significant others / Sherpas? I'll be flying solo.
@Trent Prough, did you end up signing up for the Run Camp? Are you in for the house?
Did I miss anyone else who wants to join the Run Camp house? @Tim Sullivan?
I am in @Gabe Peterson and will be flying solo. If you need me to do anything for this just let me know. I have a buddy in Denver who may be able to help out should we need. Thanks for doing this leg work.
@Gabe Peterson I'm asking my friend about the house he stays in for the MTB the week before your run. It's right in town and sleeps 6 or 8 people. When would you be arriving and departing?
@Sheila Leard awesome! We'd arrive June 21 and depart June 25.
@Gabe Peterson I'm in for the house and I'll be solo for camp. Thanks for taking the lead on this.
Clark
If anyone here is planning on doing either of the Austin Rattler events on the weekend of 3/30 (mtb) and 3/31 (run), it's now moved to 4/13 (mtb) and 4/14 (run), and to a different location at Reveille Peak Ranch in Burnet TX.
Just got the email.
Don't think ALL the details have been worked out yet, but that's the latest!
Update on housing as of 1/14/19
For the Leadville Run 100 Race, @Scott Giljum and I have a three-bedroom condo at the Old St Vincent. It looked like everything good was rapidly disappearing after the lottery this weekend, and places were renting for about twice their normal price. A lot of the places in Leadville can be pretty funky and this place is nice. It's less than a 5 minute walk to the start/finish, which will be huge since the race starts at 4AM! We could accommodate 1-2 other runners if you want to split the cost with us. That will leave us some room for crew/pacers. @Clark Mitchell you might be interested.
For the Run Camp, @Sheila Leard connected me with a friend of a friend who has a property there. If that doesn't workout, I'll probably rent the Alpine Perch. I stayed here for the Leadville Trail Marathon. It's a nice place that's been recently renovated and is only a couple blocks from downtown. I'll look to lock in a place this week before the good properties fill up. I have @tim cronk, @Scott Giljum, and @Clark Mitchell in for the Run Camp house. Did I miss anyone?
Yes @Gabe Peterson I'm interested in a room. Please let me know the dates/details. Thank you!
@Gabe Peterson
Definitely still in on Camp House in June.
I am looking to spend a couple weeks climatizing so am considering renting a cheap room in Alma probably 8/1-8/13.... Hour away but a few hundred feet higher and much cheaper.
I will probably move into something at Copper Mtn for 8/14-19, when Heather arrives. But maybe interested in the house .
What dates are you reserving the house for? Also a little concerned about being able to provide room for a pacer or two.
@tim cronk we have the house for Thursday through Monday of the race, or Aug 15-19. @Clark Mitchell threw in with us after the post above, but we might be able to squeeze you in. It might get crowded with pacers and such.
I stayed at Cooper Mountain for the Run 100 in 2017. There are some really nice condos there and it's only about 20 minutes to Leadville. It was great with the kids because there was a ton for them to do. Surprisingly, I didn't see many other racers there. I can dig up the info on the unit we rented -- it was awesome -- if you're interested.
@Gabe Peterson yeah Copper looked close enough for me, still stuff available at reasonable prices, mostly 1 bedrooms though, and I would like a 2 bedroom for crew/pacer (gotta keep em happy)... If you can find it , lemme know where you guys stayed... airbnb mostly has pretty crappy cancellation policies as well, see mostly free cancellation within 48hrs, and only 50% after that.
@Gabe Peterson & @tim cronk - A a little further is Vail,@Stephanie Stevens has a 2 BR there right off the highway. You drive up through Minturn and it's not so bad, I stayed there when i did the MTB a few years ago. If you PM me I can give you her details. Place has a king in the MBR & Two large bunks in the 2nd BR..
might also look for VRBO/airbnb in Minturn..
Scott is right, you all. I am happy for anyone to stay in Vail at my place, and I may even be able to join for some sagging help. Can't wait to watch it unfold.
Dibs on @Stephanie Stevens place for 2020 for the MTB weekend! ;-)
@Scott Alexander - I could be convinced to do 2020!
@scott dinhofer Sahweet!
I got in for 2019 MTB with my lottery team, The Salty Ladies, but we're going to defer to 2020. Just too much already committed to and paid for, for 2019.
Hi all:
I initially posted in here awhile back thinking it was for MTB. Now I am getting all of your updates. How do I turn off the notifications for this thread?
Any help is appreciated.
~starkles
@Scott Alexander , 2020, Vail/Leadville. I have you covered. Place to stay and some crew assistance from me. Awesome......