Leadville Colorado is not your typical Colorado town which is why I like it so much. Maybe I’m not giving Colorado enough credit because the towns we most associate with the Rocky Mountain state being the overcrowded towns of the Front Range and tourist traps along I-70. Leadville is nestled in the heart of the highest mountains in Colorado at an elevation of 10,152ft. The town has a rich history with names like Baby Doe Tabor and Doc Holiday highlighting it. There is a small Safeway grocery store and a Subway which are probably the only familiar names to an out-of-towner, so don’t expect a Wal-Mart, MacDonald’s or other big-names to great you. This is a small mountain town that hasn’t given into heavy commercialization which adds to its charm.

Leadville hosts a series of races over the short summer starting with the Trail Marathon and Heavy Half Marathon and concluding in late August with the 100-miler. Last year I ran the Trail Marathon and fell in love with the area, so I decided to return this year to run the Heavy Half Marathon. Not that I didn’t enjoy the full marathon – I just wanted to try something new and save my legs for more hiking in the Rockies afterward.

Race morning began like any other, with some mild trepidation waiting for the 8 am start. I actually slept very well the night before because I spent about week in the Rockies before the race adjusting to the altitude and just exploring. I wasn’t taking this race lightly with a solid ascent up Mosquito Pass at 13,184ft then turning around and returning to town for a total of 15 miles hence the “Heavy” in the half marathon. The race starts on Sixth Street in town and doesn’t waste any time running uphill to the dirt roads which would lead us up to the pass. I thought it would be chilly at the start and was greeted by mild temps and no wind. Regardless of the starting conditions, I still tied a light jacket around my waist and tucked some gloves in my shorts waistband in anticipation of windy and cooler temps at elevation.

The night before I watched some local TV program about the Leadville 100. An interview with one of the racers really stuck in my head that morning when he said, “you have to run your own race and not be concerned with the other runners.” Sounds simple enough, but for someone who is a closet competitor, it can be difficult to hold back when people take off with the fire of the gun. I just started running based on how I felt regardless of what was happening around me. I used to religiously start slow and “save energy for the finish” which I think was why I was slower in many races last summer. Running on feeling was something new I decided to try this year at the DMTM and it worked very well. It continued with the BHTR and I could only conclude that it would work again in Leadville.

I found a comfortable pace on the steady inclines and when things got too steep, I slowed to a fast-pace walk, and would kick back into my running pace when things mellowed out. It was important to be honest with yourself when running like this. My mentality was to “attack the incline.” I figured that if I got to the top in 2hrs, I could get down in an hour and change finishing somewhere between 3hrs and 3:30. I kept my head down most of the time to not get overwhelmed by the ascent, but every now and then, I forced myself to turn around and take in the scenery which was awe-inspiring. There is something special about being up there. It reminds me of that scene in the movie Dead Poets Society where the students have to stand on their desks to gain a different perspective. I think everyone of us who get that perspective, leave with something a little more in their lives.

I made it to the Pass in 1:40 a full 20 mins ahead of what I thought. It was windy and a little chilly as the sweat rapidly evaporated from my shirt. I thought about my jacket, but I decided to turn around quickly instead of loitering on the Pass. The final 3 miles up to the pass are very rocky and you really don’t consider it until you have to run down them. To make matters a little less comfortable, you have to negotiate around runners still ascending the trail, so you don’t always get the choice-route. You have to be very careful with foot placement. I knew this from last year’s marathon, so it came as no surprise. I cruised down the trail back to more stable trail/dirt road back into town. I could feel the excitement build the closer I got to town and when I looked at my watch guessing what my finish time would be. I was well ahead of 3hr pace and I could walk the last few miles and still beat that time. The course turns back onto Sixth Street after transitioning back to pavement for about the last mile. The last straight-a-way is always the toughest for me because you turn onto Sixth and can see the finish line about 0.5 to 0.75 miles away and it doesn’t seem to get any closer no matter how fast you run. I had some cramps at this point and had to stop for a brisk walk halfway down the street before powering through the finish line in 2:46:52.

Finish Line on Sixth St

The Leadville races come highly recommended from me. Rough terrain, high altitutude - give yourself a new experience.

This entry was posted on Sunday, July 12th, 2009 at 9:03 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.