Leadville Trail 100 2014

I woke up at 2am on Saturday to get ready and head down to the start of the race with Kim. It was all a bit strange seeing the race from another perspective. I remembered so well how a year ago that day it was me on my own walking down the street to line up for what would be the most epic race of my life so far. I was excited for every runner out there and also excited for myself to help crew and pace for a friend and just be back out having fun with all other crews , runners and pacers in what is an amazing atmosphere at this race.

I do love this place

So the gun went off at 4am and they all set off down 6th street to try and be running/walking/limping their way back up the same street in under 30hrs. I went straight back to bed and managed to catch a couple hours extra sleep until the rest of Kims team arrived at 7am. John , Marcy and Anna completed the team for the day. Our first stop off was at Fish Hatchery aid station at mile 23.5. Kim made it through the first checkpoint at Mayqueen in 2hrs 11mins which is around the normal time for most runners as at that stage the trail around the lake is just a huge conga line and it is worth just staying in a spot and cruising round. It all starts to spread out a little after that.

Start

Next up was Fish Hatch at mile 23.5 and Kim arrived in 4hrs 32mins. Again a totally fine time with loads to spare as the cut off here is 6hrs. The cut off times in the first part of the course are pretty easy to stick to but they do get hard once at around mile 40 with the hardest part of the race ahead. We gave her a few new gels here and she changed into a short sleeve t shirt as it was now getting warm and off she went. I hung around for an extra few minutes here to see another friend come in. Angie is a girl I met at the race last year and missed the cut off at mile 73.5. She was back to settle a score here this year and was in high spirits when I seen her. She couldn't find her crew so I ran over and gave her some food from our stash and off she went as well.

Coming into Fish Hatch

Marcy and Anna on crew duties

We then headed to Twin Lakes. Mile 39.5. We got set up here as it was going to be a long wait for some of us. From Twin lakes there is no more crewing until the runner gets back here at mile 60.5. Our plan was for when Kim came through here first time Marcy was then taking me straight to Winfield at mile 50 dropping me off for me to start pacing and then heading back to Twin. John who was pacing Kim from Twin back Fish Hatch had a long day there(9hrs!) Kim came through Twin in 8hrs 7mins. Again well under the cut off of 10hrs but the race was really about to begin with the double crossing of Hope Pass.

Kim coming into Twin Lakes

Angie coming through Fish Hatch

I had an ace time hanging around at Winfield at mile 50 waiting to start pacing. I met loads of other pacers and just generally had a blast cheering in other runners. I did start to get a bit worried here for Kim as she took a bit longer getting here than expected. She still appeared at Winfield at 4.36pm which was 12hrs 35mins into the race. She was still inside the cut off of 14hrs but the way back over is always longer. I told her she could have 10 mins here getting fuelled then we had to leave in order to make the Twin Lakes cut off at 9.45pm. This sounds a long time I know but it is still a 1000m climb up to 12'700m then 1000m down and a total of 10 miles. Again doesn't sound too bad but believe me it is hard. If you think it's easy then by all means sign up next year. Entries open January 1st.

Leaving Winfield

Pushing hard

Anyway off we went at 4.45pm. I managed to get Kim jogging along at a good pace for the first 2 miles in the forest. We passed Angie here who was still heading to halfway. She wasn't looking good but I just grabbed her and told her to keep moving and get to her pacer and he would get her back up and over in time. To be honest I thought that would be the last we seen of her but thankfully I was completely wrong and will explain more later. Once the climb started I eased way back on the pace and told Kim to just keep moving. It was slow very slow but we just went step by step and we were still passing people hunched over not looking great. Kim never stopped once going up here and we were at the Hope Aid Station in 2hrs 18mins which was a great time. It was only 6.51pm and we had ages to get to Twin lakes before the 9.45pm cut off. From here I called Anna and said to expect us within 2hrs. We grabbed some soup and coke here and began the descent. Kim was doing fine and I was at the front putting on a little jog and she was behind me doing great. At the technical parts however Kim had to walk which did affect our time but when we got back onto smooth surfaces again we could jog more. So down we went chatting to other runners and pacers and just having a good laugh enjoying being out on the course. I was loving it and knew we were getting to Twin in time. This is the most vital checkpoint to get through and on average if you make it through Twin with time to spare then the race is generally in the bag if you can just keep moving. So it was through the absolutely baltic river crossing and almost at Twin. I wish we could have jogged the last mile in but Kim said no so it was a fast hike but we got to Anna , John and Marcy at 9.02pm. A little longer than I had hoped but still 45mins inside cut off times. Kim sat down here and changed her wet shoes and socks and got some warmer clothing on for what was to be a cold night.

