Leadville Silver Rush 50 Miles
The Sign-Up
I am exactly one step away from planning family vacations around a race. However, it is bad enough that checking ultrarunning.com for nearby races is the first thing you when the vacation is decided. Well, that was exactly how I ended up finding the Leadville Silver Rush 50 Mile trail run. The race would start at 10000ft elevation and reach 12000ft four times on an out-and-back course. After being re-assured by Prez that the elevation of Leadville wouldn't kill me, I ignorantly signed up.
Arriving in Leadville
After spending a couple of days at 5000ft elevation where I managed to run a couple of 5 mile trails, we were off to Leadville. After arriving at our Bed & Breakfast (the countrys highest at over 10000ft), I decided to get a feel for what running would be like. I jogged about 100 yards downhill before I had to stop and heave for air and feeling everything tinkling as if I had just gone all out for a quarter mile. Not exactly what I had hoped for but the race was not for another 19 hours so hopefully it would get better. I also took the advice of popping a couple of aspirins since they supposedly help with the altitude adjustment.
Checking In
Much to my surprise, the lady at the check-in table recognized Kennesaw. "Kennesaw, that is where Larry Robbins is from," she blurted. "He used to come here early and acclimate all the time," she said. "All the time," I thought, how many Leadville 100s does Gitagoing have in the bag? "Larry and Charlie Wilkins always showed up early," she continued.
The Start
The start was quite interesting and rather than looping around a parking lot to spread the runners, we went straight up a wide slope that had all but a couple of participants walking within the first 50 yards. First man and woman to the top got an ounce of silver. I thought about sprinting to the top, getting the silver and just drop out. Pretty sure I wouldn't have been the fastest and running 50 miles after a nasty sprint uphill didn't appeal to me. After the hill, the first two miles were mostly rolling hills. Remember, this is all above 10000ft and I was being very cautious not to blow everything in the beginning. I don't know if it was the extra time or the aspirin or just good pacing but I was actually able to move forward in what arguably could be called running. The next eight miles were rolling uphill to the first time above 12000ft. Knowing what was ahead, it wasn't hard to pace myself and the lack of oxygene helped ensure that most uphills were walked. The lack of oxygene didn't bather me too much but any type of surge (really anything resembling running) would quickly remind me where I was. 12000ft is above the treeline and there were still snow patches in shaded areas.
Mosquito Pass
There were basically no flat parts on the course and we were either climbing up or down. The first trip to 12000ft at 10 miles was a steady incline. The second time to 12000ft (Mosquito Pass) didn't seem too bad either except for the lack of oxygene of course. However, going down from Mosquito Pass was quite steep and knowing that I would have to come right back up after the turn-around didn't help psycologically. If the steep downhill was discouraging, having gone through over 20 miles in about four hours and still feeling strong was a boost. I felt at this point that I was going to finish even if I had to walk the rest of the way. Shortly after the decent from Mosquito Pass, the lead runners started coming back from the turn-around. These guys were flying and apparently wasn't bothered by the thin air or the hills.
The Turn-around
After the descent from Mosquito pass, there were a few runnable miles to the turn-around. I reached the turn-around in 4:45 and immediately started thinking about a sub-10 hour finish. I had my drop bag at the turn-around but decided not to change anything. I did however munch on cookies, potato chips, and washed it down with coke. After almost five hours on various powerade flavors, I decided to empty my bottles and switch to water and salt tablets. There is simply a limit to how much flavored sugar water one can handle and I was way beyound that..
Mosquito Pass Again
Just as expected, the second climb up Mosquito Pass was brutal. Focused on moving forward with every step. Eventually, I made it to the top and with aout 20 miles to go, I was feeling good. Now, with only one major climb left, I started smelling the finish line and the sub-10 was still within reach. Started doing the math and it was apparent that I would need two hours to finish the last 10 miles of somewhat runnable downhill. If I just could keep moving forward it should be well within reach. Then again the preparation hadn't been optimal and nothing longer than 20 miles in months! This was going to be close. After the Mosquito Pass, there is a bit of rolling hills before the last climb. It was a mix of running and walking, leapfrogging a couple of other runners that was doing the same. The last climb became nothing but a fast walk. I was saving what I had left for the homestretch. The math was done, walking to the top would give me a little over two hours for the remaining 10 miles.
The Homestretch
Normally, averaging 12 minute miles for 10 downhill miles, wouldn't make me break sweat. After 40 miles and eight hours in high altitude and now with the temperature reaching into the 70'ies, it was a completely different story. I quickly added a couple of minutes in the bank and reached the last aid station with some time to spare. The difference would be in just how many miles I would travel 18 minutes per mile walking or 9 minutes per mile running. It all looked in my favor but it kept getting increasingly hard to run, even on the downhill sections. With three miles to go I had 43 minutes but as I was breaking down, nothing was safe. I kept doing the run/walk and leapfrogged another runner who was also going for a sub-10. We managed to keep encouraging each other until I no longer could keep up. Now, it was down to a mile and a half and 24 minutes - still couldn't walk it home! Now, I was passed by another runner that I had leapfrogged earlier in the race. This seemed to be what I needed and I was now getting close enough to the finish line that I started recognizing the area that I had scouted the day before. One final climb and it would all be downhill. Looking at the time, I had it!
The Finish
Finally, the finish line and a very happy finisher. Only in my secret dreams had I dreamed of breaking 10 hours. The time was 9:54:19 and I had finished my first 50 miler. At sea level I may not have been excited about a 10 hour finish, but then Leadville isn't exactly sealevel. I had promised my wife not to get upset if she wasn't there to welcome me if I against all sense finished under 10 hours. Well, as it turns out, she is sitting in the car changing batteries in the camera as the announcer is yelling out my name with about 150 yards to go. I wish I had seen her scramble and sprint across the field to what she thought was the finish line, dropping her bag in the process, just to see me crossing the real finish line somewhere else.
The Aftermath
Much can go wrong in an endurance race, but I was very lucky with all mechanical issues. Not even a single blister, no chafing at all (probably due to dry air) and no sunburns. Essentially, I am only dealing with typical muscle sourness with the only difference that my hamstrings are more sore than my quads due to climbing.
About Leadville
For those of you not familiar with the Leadville area, it is an old mining town/district that experienced a gold rush in the 1870'ies. The town and the surrounding area is fantastic and it almost feels like nothing has changed the last hundred+ years. Great skiing is just far enough away to have skipped this treasure. If you ever need an excuse to go there, there are plenty of challenging trail races organized by the same organization that runs the Leadville 100. The Leadville Silver Rush 50 Mile course goes through the old mining district and passes several abandoned mines. The scenary is simply fantastic.
Elevation Chart
Mosquito Pass Mosquito Pass
12000ft /\ /\ /\ /\
/ \ / \ / \ / \
/ \ / \ / \ / \
/ \ / \ / \ / \
/ \ / \ / \ / \
/ \ / \__/ \ / \
/ \/ \/ \
__/ 10000ft \__