Leadville Trail 100 - 18-19 August, 2007 - Not Quite 100

Mama always said life was like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get. – Forest Gump

There’s something magical yet weird about Leadville. I’ve been involved with the race for the last 10 years either as a runner or a pacer/crew. I’ve ran it 6 times, had two DNF’s, and wildly different results each time I did manage to eke out a finish. This was to be my 7^th time at it, and hopefully a 5^th finish.

I signed up early January for the 25^th running of The Leadville Trail 100, which is my 11^th year there. I also turned 50 years old this year, so I was originally hoping for a sub-25 hour finish at the 25^th running (which equals 50). I abandoned the sub-25 hour goal early summer when I realized that wasn’t going to happen. In fact, I wasn’t going to run it at all after a lousy week of training got me depressed. A number of my running friends talked me out of that. A good friend of mine, Bob Rayburn, gave me the most simple and easily graspable comment and form of motivation I’ve heard in a long time: “Dale, just run it to have fun. Quit worrying about a sub-whatever and just run to have fun. Your best time there was when you didn’t worry about doing well, just finishing.” The year he was referring to was 1999, what was to be my 3^rd time there, my second finish with a PR of 27:23:24. It went like clockwork and I had a fun time. My goal that year was to avoid chasing cutoffs (which I did the previous year) and I had a wonderful run and finish time. I was hoping to recreate that magic that I have been unable to capture since then.

Who’s the slimy communist shit twinkle-toed cocksucker who just signed his own death warrant? – Full Metal Jacket

So I signed up, got a house rental all lined up, and was able to snag some other runners to help offset the cost. Michele Jensen, who eventually came in second female this year just minutes behind the lead woman, wanted in. Another good friend, Vince Gerber, came in on the last minute when I offered the place to him versus his sleeping in the back of his truck.

I trained like a madman all summer long up on the Leadville course. I ran a kick ass 50 miler in Utah, Squaw Peak, in early June and felt great and didn’t bonk out like last year and finished in a relatively good time. I did the Leadville Marathon in early July, felt great there as well. I trained on Hope Pass three times doing well on the climbs and felt like I was going to be able to climb decently during the run. This year there were some course changes that I was able to discover prior to the race, and was glad I did, although during the race, they were marked very well and you had to be a total brain-dead zombie to miss them. I was focusing on the climbs to get my recently diagnosed exercise-induced asthma under check and figure out what worked and what didn’t. What I found out, in training anyway, was that I needed to go slow and consistent, not overdo it, but not go too slow. I found that happy medium and was climbing quite well just weeks before the race. In fact, I did a nice climb up Mosquito Pass (elev. 13,181 ft) just east of Leadville the weekend before the race and felt great the whole way and made it in a great time (at least for me) in 63 minutes, this from the bottom of the road where the aid station for the marathon is to the top, about 3 miles and change and 2200’ of climb.

I spent the previous two weeks tapering, chilling, and not trying to overdo it.

Say man when I was growin’ up if wanted a Jacuzzi we had to fart in the tub. – Trading Places

Checked into the house Thursday afternoon with Vince and was amazed at how huge it was. The bathroom upstairs even had a Jacuzzi in it (although I never used it). Got my stuff organized and started to chill out. Michele came by a bit later and we all went to the pasta dinner to meet new friends and get reacquainted with old ones. I see fellow SLUGs Paul Schoenlaub and Gwen Heist-Hall, and we all mug for the camera. I go back to the house and chill out some more.

I got up bright and early for the pre-race weigh in and med check. Vince, Michele, Ron Wright and I stand in line and we are in and out in 10 minutes. We were all taking bets on how much each of us weighed. I said 193. I ended up at 188, a bit low. But everyone else said they were low as well. Time to eat breakfast. Chilled out afterwards at Ron’s before Ken the RD’s Pep Rally. He was pretty emotional this year and as always brought the house down. The medical talk by the local EMS doctor was a hoot. Some of the funnier items:

“If you are getting dehydrated, be one with your urine. If it is the color of Guinness, that’s bad. [Reaches over to the table and picks up a Coors Light] If it is the color of Coors, this is good. Guinness-bad. Coors-Good.”

“While climbing Hope Pass be concerned about pulmonary edema and hypothermia. We will have big sweaty guys in nice warm sleeping bags to keep anyone warm who may need them. Hopefully, these big guys won’t be suffering from pulmonary edema and be on Viagra.”

“Be careful coming down the steep trails and don’t fracture any bones. Hopefully, you won’t be suffering from pulmonary edema as I’m not going to be casting any fractures as a result of Viagra.”