Almost at Hope Pass

Down to Twin we go

Refreshing for 3 seconds then it was baltic!

Her new pacer John doesn't have much Ultra experience so I told him to keep handing her gels and chews and water , keep her moving at all times and keep her warm. I said it didn't matter if she walked slow on the ups but she had to do little jogs on any downhill sections even if it was only 50 yards. From Twin to Fish Hatch it is 16 miles. In the morning she ran it in 3hrs 35mins. I told John we really need 4hrs here or 4hrs 30mins max. I had worked out if she did the next 3 sections at 4hrs each section she was home in 29-29.30hrs but she HAD to stay to those times or faster.

Back safely at Twin Lakes

So they set off out of Twin Lakes at 9.15pm aiming to get to Fish Hatch before the 3am cut-off but I wanted her to be there at around 1.30am max. Anna , Marcy and Myself then headed around to Fish Hatch to try and grab a nap. I managed a very uncomfortable hours sleep here in the car but couldn't get any more so went out to the aid station and stood around one of the many fire pits chatting to other pacers also waiting for their runners. It was getting mighty cold now(we were still at 10'200ft) but it was an amazing night with clear skies and more stars than I had ever seen. We hung around a while here but at 1.50am John and Kim came into Fish Hatch. The time wasn't great. 4hrs 50mins from leaving Twin. It was 1.50am but we still had time. The cut off was 3am here so it wasn't lost yet. Kim had to go to the medics as on the last few miles she got very very cold and was breathing strange. The doctor checked her out and said she was fine that the dust from the dirt road is affecting her lungs but nothing major. Kim was sitting next to the fire and asked me if we had time to get to Mayqueen at this pace. My reply of “not sitting down we don't” was received quite well! So she got up and off we went. We stuck another two layers on her to keep her warm. I again took over to get the final 23 miles home. It was just before 2am and we had to get to Mayqueen by the 6.30am cut off but in reality we had to be there for 6am. So we had 4hrs to get there. My predicted time. I had done this section with a destroyed knee in 3hrs 10mins so thought 4hrs for Kim would work. Yeah she would be slow going up but we could get a jog on the downhill and make it.

So we began down the road towards the Powerline Climb section. We were walking fast but no running at all. It actually took me a while to warm up here. I had on a t shirt and just one long sleeve top over it. I had another two jackets in my bag but thought it best keep them in case Kim needed them later. I first started noticing signs Kims head was a bit mush when about a mile along the road she decided she was too warm(15 mins previous she was freezing) and wanted to take off her two long sleeves and be in her running top. I told her to keep on at least one of the long sleeved tops and she did. So we started up the dreaded powerline. It is a long long ascent and really steep at the bottom and it just goes on and on with a ton of false summits. Kim stopped a few times on this saying she didn't think she could make it because of her breathing. She was wheezing a lot but her legs seemed fine. I think she was a bit scared of her shortness of breath and wasn't sure if climbing to 11'200ft was a good idea. I told her the time was fine and we could go like snails up the climb but we would need to move faster on the descent to Mayqueen. It was hard for me to offer advice as I have never had problems with my breathing and I am no doctor so I couldn't decide if it was getting worse or not. Legs , back , head problems I can help with but shortness of breath sorry it's beyond me. Kim stuck in there though and kept her legs moving , plugging away bit by bit until we finally reached the top. The top was amazing as there was a group of locals there who had set up and unofficial aid station called Space Camp! They had blow up aliens everywhere and glow sticks and a massive sign over the trail that said GOOD FUCKING WORK! It was hilarious and it cracked me up. The 10 or so of them were stoned out of their minds and they gave us some cans of coke and just kept saying GOOD FUCKING WORK , GOOD FUCKING WORK. Not another word just that over and over. If I had come 70 odd miles and seen that I would have been sure I was hallucinating but they really cheered everyone up and Kim even cracked out a few tears thanking them for being there. We had got up the climb in a little over 2 hours and now it was all downhill to Mayqueen. We had just over an hour and a half to make the cut off and I was pretty sure we would get there before 6.30am. Honestly I wasn't sure if Kim would get much further past Mayqueen but just getting there would be good enough to motivate and you never know what can happen when you only have one more section to the finish. So we began the descent and it just all went wrong. As soon as we started going down Kim said she didn't feel right. She said she felt dizzy and cold and she might pass out. I took out the two jackets I had in my bag and put them on her. She kept moving but at a slower rate than she was going up the climb. It wasn't looking good and after an hour of nursing her down the road I new the race was over and now I had to just get her to the safety of the medic tent at Mayqueen but it was still a few miles away and we were moving so slow it would have taken 3 hours or more. She was still cold so I took off the jacket I had on and gave it too her. It was bitterly cold and I myself was feeling the chill but just had to keep Kim awake , stop her from sitting down , keep her moving down the hill and make sure she didn't just pass out. It did cross my mind what the hell I would do if she just collapsed. We were far back in the pack and anyone who passed us was in the same kind of state and some without pacers , one guy walked past me white as a ghost talking to himself in some form of language I think he made up. It was rather strange. At this point Angie came flying past us! I couldn't believe it. She asked if I had some food she could have , I gave her some bars and a massive high five and told her to move move move , she tried to motivate Kim but Kim was like a zombie by this stage trying to negotiate just walking. I was so happy for Angie she had made it this far. It was going to be tight for her to make the Mayqueen cut off but her and her pacer disappeared out of sight. For us however the race was over and I kept checking my phone but no signal to call the race safety crew for a rescue. We just walked at less than a snails pace for another 15 mins and it seemed out of nowhere 2 guys on quad bikes came up behind us. I flagged them down and asked for help. They were search and rescue and had already picked up 2 runners from way behind us and were taking them to Mayqueen medic tent but he told me to wait 5 mins and he would be back to get us. He returned and we got Kim on the bike. I told them I would just run down and see Kim at the aid station.

