Leadville Race Report Part 2 The Leadville 100 is an out and back course over varied terrain (paved

d roads, jeep roads, technical trails) in Lake County, Colorado. The start line is in the heart of the town of Leadville at 6th and Harrison which sits at 10,200 ft. There is 15,000 feet of climbing over the entire course. Good times I met up with the Runners Edge of the Rockies group at the Delaware Hotel lobby. Everyone looks so happy it was like we had no idea what was about to go down.

3:30am Race day morning All smiles!

Me and my crew, Aaron & Molly Looking pretty good at 3:30am! Start Line Around 3:50am, we walked the 2 blocks to the start. Somehow I lost everyone in the crowd (Im a whopping 51 tall, so its not hard for me to get lost). Every time we drive through Leadville, I imagine what it must be like to line up for this race. They say it takes courage just to get to the start line of this race and they were not kidding. I was scared. And all of sudden felt very sad and lonely. What was going on? Its race day I should be shaking from adrenaline and excitement, not holding back tears! Then I heard the countdown, which seemed to snap me back to my normal self and I started to feel excited. 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 the shotgun was fired and we were off!

Startline Start to May Queen The first section of the course we headed west down the Boulevard to Turquoise Lake. I remember running through town seeing people in their pajamas cheering us on (and seemingly a bit drunk). I was running very conservatively as planned (not easy for a road runner to do) but my legs felt like crap. My hamstrings were super

tight and throbbing like I had run a hard race the day before. This was very disconcerting considering we were just barely a mile into the race. I just decided to do my best to ignore it and hope I loosened up. So I know that I am new to ultras, but what happened next was shocking to me. You dont see this in road races and NO ONE warned me about it. Once we left town and entered the dirt road, I noticed people fleeing into the woods. I figured there was a lot of nervous peeing going on, but then I started to hear noises that can only be described as small bodily explosions. I was horrified and grossed out by the odor that was coming from these explosions. WTF is going on? And why doesnt anybody else seem to care but me? People were burping, farting, exploding and no one batted an eye. The cool, crisp, dewy mountain air that should smell glorious now smelled like a sewage plant. However, this was very distracting and I forgot about the pain in my hamstrings as I looked around in horror. The next few miles were on a gradual downhill and then about a 1.5 miles of gradual climbing with a very short, but steep climb to Turquoise Lake. I kept to my plan of running flats and down hills and power hiking all uphill sections (no matter how short). The next 6 miles are single track along Turquoise Lake. I got stuck behind some slower runners and found myself getting very frustrated. After a couple of miles, I realized I was wasting my energy and reminded myself that there was a LONG way to go and that it was probably best that I was forced to slow down. I reached the May Queen aid station about 10 minutes behind my schedule and was not feeling great. My legs still felt unrecovered and I had a negative attitude. I spent 30 seconds bitching to my crew about getting stuck behind people. I was disappointed at this point in the race pissed that I was behind schedule and pissed that I wasnt have fun. I needed a serious attitude adjustment. May Queen to Fish Hatchery I left May Queen and power hiked up the paved road to the Colorado Trail. I was running faster at this point and I passed quite a few people on this section - started to get my confidence back. The technical trail was really beautiful and it was nice to have the sun shining down. I found myself running up some of the climbs and had to remind myself to hike them. I ran into Junko and we chatted a bit. She gave me helpful reminder NOT to bomb down Powerline (the approaching decline) and I listened. My quads blow out very easily and I knew I needed to do what I ever I could to save them for later sections in the race. I was passed by A LOT of people on this downhill section, but I didnt really care. I knew it would be a mistake for me to follow suit, so I was happy I was staying within myself and running smart. Met up with my crew, refilled my handheld, refueled and was on my way. I was finally feeling good. My legs felt fresh this was the best I had felt all day. I guess I just needed a marathon to warm up.

