2012 - Leadville Heavy Half Marathon

The Leadville Heavy Half Trail Run is an out-and-back 15.4 mile trail run climbing from 10,000 to 13,000 feet to the top of Mosquito Pass. This was my first “official event” trail run, and it was a really (REALLY!) hard day, but a great day.

The morning started with a light breakfast at 5:00AM and a drive into town for packet pickup at 6:30. I dressed with a light shirt liner under a cycling jersey, shorts, and trail running shoes. I like to wear a cycling jersey for long runs because I can carry my nutrition in the jersey pockets. It was a sunny 45 degrees at the start, but the sun was warm so I didn’t get cold. Wearing a liner under the jersey is a trick I learned in the Leadville 100 mountain bike race – the liner keeps me warm in the colder sections and draws the moisture away when the course gets warm.

Past the split - the climb up the first three miles.

The gun went off at 8:00AM and . . . we’re jogging . . . the first three miles of the course, right from the start line, are uphill. Since my training for this event was a bit off I decided my strategy would be, “run when I can and walk when I must.” I had plenty of company on this strategy. It worked out pretty well, actually, my max heart rate was 160, but my average heart rate was a solid 145.

At the second mile the trail marathon course split from the half, and the marathoners took off for their run around Ball Mountain before their climb up Mosquito Pass. I continued up the hill to the first turn over the ridge at the three-mile mark. I refilled my water bottle at the three mile aid station and was glad I brought my nutrition with me because they didn’t have anything that was part of my nutrition plan. Once over the ridge it was a long gentle mile-long descent to the large aid station where the Marathon course rejoined the half course before the climb to Mosquito Pass. My water bottle was still ¾ full so I didn’t stop to reload. I mention this because this was a mistake. For the last mile up the climb to Mosquito Pass I had to ration my water, and got a little punchy in the final quarter mile of the climb.

After the merge aid station there was a half-mile uphill approach to the final climb to Mosquito Pass.

The footing on this road was rugged and there were some deep ruts and off-camber slopes to the road. There were segments I had to walk to ensure I didn’t twist an ankle.

Mosquito Pass is the ridge in the upper right-hand corner

Note: Three miles is a long-freakin’ way when you can see every step of it laid out before you. On the approach to Mosquito pass we could some runners making their way up the switchbacks to the top of the pass. When you can see the whole trail it can be a little discouraging. This is where endurance events become an exercise in patience.

The race crossed below the lakes and up the center

The climb up to the pass is extremely rough. Loose rocks the size of your fist, gravel, sand, and off-camber angles wear on the feet, ankles, and lower legs, as well as the stabilizing muscles in the hips. My rules for these types of challenges are (1) focus on the 10 yards directly in front of me, and (2) keep moving forward. About two miles from the summit the race leaders pass me on their way down. This is a new challenge – giving the race leaders a line so they can make their way downhill. Those of us still climbing had to give up the best line to let the leaders run.

Finally, after two hours and ten minutes of hard work, I made the summit of Mosquito Pass. It was totally worth the effort.  A refill of the water bottle, a cup of water and a couple of ounces of cola, grab a couple of gels for the road down, and back down the hill.

The View from the Top

You can see the trail surface in this photo at the top of the pass

Ordinarily when you climb a hill there’s an opportunity to recover on the downhill – not today. Any mental lapse could have resulted in a race-ending injury, and it was tough to descend through the loose rock while dodging the racers still climbing the pass. Here are a few hints that seem to work for me when descending on rough trail: (1) Stay upright, and don’t fight the downhill. You can burn up a lot of strength leaning back and fighting momentum. Quads and knees can take a beating. Instead, go to short, quick steps keeping your feet underneath you. (2) When the footing gets difficult I find it’s helpful to keep my elbows out away from my body a bit. This helps with balance. It may seem intuitive, but I saw several runners who fought to keep their arms in close to their bodies, but were constantly staggering to one side or the other. (3) Keep light feet. If your feet are hitting the ground like you’re wearing swim fins then you’re going to feel it all the way up into your lower back.

I ran most of the downhill back to the split/merge aid station. Reloaded on water and kept moving the last 4 miles – one mile back UP the ridge, then the three mile descent to the finish line. A personal footnote – as I was descending the final three miles I saw a mountain biker riding a Sante Fe Mukluk (wide tires – 40 pounds) mountain bike up the hill. There’s only one man I know who would stomp that bike up this hill – “Doc” Mehlman. Doc is a sixteen-time finisher of the Leadville 100 mountain bike race, and one of the nicest gentlemen you could ever meet. He’s also over 60 years old. I shouted out from a distance, “is that Doc Mehlman?” and he replied, “Yes it is!” Doc stopped and we gave each other a quick hug and talked for 4 minutes or so. Doc asked how I was feeling and I said, “like hell, but thanks for asking.” I told Doc I would get his email address from Tommy, bid him goodbye and finished my descent to the finish line. I was pleased to feel my form on the road was still pretty good and crossed the line at 3:42. A mid-pack performance, but the middle of a unique “pack” so I am happy with it. 3:30 was probably within reach if I hadn’t wanted to take pictures and stopped to talk with Doc, but I wanted to make sure I enjoyed the moment – where I was, what the day brought, and celebrating the day. Maybe in a month or two I’ll feel like registering for the trail marathon . . . but I don’t quite feel like it today.

Jan and Tara on the final approach to the finish line. Mosquito Pass is the ridge on the horizon