So I ran back down the awesome single track to Mayqueen urging on every runner and pacer I passed as it was now 6.25am and cut off was at 6.30am. I got to the aid station at 6.32am and John met me at there outside the medic tent and informed me that Kim was doing okay and was warming up. He also told me that Angie made the cut off and ran through Mayqueen with her pacer bang on the cut off and was on her way to the finish but it was going to be tight. To scrape the cut off at Mayqueen and make it in 3hrs 29mins to the finish is so so hard. It took me nearly 4hrs last year for that section albeit with a destroyed knee but I was sure Angie could make it if she just dug deep.

Best sign I have ever seen(left) Incredibly offensive but hilarious

We all warmed up in the medic tent for a while and then made our way back to town. We got to the house unpacked the car and Kim went off to bed. Myself , John , Anna and Marcy went for a coffee and to watch the rest of the runners come through. The rest of the team then left to go home to Denver. It was now 29hrs into the race and I started making my way down the road to cheer in other runners. I walked down about the last mile and a half and just sat waiting and waiting for the sight of Angie coming through. It was getting tight. It was 9.30am. 30 mins to cut off and no sign. It might sound like a long time to do a mile and a half and it is but not after you have come 98.5 miles. Your legs are finished and just walking is so so hard. Then at 9.40am she appeared hobbling up the road with her pacer. I was next to a local guy who said to me “you need to get her moving , 20 mins is the absolute minimum time left to make it under 30” I ran down towards her shouting “come on , run , move , don't bloody stop” she seen me and was sooo excited , she grabbed my cowboy hat off me and told me I had to run the last section with her. So off we went on the last mile which does have a climb in it. It was so inspiring , we all just kept balling at her to keep running , she was in agony and tears but she kept running. When we crested the hill we could see the finish line and it was packed with spectators , runners,  pacers. The whole town was there to see the last runners try make the cut off. We still had her running and when we were within about 100m of the end we all peeled off and let her go it alone. I nearly cried! She was pushing so hard and was in so much pain but she did it. She crossed the line with 8 mins to spare and the whole place was going nuts. I couldn't believe it. To be having such a hard race at mile 50 and turn it around and finish was incredible. She ran the last Mayqueen section in an incredible 3hrs 20mins! 35 mins faster than I did it! It was the most inspiring thing I have ever been a part of.

Angie. Incredible stuff.

