The Leadville Trail 100 should be one of the first activities that spring to mind when envisioning the most physically demanding feats the human body can endure.Yes, any 100-mile running race is more than most of us could possibly imagine, but the Leadville 100 - The "Race Across the Sky" - is in a league all its own. First of all, the LOWEST elevation point in the race is 9,200 feet. The highest takes runners up Hope Pass to 12,600 feet. All in all, there are more than 30,000 feet of elevation gained and lost in this rugged race from Leadville to Twin Lakes and back. While portions of the course consist of paved roads, dirt roads and singletrack, some sections take runners straight up and down mountains, bushwhacking on narrow animal trails.This race makes the Leadville 100 bike event (which Dave Wiens won for the fifth time on Aug. 11, finishing under 7 hours and followed closely by Floyd Landis in second and Vail local Mike Kloser in third) look like a warm-up. The 2007 Race Across the Sky will be the event's 25th anniversary. Do people who finish get a million dollars? No. Anyone who finishes in less than 25 hours gets a silver and gold belt buckle. Those who finish under 30 hours get a silver buckle. "We started off 25 years ago with 45 people sitting in the corner of the gym thinking there was no way they could run 100 miles at 10,000 feet," said Leadville 100 co-founder Ken Chlouber. "For the run, there's still less than 50 percent who finish."Nearly 600 racers are signed up for the 2007 race, which kicks off at 4 a.m. on Aug. 18. Matt Carpenter shattered the course record in 2005 when he finished in an unbelievable time of 15 hours, 42 minutes and 59 seconds. Ann Trason holds the women's course record, set in 1994 when she finished in 18:06:24. The course is lined by 11 aid stations and runners can often be seen collapsing at any one of them, some crouched and barely able to walk, some throwing up, others nursing sprained, blistered and bloody feet, legs and ankles, getting treatment from their support crews so they can trudge onward.This, you have probably gleaned, is another ilk of human being we're talking about. What is the secret to putting yourself through this kind of thing? Helen Cospolich, who will attempt her third Leadville 100 this weekend (she took fourth of female racers in 2004 and third in 2003), is an elite ultrarunner who has already done one 100-mile race this summer (Western State from Lake Tahoe to Auburn, Calif). She says the secret to pressing on through pain, exhaustion and all of the elements (which, in the Leadville race have historically included snow, rain and lightning) is to keep a completely clear head."You just zone," she said. "You don't think about anything. You keep moving forward." For more information about the Race Across the Sky, click here.
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