Fish Hatchery to Treeline I was actually really looking forward to this section because it was on a paved road. As I left Fish Hatchery and started down the sunny, totally exposed road, I was feeling ok. Not great, but ok. It felt good to be on the pavement familiar. Just as I was starting to enjoy myself, I look over and see a guy barfing his brains out. I have never seen so much stuff come out of one person. Anyone who knows me well knows that I have a really big issue with seeing people puke. So I plugged my ears, looked straight ahead and started to pass him. As I did, I asked him if he was ok, he looked at me with puppy dog eyes and said yes. It seemed too early to be getting sick and I think he thought the same thing. I never saw him again after that. This section is pretty short and was uneventful after that. I wasnt planning on having my crew go to Treeline, but there they were and I was really happy to see them. I switched to the bladder system at that point and dropped the handheld I wouldnt see them again until mile 40, but there were two aid stations coming up (no crew access). I also decided to switch shoes and socks. As soon as I did, my legs and feet felt new again. As Im sure most people do, I used the aid stations to break up the race. I wouldnt let myself think, ok, only 70 miles to go! Instead, it was 4 miles to the next aid station! This helped me a ton.

Treeline to Twin Lakes This was one of my favorite sections of the race. I got to the Halfpipe aid station and had some boiled potatoes that I dipped in salt. I had never felt better after that and vowed to make salt consumption a priority. That would come back to haunt me big time, but more on that later. There was plenty of climbing in this section on the Colorado Trail and I was power hiking the hills quickly and passing people. We hit another long stretch of decline and I ran it very conservatively as I still tried to save my quads. The Twin Lakes aid station was incredible. Everyone was cheering like I was in first place. I really felt like a rock star and was excited and happy. My crew refilled everything and I got the sunscreen spray down. I was still eating and drinking well. Hope Pass was looming and I was very excited about it. This was the only part of the course I was familiar with and it gave me a lot of confidence. So I grabbed my BFFs (trekking poles) and away I went.

Sunscreen spray down at Twin Lakes Twin Lakes to Winfield Before you get to the base of Hope Pass, you have to trudge through some pretty disgusting swamps. And then you reach the river crossing. YES! I took my time crossing to give my legs a mini ice bath. The water felt amazing and I felt fantastic. The climb up Hope Pass was as difficult as I remember it, but it was shaded and I was moving well. Met a great guy named Danny and we chatted for quite awhile. It can get VERY lonely out there, so I was happy to have the chance to talk with someone. He was funny and very positive, which only made me feel better. We knew we were getting close to the Hopeless Aid Station because all of a sudden were being charged by a llama. As an animal lover, this was one of the highlights of the day for me. I wanted to hug that Llama. It was then that we finally saw the race leader, Ryan Sandes. He was moving fast and had a female pacer which I thought was kind of awesome. It was at least 10 minutes before we saw 2nd place. He had a big lead. The Hopeless Aid Station is unique because they use llamas to bring up all the supplies. When we got there, they were all lounging about in the grass. I mean really, where in the world are you going to see a scene like that during a race?

Hopeless Aid Station At this point, I realized that I had been drinking Nuun water all day, but no regular water. I chugged 2 cups of plain water and downed some salty ramen and salty potatoes. More salt. I reached the top of Hope Pass and not surprisingly, I lost some time coming down. This section is STEEP, technical and scary. I took my time not wanting to break my face and waited to see more leaders coming back up Hope and hopefully see Brooks, Luke, Patrick, and Leila. I saw Brooks and his pacer, then Patrick who looked strong but said he felt horrible. As I neared the bottom of Hope, I saw the leading women who looked great. Then I saw Leila and started to worry that I hadnt seen Luke yet. I finally reached the bottom of Hope and was treated to the blazing sun. I had been warned that the road to Winfield was really dusty because of all the crew cars driving on the road kicking up dust. The rain the night before helped and they actually watered the road for us, so it wasnt too bad at all. I still took the mask from the guy who offered it to me just in case, but I never needed it. I moved quickly through this section I was excited to get to the halfway point in the race (Winfield) and to pick up my first pacer Sarah. My crew led me to the weigh-in. I had only lost 2.5 lbs, so I knew I was drinking and fueling well. Or at least I thought I was. I could feel myself starting to struggle a bit mentally and I needed to see my boyfriend Dan sooner than later it would give me the lift I needed. I asked my crew to call him and tell him to meet at Fish Hatchery, instead of May Queen (the last aid station). I got a new bladder of Nuun water and Sarah brought a handheld filled with water. Dark clouds were started to move in, so I brought my shell and we were on our way. On our way out, I ran into Lukes girlfriend Courtney who looked upset. I assumed Luke had DNFd since I hadnt seen him yet. She said he just left and that he had