So Leadville 2014 was amazing. I loved ever second of it and was so happy to play a part in so many peoples race. I am gutted for Kim but she gave it everything she had. She could have pulled the plug at Fish Hatch but she stuck in there and went for it and went until her body would go no further. To get over 80 miles in this race on first attempt is still incredible and for sure next year she will get it done. Her times were fine and if she could have moved once reaching the top of powerline she could have made the Mayqueen cut off so I don't think she needs to work on her timing at all. Just running on empty and knowing how it feels when your dizzy and cold and you just need to run. It's the hardest thing in the world to do but that's when you realise that Ultras are not about how fast you can run but just how you can keep moving when your body says no. For sure she will be back next year and get that belt buckle.

63yrs old!

Thanks to every other crew member , pacer and runner I spoke to over an amazing weekend. Everyone was always so happy and just there helping each other out. It really is unlike any other race I have run in or been a spectator. There really is something special about the LT100 and I want to be a part of it every single year from now on whether its pacing , crewing or running it again. John , Marcy and Anna you were a blast to hang out and crew with.

This sums up Leadville for me. This is the race
founder Ken and his wife Merilee greeting runners
near the end. This was actually a couple who ran it together. Ken and Merilee have greeted
every single runner who has crossed the line in the 32yrs it has be going.

For me it's going to be a big week of training as I rent a car and head to the hills on my own to get in some last long runs before I start to take it easy and then attempt to get another 100 done myself.

Boulder and Mt Falcon

There was no time for a rest after the Incline Climb so the next day I got the bus up to Boulder for another roasting day up there. I will go back on what I said in previous posts that the famous Mesa Trail up there is overrated. It isn't. Well the start of it is but the rest really is pretty amazing. In all fairness I had only previously run the first 4 miles or so of the trail but this time I went along it much further and beyond mile 4 it really does get fun. I was running North to South so from the Chautauqua Park parking area. I left late in the day at 11am and it was already pretty hot. I was hoping to avoid a scenario like before when myself and Angie ran out of water going up Green Mountain but I didn't. I got hit hard again with the heat.

South Boulder Peak on the right

So I ran along Mesa for a while then took Shadow Canyon trail up towards the junction for South Boulder Peak(8549ft) and Bear Peak(8481ft). Heading up the canyon it really started to heat up and I found myself kind of struggling with the steepness and roughness of the terrain. I think the trail was damaged by the floods last year so it was a complete mess and a bit of a battle up to the junction.

Feeling the heat and just getting out of Shadow Canyon

Anyway I arrived at the junction and it wasn't a long way to the summit of South Boulder Peak. I somehow had the highest peak in Boulder to myself and sat there a while enjoying the light breeze and peace and quit. I then descended back down to the junction and went up Bear Peak. Again sat for a few minutes and headed down.

Summit South Boulder Peak

The Junction at top of Shadow Canyon

My plan was to run down Fern Canyon as it was a more direct way back to the start however I noticed another trail heading into Bear Canyon where I had been before with Angie and was having too much fun to cut my day short so I went for the longer way down. I ran along a brilliant Bear Peak West Ridge trail until it joined Bear Canyon and followed this back down to the Mesa Trail and back to the start.

Bear Peak Summit - Boulder below

Bear Canyon was roasting hot. I had run out of water yet again on the summit of the first peak but thought I would be okay. I still managed a good pace down the trail but I was pretty dehydrated again and was straight into the shop at the car park for some ice cold coke to perk me up a bit. In total it was only 15 miles(24km) but the temperature was in the 90's all day so it goes down as yet another bonk run and hopefully my last one of the summer.

Looking South West from South Boulder Peak

Looking to Bear Canyon. The ridge trail I took
is just visible on the broad left hand ridge. I followed that for a mile or two
and then cut lookers right into the canyon and back out down to the bottom
right hand corner of the picture.

Then on Tuesday myself and Anna set off super early to go and run Mt Falcon on the foothills of Morrison just outside of Denver. I wanted an early start to avoid the heat and it was only going to be a quick morning cool down run anyway. Mt Falcon lies at 7851ft. It isn't exactly a demanding run up as the elevation gain is not super high but what I liked about it was the trail up and down had a mix of everything , small sections of steep , short technical sections , nice flat rolling terrain and everything was runnable all the way.

Heading up Mt Falcon

The viewing platform on Falcon.

