I have been off of slowtwitch for a while but I am back. And I owe a race report!

This race is part of my journey to a 100 miler. I was derailed from my training 2 years ago with back surgery.

I also have My first 50 miler coming in a week in Leadville in fact I have some questions...but that is another post.....

Course Profile:

http://www.nyx.net/...on_files/marapro.jpg









Tough day at Leadville Marathon.

I started fast for me. My goal was under 7 hours but deep inside I was
thinking 6:30 or less.
I under estimated greatly how difficult the return to Leadville
after the summit would be.
I started by running slowly the uphill for the first mile or so. Then
I settled into a climb up to the first aid station at 4 mile mark. I
was briskly hiking and passing some, while keeping a good pace. I
reached the first aid in about an hour. I fueled up and set off up
Ball Mt.
There was a lot of single track around the hill and it was a steep
drop if you missed stepped! The climb to the top was challenging but
not crazy.

The course does a loop around Mt Ball then back to the first aid. All
was good I was feeling great. I knew from the map that the course goes
downhill from there for a bit then up the treacherous Mosquito pass to
the turn around.

As we were going downhill to the valley someone behind me said "you
see that tiny speck way up on the top of that mountain? That is the
aid station at Mosquito summit". I honestly thought he was messing
with a friend of his; It was the truth.

So we started the climb up to the 13,188 top of Mosquito Pass. It
wouldn't end. Up and up. I passed a few people who were just sitting
on the trail in a daze looking up! :-)

I just keep looking down and going up, and eventually I reached the
top after a couple hours. The roller coaster of emotion was
ridiculous. I was spent, I was energized, I was drained. I was having
doubts about my 50 in two weeks here. I just told myself this mountain
can't have my heart.

The view from the top was awesome. It occurred to me that it was
somehow "right" to have to suffer to get to see that view. It was too
spectacular to be easy.
I saw my time was 3:58. I was ahead of my ill informed pace goal. I
completely under estimated the time it would take to get back (did I
say that already)

I am not sure how they did it, but they added hills on the return. I
thought I was going to run all the way back in 2:15-2:30 WRONG!

I didn't eat as much as I should have on the return, but I didn't
bonk. I was discouraged at times when hill after hill seemed to appear
from nowhere.

I made down to Leadville at last and I ran down 6th street to finish.

I jumped right into my truck and drove back to Denver :)

Legs are fresh today. I am going to spin tonight on the bike and run a
little tomorrow.

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3x Leadville 100 (23:50) PR
Badwater 135 (41:24)
Lean Horse 100 (20:19)
Run Across Colorado 320 miles