been battling stomach issues all day. I was happy to know he was still in the race, but I knew if he and I were running at the same pace that he was in a really bad way. Winfield to Twin Lakes Sarah and I moved along easily down the road from Winfield to the Hope Pass trail head. I was looking forward to seeing Junko and all my Runners Edge friends who I knew were a bit behind me. Everyone looked great until we got to David who could barely muster a sentence. He had no color in his face and was moving very slowly. I was really worried for him. Sarah was a great pacer. We chatted and she paced me perfectly back up and over Hope Pass. This section can crush people, but for me, it went by the quickly and pretty easily. It rained a bit on our ascent which was wonderful. I started to drink more plain water and am really grateful she thought to bring it. We caught up to Luke and his pacer Ryan. Luke was in zombie mode. Death march mode. We pretty much hung with them to the Twin Lakes aid station. Luke started to be a bit more chatty and seemed like he was turning around. We reached Twin Lakes and Doug was there waiting for me. I asked Doug to pace the next 26 miles with me because Doug is a badass: West Point grad, former Army Ranger, summitted Everest, rowed across the Indian Ocean in 2 month w/ a crew of 7 people in a canoe, 2010 Leadville finisher. I knew that Doug and done things that were 10x harder than this, so I would look ridiculous breaking down or whining in front of him. Night time was coming as we made our way out. 40 miles to go.

Me, Sarah, and Doug at Twin Lakes

Twin Lakes to Treeline This section was BRUTAL. The climb out of Twin Lakes was horrendous and I had forgotten to bring my trekking poles. I was starting to have trouble breathing at this point and my heart rate was starting to go up too easily. Luke and Ryan caught up to us and we all chatted which helped distract me. I was starting to feel really crappy, so this helped me so much. I was getting really cold and felt like I was stopping a lot to put on more layers. Luke and Ryan ran ahead and Doug distracted me by telling me stories about his crazy adventures. Right before the Half Pipe aid station, I saw poor Luke barfing again. This poor bastard had puked and rallied for like 50 miles. I was so impressed and proud. Most people would have dropped out long before that. We reached Half Pipe and I saw Abby, Chris and my friend Henry. Was really nice to see some familiar faces. Henry gave me a hug and almost started crying, but held it together. Had to keep moving. We ran most of the way to Treeline and met up with my crew. It was very quiet a much different scene than earlier that day. I started to realize how small the race was getting at that point because of DNFs. I saw Lukes friend Nick and asked how he was doing. He said he was out pulled by medical. This broke my heart and left me feeling terrible. Luke was so excited for this race and had trained so hard. Is this over yet? I changed into my Kinvaras and felt like my old self again. I swear, Kinvaras have magical powers. Treeline to Fish Hatchery This is when things started to get interesting (at least for a short time). We were back on the pavement. My happy place. We ran most of this section, passed groups of people and made up a lot of time. Doug told me on was on pace for 26:30:00 finish if I could stay strong. It may have helped a little knowing that Dan was waiting for me at Fish Hatchery. I couldnt wait to see him. The sky was clear and the moon was coming up but was behind some clouds. For some reason, in my exhausted state, I was obsessed with the moon and apparently asked Doug several questions about it. And, I have no recollection of this. We ran so fast that my crew wasnt even prepared for my arrival. Molly, Aaron and Dan were chatting and sipping coffee inside the Fish Hatchery aid station and I sort of surprised them. It was great to see Dan and although I thought I would lose it when I saw him, all I could do was smile. I grabbed some ramen noodles/broth and dumped some salt in. I found out later, so did Dan. Not good. The section of the race I was dreading the most was next the climb up Powerline