I was worried that I would feel a bit sluggish that morning but as it turned out I felt really strong and powered up it feeling great the whole way and Anna was not far off either. After that it was time to chill most of Tuesday afternoon as I then went on a small running group 5k that evening. It was at the local running store and it's just a little group meet for a 5k then pizza afterwards so I went along. I actually really enjoyed it. It was just a 5k on a cycle path but my legs felt great even after the mornings 13k at Mt Falcon. I just cruised the first half with Anna and Kim but on the return half some of the guys started to pull away and I couldn't really let them go on their own so thought I best tag along with the front pack. They were pushing hard and cracking out sub 6 min mile pace but surprisingly I was up the front having no trouble whatsoever. These guys were strong marathoners and they were breathing hard but I was breathing normal and honestly felt like I was cruising. This high altitude stuff the past few weeks must have helped as this was the first time I had run at a lower elevation in a month. Excellent little speed work session. Afterwards it was good to chat with some new people , enjoy some pizza and a couple of free beers.

Anna coming back down off of the Falcon Trail

Today I have done nothing at all. We head to Leadville tomorrow morning so I have just packed what I need for there and been icing my leg a little and watching crap American TV but it's got to be done. I think this is the first time I have watched the TV since I got here.

This will always be a runner best friend. Ice cold
and straight after another roasting day in Boulder.

So tomorrow is Leadville and time to race prep and see what Kim needs/wants me and her crew to do on the race. I will be pacing Winfield to Twin(over Hope Pass 3700m) which is 10 miles then I have a break and John takes over for a section then I go again from Fish Hatch to the end which will be 23.5 miles. I am still super excited about being part of the race again this year and cannot wait to help Kim try and smash this course. We/she has no idea what to expect time wise. She just wants to finish. She may run a blinder and do under 25hrs or she may feel the pain of a 100 and I might have to get my arse in gear and get her back to the finish under the 30hrs. Either way I am going to have a great time feeling fresh on this course this year!

The awesome Red Rocks venue from the Falcon Trail

The pace will most likely be slow so I am not worried about the distance(33.5miles , 53kms) but I will still need to eat properly and look after myself. I am going to be awake and crewing from 4am and I probably won't start pacing until 4pm so it's excellent training for me in the run up to Steamboat.

I will stick up a post just after the LT 100 to let everyone know how it went. Best of luck to Kim and everyone else running / crewing and pacing this year. Gona be a good one.

Mt Massive and Manitou Incline

The day after my rather eventful traverse from Frisco to Breckenridge I had a pretty easy day up in Leadville with Kim doing a little section of the 100 course. We just parked at the bottom of the Powerline climb and hiked up it and ran back down doing a total of about 6 miles. Nice and easy and just what I needed.

The following day we went to do another 14'er. This time Mt Massive. It's a pretty long trip up this peak being 22km's total for the out and back with 1400m of climbing. The approach trail is a brilliant smooth track all the way through the tree line and begins to get rocky when you pop out into the meadows. From then on its up , up and up until the final summit ridge which can be made pretty interesting with a little scramble here and there or there is a trail to the side for those without a head for heights. I made it to summit in 2hrs 30mins dead on , and admit I did start to slow once I got above 14'000ft. I hung around waiting for Kim grabbed a quick summit pic then down we went. The downhill was amazing and once off the rocky outcrops I flew down through the trees really opening up my stride and blasting out a descent of under an hour back to the car. I loved this peak. Probably the best 14'er I have done so far. The views from the summit were incredible out all over the Rockies. There is just so much to be done here and from the summit of Massive all I could see was high ridge lines connecting nearly all the peaks in view. A lifetimes worth of high level running.

Summit Mt Massive. 14.421ft

The following day(Saturday) was rest day and I enjoyed some more fine Colorado Ales in Golden and just wandered the streets there doing the tourist thing. I had been having an issue with my left Achilles and my left foot so the rest was good. I did plan to have today off as well but getting a late message from a friend last night with the offer to go to Manitou Springs and have a go at the famous Incline climb I could not say no.

I have been wanting to have a bash at a speed attempt on the incline for a while now. It used to be an old cog railway believe it or not but now the rails are gone it is around 2000+ steps all the way to the top. It rises 2000ft(600+m) in just under a mile and near the top it really does get pretty steep , sometimes requiring hands to aid hauling over some of the steps.

