Leadville 100 Run Prep

Leadville 100 Run Prep

We've been deep into Leadville build for a few months now, and I figured I'd write up how we're actually approaching it this year.

Pacing

Everyone who's done Leadville before will tell you the same thing: the altitude gets you if you're not careful, and it doesn't feel like it's getting you until it already has. You're between 9,200 and 12,600 feet for basically the whole day, and the effort that feels "fine" early on is often already more than your body can sustain for 100 miles. This isn't unique advice, but it's true, so we say it a lot: go out conservative. The last third of this race is where it falls apart for people, or where it comes together, and there's not much in between.

Practically, what this means for training is we do a lot of back-to-back long days. A long run Saturday, then another hard effort Sunday on legs that are already tired. That combination is closer to what mile 70 feels like than any single long run by itself, no matter how long it is. We also spend real time just practicing power hiking on climbs, because the people who pass everyone late in this race usually aren't the ones who ran the climbs. They hiked them well and saved something for later.

Fueling

Fueling plan is simple on purpose. We're using Precision Hydration gels and electrolyte mixes with our athletes this year. Early in the build we sweat test everyone so we know actual sodium loss instead of guessing off a label, then build the gel and electrolyte plan from that. It's different for everyone — a 20-year-old on our roster and a 70-year-old are not losing the same amount of sodium per hour, and if we used one generic plan for both of them it wouldn't work well for either.

Whatever we land on, we test it repeatedly in training, at similar effort and duration to what race day will actually look like. Race day is not the time to find out a gel doesn't sit right at hour 15.

Who We're Training

This year's group heading into Leadville and a few other hundred-milers ranges from 20 to 70 years old. That's a wide spread, and it shows up in the plans — recovery windows, strength work, how much volume someone can actually absorb, all of that gets adjusted individually. But the core of it doesn't change: respect the altitude, get comfortable with time on your feet, and don't leave fueling to chance.

I'll also say — I'm building all of this while working a full-time job and running a business on the side. So when I tell an athlete their plan needs to fit their actual life, that's not a talking point. I'm building these plans in the same margins I'm asking them to train in. If a plan can't survive a normal, busy week, it's not going to hold up over a training block that lasts months.

If you're building toward Leadville or another hundred-miler this year, happy to talk through what that could look like for you. Want to see if you are doing the right things to make it across the finish line in Leadville this coming year? Check out the free training audit below.