Fish Hatchery to May Queen With trekking poles in hand, Doug and I made our way along a road to Powerline. There was a house blaring music from speakers they had set up for the race. I could hear this music throughout this entire section which gave me a boost. The climb up Powerline started out well. It was not nearly as steep as Hope Pass and I felt like we were moving at a good pace. I actually felt pretty good. I remember looking up at the stars and thinking how absolutely incredible it was that I was lucky enough to be doing something like this. I had been warned that there were about 6 false summits on this climb. Well after the fourth or fifth, I started to get pissed. Maybe I had forgotten how to count at this point, but I counted more like 15 false summits before we reached Hagerman road. I was starting to have some serious trouble keeping my heart rate in check. I was trying to take deep belly breaths (per Doug) which helped a little, but not enough. I was really slowing down. As we were shuffling down the road, you can actually see the May Queen aid station. Unfortunately, you are miles away from it. That was really cruel and I wanted to punch somebody. All of a sudden, I hear my name being called out. I look back and there is David and his pacer Ed. They were full of energy (maybe even a bit hyper) and I couldnt believe it David had made up so much time! I was really excited for him and seeing how fast they were moving gave me a little boost. For about 5 minutes Once we reached the Colorado Trail, I was starting to get really bitchy. Doug told me multiple times we were almost there and eventually I figured out it was playing games with me. I was cursing and acting like a fool looking back on this section, Im embarrassed and disappointed in myself. The sleep deprivation had me sounding like a whiny baby and I didnt like it. FINALLY, we reached the road that would take us down to May Queen. Doug had been an awesome pacer, but I was really ready to have Dan by my side. May Queen to Finish Dan was ready to go and I was ready to get this shit over and done with. I did not want to waste any time at this aid station and I just kept walking through it. Dan had a bottle of regular water and some fuel for me. I had been moving for over 24 hours now. As we walked out of the aid station, I was feeling horrible. I was wheezing and coughing and my heart rate was unmanageable. Every time I tried to pick up the pace, my heart rate would spike to 180. I quickly realized that this last 13.5 miles to the finish was going to be the longest half marathon of my life.

For many reasons I wish I felt better at this point in the race. As we made our way around Turquoise lake, I remember looking over and noticing how beautiful it was. But because I was struggling so badly, I really couldnt appreciate or enjoy it. The sun was starting to come up and yet we were still running around Turquoise Lake. W.T.F. Where is the road? Is this the never ending lake? Dan kept forcing regular water down my throat because I finally realized that I had taken in WAY too much salt and it was taking a toll in bad way. He also asked me if I wanted a piece of string cheese he must have asked me like 10 times. NO! I DONT WANT YOUR FING STRING CHEESE! We finally reached the railroad tracks and it was morning. The sun was out and I felt like we were close but then realized we werent. I started to wonder if the race was ever going to end. I asked Dan multiple times why it wasnt over yet. We reached the Boulevard and it looked like it went on FOREVER. It was at a slight incline that on a regular day would have easily been runnable. Not today! Not right now! As soon as I felt like we were getting close, I would look to see another hill and more stretch of road. NO! Why is this happening right now? Why the F did enter this race? I had to stop and pause multiple times during this section to keep from fainting. My heart was beating out of my ears and for the first time I was starting to panic. What if I faint and cant finish? Dan took control when he could see my panic and for the next 3 miles he forced me to look down at my feet while we counted to 1,000 together, over and over and over. As we were approaching town, Dan said Junko and her crew were right behind us. She looked strong and she was crying with joy. I gave her a big hug as she passed and was really excited that I was going to get to see her finish! We made our way to the last stretch of road where I could see the finish line. FINALLY. I got my running legs back for the few minutes it took to reach the finish line. VICTORY! Oh thank god this is OVER.

Me and Junko Leadville Finishers! Post Race I felt HORRIBLE. I was freezing, my lung were filled with so much fluid, I cant eat, I cant drink. Everytime I sat up, I felt like I was going to barf all over myself. I curled up in a sleeping bag under a tree and fell asleep. At the awards ceremony, I told anyone who would listen that I would NEVER EVER do another 100 mile race. They all smiled and nodded with a knowing look. And then I woke up on Monday morning and knew I would be back next year. Amazing how quickly the brain forgets pain. The one critical mistake I made (which probably cost me a couple of hours of time) was my excessive salt intake. When you have too much sodium in your body, your heart has to work much harder to pump blood (hence my out of control heart rate). If I had balanced that out more, I think I could have moved much faster through those final sections. This was an incredible experience that I will never forget. As I type this, I cant wait to go back and attack it again! HUGE thanks to my crew and pacers I could never have done this without you!