Incline is pretty obvious

Myself and Geoff arrived at the bottom about 8am and to my amazement it was already packed with hoards of people out hiking up it. At first I kept saying I would go easy as my foot was still a bit sore but as soon as I started my watch I just took off. It starts off at a reasonable angle but just builds up and up getting steeper and steeper. I kept a good jogging pace going for around the first 10-12 minutes but then slowed down to a fast hike and skip kind of motion. There was a bit of congestion in the middle but I wouldn't say it affected my time that much. Maybe a minute at most. About ¾ of the way up I glanced at my watch and seen I was on 25 mins. I had no time in mind but from then on I wanted under 30. It was head down , hands on knees and go go go. It was so bloody tough. By this point I was at nearly 8500ft so I was breathing like crazy , heart felt like it was bursting out of my chest and the sweat was pouring off of me as I got closer to the last step. Finally I got there and noticed I had made it in 29 mins. I was super happy but exhausted. I have not pushed at that intensity for a long long time and the taste of blood in my mouth(apparently from the dry air is what people think) was pretty horrible. The record for this climb is 17 minutes! I reckon I could hit 25 if I had another go but looking at records of attempts 29 is actually a very very reasonable time., especially for first attempt. Average hiking time is an hour and average fit runner time is meant to be 40ish. Elites are under 22 so I guess I am somewhere between that.

Pushing hard. Not using camera could have saved a few seconds I reckon!

The descent was also something I was super excited about doing. Due to the amount of traffic coming up the Incline it is normal practice to descend the Barr Trail. Now the Barr Trail is epically famous for runners. It starts down in Manitou Springs and climbs to the summit of Pikes Peak in 13 miles. The super famous Pikes Peak Marathon is this trail up and down. I have always wanted to go on this trail and with bad weather coming in there was no way we could get up and down so I made do with descending it for a couple miles back to the car. It was incredible. The trail is perfect packed dirt with the odd rocky section to negotiate and I loved it. I must go back and do the full up and down if I have time to squeeze it in long enough before the 100 in September. I managed the Incline round trip in 49 mins. Admittedly my legs were actually a bit like jelly at the bottom after going so hard on the up and not slowing down at all on the descent but for some strange reason and I ain't complaining about this but my pain in my left leg has gone completely.

Long way down/up

The top. Picture really doesn't do it justice

So tomorrow I am going to Boulder for an easy 10 miler and maybe a bit of climbing then I will probably rest for a day or two before we head to Leadville on Thursday to prep for the LT100 on Saturday. I can't wait for it. I still need to rest well before this. I won't be going at a fast pace on the course but I am still pacing for over 30 miles so need to just be sensible about it as this is not the time for me to get injured.

I have attached a little vid at the bottom here. I took it straight after I finished the incline so I do apologise for the language and spitting. I wasn't really in any frame of mind to know what I was doing or saying.

Heading down the glorious Barr Trail

Frisco to Breckenridge sans voiture

The plan was to set off at 4am but waking up at 3.30 there was an almighty thunderstorm going on outside so I waited and waited until 6am when it finally all stopped. I was out the door by 6.30 but did think it may be a little late to get the full traverse in but thought I would see how it all panned out.

On Peak 1 looking back down to where it all began

So it all starts with a pretty steep plod up to Peak 1 at just over 12'000ft. The trail was nice and passing the abandoned Masontown mining district was a pretty cool sight. I arrived at the summit in around an hour and 15mins and out in front of me I could see the rest of a long day ahead. The views all round were amazing. Back down to Lake Dillon and ahead to the final peak along the ridge. Peak 10.

Looking at Peak 2

Peak 1 to 2 was a mix of very easy scrambling and trails. Once at Peak 2 I could see the crux of the route. Peak 2 to Peak 4. Peak 4 was still far away but in between is a long ridge with some very interesting scrambling and some full on climbing moves. It gradually got a bit trickier and trickier until I hit a section called the Dragons Back. Now on other peoples blogs I had read how exposed this was but I was a bit of a prat and thought this was people exaggerating. I was wrong. Some of it was horrendously exposed. Okay the actual climbing never went higher than French 5a but in running shoes on some wet rock and with shear drops on each side I admit it was a bit intimidating. I was full on concentrating here , one slip and your gone for sure. I really don't want to make it sound too epic as I said the moves were not that difficult but in this situation with the massive drops each side it did require 100% concentration. Sometimes it was proper Au Cheval across the spine for a good few minutes. Once off the Dragons Back it was still a lot of scrambling to Peak 4 , nothing quite like the start of it but still enough to be fun and require care. Finally on the summit of Peak 4 it was time for a breather.

