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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| The View from the Top |
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| 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.
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| Jan and Tara on the final approach to the finish line. Mosquito Pass is the ridge on the horizon |
