Leadville Silver Rush 50 Mile: Race Report

I ran the Silver Rush 50 Mile this past weekend in Leadville, CO. It was my first event in the state and definately the first time at running above 10,000'. I arranged a carpool partner through the Boulder Trail Runners email list and drove up to Leadville with "Nick Pedatella."

We arrived in Leadville on Saturday at about noon. The small town of Leadville is incredibly special and unique. The town resembles that of the late 1800s with very little change, except for the cars. This mining town went through various phases of development in it's rich history. It started as a gold mining town and then silver. Other mining took place later for other valuable metals and minerals.

Today, it seems the town of Leadville survives on the tourism industry...basically sports like hiking, mountain biking, running, fishing, and camping. For this reason, I believe, the towns people are incredibly warm to the idea of 100 mile races and 50 mile mountain runs.

I calculated that approximately 800 people were brought into Leadville for the weekend for the 50 mile MTB race on Saturday and 50 mile ultra on Sunday. Unlike ultras in large metropolitan areas, athletes visiting Leadville for the weekend WILL spend their money in Leadville......because there isn't anywhere else to go! But that is ok, because Leadville is very enjoyable as a weekend destination.

The one great thing for athletes participating in events in Leadville is that they know how to put a race on. Everything was well organized, from registration to awards. The race was professional and the staff made it look easy. I watched several of the mountain bike riders finish their race on Saturday and noted the loudspeaker announcing each finisher as they crossed the line.

The announcer would proudly exclaim the name of the finisher and the city they were from. The crowd of anxious family, friends, and spectators, waited at the finish and clapped and yelled as each finisher arrived. I couldn't help but compare this exciting finish line to the sheer opposite I experienced last year at a 50 mile race when, after finishing in silence, the race director held up his hands and said, "You can stop running now."


On Sunday morning at 6am, the race started promptly. Approximately 120 runners toed the line. The announcer told us that the race would start with a sprint up the first hill (which was appoximately 50' at 20% grade). According to the rules, the first male and first female up the hill would earn a special silver coin. Next, someone fired a rifle, and we started up the hill. I didn't see many people "sprinting" but there was one runner that was obviously charging as hard as he could. I'll leave his name out of this report, because his initial balls-to-the-wall run up the hill later turned into a slow slumber when he reluctantly gave up 1st position at only 10 miles. I was told he, "Blew up hard."

RACE DESCRIPTION DETAILS:

The entire race takes place above 10,000' on dirt roads. Much of the road surface is worn down and overgrown making it more like a trail than an actual road. The course was out-and-back.

The first 10 miles are a gradual climb up to 12,000' It became quite steep in the final push to the 12,000' mark where we made a hard left turn and started down hill on a wide road for about 3 miles.

Aid stations were available quite often, which seemed to vary between 4 and 7 miles. I started the race with two large hand-held bottles and quckly learned that I could dump much of my fluid because the aid stations were so frequent. (Which is a good thing) A few of the aid stations were just tables with water/electrolyte coolers. They were set-up in between the larger full-service aid stations.

The course goes up and over the first climb at about 12,000' and then drops back down to about 10,200'. It then climbs back up to about 12,000' at a higher grade which served to be the more difficult pass. This was referred to as the "saddle at Ball Mountain." The two high points of the race are at about 10 miles and 20 miles. Of course, the return required us to climb the same passses at miles 30 and 40. The entire race is incredibly beautiful and allowed us to take our minds off the pain by gazing off into the distance at incredible scenery.

Nick passed me in 1st place when I was still a few miles from the turn around. He was very focused and absolutely flying down the hill. He had a huge smile on his face and I took a quick photo to remember the moment. I didn't see the second place runner for at least 2 miles. Nick was on fire and I couldn't wait to see if he could maintain that pace.

Coming into this event, I decided not to taper. Being new to Colorado, my intention for "running" the event was merely to experiment with the high elevation and take lots of photos. It is a ton of fun when you throw out the competition and just enjoy the day. I should do it more often!

Speaking again about the course itself...I think the course would be quite easy if it had taken place at sea level. Afterall, there is only about 8,000' of elevation loss/gain. The difficulty factor for this race is ELEVATION. I have become somewhat acclimated to elevation up to about 7,000' but I feel the elevation about 10,000' significantly. At 12,000', I work hard to walk fast. This even would be incredibly difficult for someone coming from sea level.

At the end of the day, I crossed the finish line in 8:59. The announcer encouraged me to run harder in the last seconds so I could break 9 hours...which I did enthusiatically. Nick was immediately there to celebrate. He finished the race in first place and had received a special trophy for the accomplishment. Nick finished in 7:26...an incredible time for his first ultra! The women's race was won by Lynette Clemons in 8:03...another incredibly fast time.

All in all, it was a great race and a true adventure. For anyone considering this event, I encourage you to do so. Keep the elevation in mind, but don't let it stop you from making the trek out to Leadville. The beauty makes up for the pain and you will go home happy you made the trip.