On Peak 2 looking at 3 and 4. Dragons Back starts
from the first lowest point along the ridgeline

From peak 4 onwards the whole route completely changes from scrambling to big wide meadows and the climbing over. I was excited to run this. However the ground was absolute rubbish for running. The rocks were super slick and the grass was wet. Normally I can descend pretty well but here I took one bad fall and cut my leg and then 2 minutes after that came very very close to smacking my face off of a rock if it were not for my hip hitting the ground first and slowing me so I could put a hand out. It would have been nasty. Anyway I made my way onwards constantly checking the skies. It was pretty windy when I was hitting the other summits and pretty cold but then dropping off of them it became warm again.

Somewhere on the Dragons back

Starting to get interesting

I wasn't that tired by this point but I wasn't exactly fresh. I like to try and go on as little food as possible sometimes (not all the time) in prep for a race. Today I only had two cereal bars at 7am and a gel halfway along the ridge. I just kept getting over the summits and making my way forwards. I reached Peak 8 after a pretty hellish slog up to it and sat there for a rest. Clouds were still building over Peaks 9 and 10 but after a good rest I continued to Peak 9 as escaping from here down to Breckenridge is pretty easily done but long. So after plodding along , up and up I finally got to the last summit. I didn't hang around long as it was looking a bit ropey in the skies so it was time to descend.

After Peak 4 it was all kinda like this

The descent was pretty horrible. It's a piste/dirt road that winds it way down forever! It has massive long switchbacks all the way down. From about halfway I decided the best option was a straight line and just flew down the fields towards town. It was a 1300m descent and felt like it! By the time I hit the road in Breckenridge my legs were pretty done. It was straight into the nearest shop for a bottle of Mtn Dew.

I think this was from Peak 8 looking back.
Peak 1 is the furthest one along the ridge in the shade.

The route ended up being just under 3000m of climbing and a total of 30km. From Peak 1 to Peak 10 the route never drops below 12'000ft with the last two summits over 13,000ft. I completed it in 5hrs 56mins. Guidebook time to hike it is 10-15hrs but it is usually done by runners from anything between 4hrs 18mins(Anton Krupricka) to 8hrs. I was chuffed too bits with my time but to be totally honest I didn't think the whole route was that amazing , I still think my favourite ridge run is the A'Chir ridge on Arran in Scotland but it is a lot shorter and not as technical. Anyway the views here cannot be beaten and THE climbing section was great if a little terrifying for the odd second or two but after the fun parts I found the terrain a little boring and repetitive. Especially the final hike and descent on the dirt road. I did see some trails during my descent but was a bit reluctant to take any of them as I had no idea where they were going and didn't really fancy a 10 mile detour plus I couldn't be arsed getting my map out of my bag so I stuck to the road.

Bloody roads

It is definitely worth doing once for sure. It was great to have the whole thing to myself. I just love to be up in the Mountains. I just felt some of the terrain was quite hard to run on. I don't mean the scrambling sections obviously but the wide open meadows were not just simple grass slopes. There was rocks hidden everywhere and time and time again I came close to going over my ankle if I started to push. This all probably sounds pathetic I know.

Breckenridge. Peak 10 is up high slightly left with the snow patch

Even if you just do the fun section to Peak 4 then you can head straight down from there with a pretty long forest run to the road but it would still be worth it. It is still an awesome training day though. I say it time and time again for Ultras speed is not vital for people like me but long Mountain days on rough terrain is. Throw in the altitude of today’s trip and it goes down as one of my best training run/hike/climbs of this trip so far. Yeah it really wasn't that far if I am being honest. 30km on the road is done in around 3hrs or less but add in the technical terrain and constant climbs and descents and it is a great work out for Ultras. Even if it is done in 10hrs.

On my way to the fun part. I wasn't smiling this much
at a lot of it.

It's now time to go grab a lovely Colorado ale and then I head back to Leadville for a few days to do some more sections of the course with Kim and I think we are going to get another 14'er done. Then it will be an easy week as next weekend is pacing and crewing time on the LT100.

Steamboat Springs

I just spent the past three days in Steamboat Springs to have a little look at as much of the Run Rabbit Run 100 course as possible. It is going to be an incredible race and one that is going to be way harder than I had expected.

Quite a pretty place

To be totally honest I don't think the skiing will be up too much in the winter months however the trails in summer are absolutely brilliant. The landscape is amazing but not quite Alpine epic however the quality and diversity of the running trails beats Europe hands down for sure. Granted nothing I have seen here so far with maybe the exception of the San Juans has anything like the steepness or ruggedness of the Alps but that's not to say the trails here are easy. There is still big big climbs. The first 4.4 miles of Steamboat 100 climbs almost 1400m. There is also some proper technical stuff to be found but they just do not have the same kind of elevation differences. Steep technical down hills might only last 300-400m whereas back in France you can get it for 1000m. The one thing they have here is lots and lots of rolling single track over amazing terrain and most of the time it is at 10'000ft or higher. The altitude does have an effect on you for sure. Luckily though for me Run Rabbit Run doesn't go nearly as high as the Leadville 100 but it still hits close to 11'000ft on a few occasions. Do I think this course will be harder than Leadville? Yes. For sure it will be. Leadville was hard , very hard in fact and I am so happy to have finished it but I do feel RRR just has a little bit more. Leadville has the altitude and the two crossings of Hope Pass which yes are brutal but other than that it is nice single track and a lot of dirt roads which even at a walking pace can be covered a bit faster than walking a single track.

Mountain View Trail at the start and end of race

RRR has three climbs of over 1000m plus some other 500m ones thrown in as well and they are right through the course from start to finish. Yeah there is really only 1000m more climbing overall in RRR than on the LT100 but the terrain is going to make it slower. RRR has way more single track than Leadville and that is the main reason for me doing this course , I love single track and hate dirt roads however there is one dirt road section on this course I am dreading already but will explain later. From looking at previous finishers times and their Leadville times most people are 2 , 3 or 4 hours slower at RRR.

The final downhill

Anyway we arrived on Thursday morning and went straight to check out Kims pacing section. Miles 63.5-73.5. An out and back section from Dry lake – Spring Creek Ponds – Dry Lake. The 5 mile run down to Spring Creek is brilliant trail through a forest of Aspens and I am pretty sure I will be able to run this section pretty well. The turnaround and then the 5 mile hike back up this will take a long time.

Checking Kims section. Miles 63-73.

I never ran the 73.5-81 mile section but we did drive up it to go Bear spotting(no luck) and this section will be hard. Woody takes over for this section until the end and she has been pre warned how slow this will be. It is never that steep but it just climbs on and on and on for what seems like ages and that was driving in the Jeep! It really is going to take hours to do this but once we get that out of the way it looks to be single track heaven to the finish line.

The name says it all. Miles 21 and 41.

We also managed to check out miles 21-41. Olympian Hall back to Olympian Hall via Cow Creek. This section is brilliant with a mix of steep up hill , rolling down hills and only a 2 mile section of flat dirt road. I do still expect this to take me a while , especially the 7 mile hike back up and over to Olympian hall where I hopefully pick up my first pacer. I say hopefully as at the moment I don't actually have a pacer for this bit. I can make do without until mile 63 when Kim takes over then Woody from 73 but it would be nice to have someone before that but if not then I am sure I can manage without.

Going to be hard from here. Mile 73.

Getting a chance to go and recce a part of the course was great. I will have a couple of days before the race as well to have a look at some other smaller sections but overall I am happy to have looked at a good chunk of it. To be honest I am more excited about it having seen just how good the trails are but also a bit nervous as usual. I really don't know what to expect. If my knee gives up on me again like last year then it will be a long long painful race on the other hand if my knee stays in good shape and I run a sensible race then I am pretty optimistic that I have it in me to run a good race. When I say good I mean pain free(to an extent) and maybe between 30-32hrs but who knows. I could feel great and run 28hrs or terrible and scrape the cut off or DNF. That's one of the things I do love about these distances , you just never know.

Interesting!

I went with Kim today to check the Hope Pass climb from Twin Lakes(17km) as the LT100 is next week and she wanted to see it before the race. Pacing this for more than 30 miles is going to be great and I cannot wait for it to happen.

The first climb is tough

I am currently sitting in the town of Frisco and staying here tonight and tomorrow morning early doors I am setting of on a pretty long run/hike/climb. The Tenmile Ridge Traverse (named after Tenmile peak not the distance) goes from Frisco over 10 peaks(none below 12'000ft) and ends up in Breckenridge. A total of 16 miles over some amazing ridge lines and a section between peaks 2 and 3 of 4th-5th class extremely exposed climbing which I am stoked about doing. Next post will be up pretty soon after I get this done. Fingers crossed the storms stay away as it's gona be a long long day.