With those words we left, I went back to the house and just chilled out. I sorted through my crew bags, made sure I had all I was going to need in the bags during the course of the run. Lorraine made it up that afternoon with the rest of the dogs (K-Dog was already here as he came up with me on Thursday). We all had a nice dinner. Michele’s crew finally showed up and she showed them what she had. I was waiting on my first crew member to show up, Nattu, as the rest of them (Bob “Dinosoreass” Rayburn and John “Triple Tongue” Gains) would show up tomorrow morning after the race started. Nattu finally showed up and I showed him what I had, went over some last minute details, and then went to bed.

So I jump ship in Hong Kong and make my way over to Tibet, and I get on as a looper at a course over in the Himalayas. A looper, you know, a caddy, a looper, a jock. So I tell them I'm a pro jock, and who do you think they give me? The Dalai Lama himself; Twelfth son of the Lama. The flowing robes, the grace, bald... striking. So I'm on the first tee with him, I give him the driver. He hauls off and whacks one (big hitter, the Lama) long into a ten-thousand foot crevasse, right at the base of this glacier. Do you know what the Lama says? Gunga galunga -- gunga -- "gunga lagunga." So we finish the 18th hole and he’s gonna stiff me. So I says, "Hey, Lama, hey, how bout a little something, you know, for the effort, you know?" and he says "oh, uh, there won’t be any money, but when you die, on your death-bed, you will receive total consciousness." So I got that going for me. Which is nice. – Caddyshack

Got up nice and early and had a decent breakfast before heading off to the start. Vince walked over to Ron’s trailer while Nattu gave me a ride to the start. Checked in and mingled around until the start. It was pleasantly warm, but I still had on a jacket (which I would shed not minutes after we started). Before I knew it, it was time to line up and wait for the shotgun blast that signaled the start of yet another Leadville Trail 100.

The plaque for the alternates is in the ladies room. – Top Gun

As we headed down 6^th street and up to the Boulevard, I was trying to stay within a reasonable pace, chatting with others, anything to keep the pace down. I was running with Ron and Vince, and then Vince took off. I told Ron I hope Vince doesn’t blow up at the end (he didn’t). Got to the Boulevard (1 mile into the race) and just went easy. I caught up with Davy Crockett wearing his coonskin cap. I yelled out “Daniel Boone!” and he corrected me “It’s Davy Crockett….oh, it’s you Dale.” Mission accomplished. My plan was to get to the mini-powerline climb (mile 5.5) around 55 minutes. I got there in 53. Did the powerline climb slow and easy. Got to the road and finally onto the Turquoise Lake trail. I could hear cheering a few miles ahead across the lake at Tabor Boat Ramp, so the leader must have gone through already.

I kept up a nice, steady pace along the trail and luckily, never had a big issue with tons of runners ahead. Ron caught up to me (as I had to stop off trail to do nature’s bidding). Saw Chris, one of Ron’s crewmembers at a campsite and decided I’d refill my bottles here rather in the chaos at Mayqueen aid just less than a mile away. Checked in and out of Mayqueen at 6:23 (2:23 into the race and 13.5 miles)…right on schedule!

Made my way up the Colorado Trail to Hagerman Road, it took me 35 minutes to do the 1.75 miles. So far, so good. I ran most of the Hagerman Road section which is a mile before the sharp left turn and up to Sugarloaf Pass, which I walked. I finally got to the top of the pass at a rather mellow 11,150’ in elevation. Then I felt like running, and soon I was on the big descent down Powerline for 3.3 miles to the Fish Hatchery road. I didn’t go my usual breakneck pace here, opting to go easy but not brake with the legs for fear of overblown quads later in the race. Ron passed me on this section, but I managed to keep him in view the whole way down. Got to the road and before I knew it, I was at the Fish Hatchery aid station in 4:38, about 6 minutes slower than planned, but within the desired range of time. Checked in and out and met up with Nattu on the way out, and sat down for a few minutes to eat, drink, and change clothes. Strapped on the mp3 player as well as this next section is a bore and I’ll need the distraction to keep me moving.

This is supposed to be a happy occasion. Let’s not bicker and argue about who killed who. – Holy Grail

Headed out of Fish feeling pretty good, and started out on a run 4 minutes then walk 1 minute routine. I was playing cat and mouse with Dave Strong on this part of the course. He’d walk when I was running, and vice-versa. This part always sucks so I just wanted to get through it without dying. I guess at one point Dave thought I was needing food and/or water as we were approaching Treeline he asked me if I needed fluids or food. He even offered me part of his turkey wrap after Treeline (which I took). By this time the road was rolling enough that the 4/1 wasn’t working out, timing-wise, so I ran the flats and downs and walked the hills. I finally got to Halfmoon aid station in 6:13 (21 minutes off of pace) and filled my bottles and headed back out on the road. People were passing me, but I was passing others so I was still feeling pretty good. Before I knew it I was at the turnoff for the climb up to the Mt Elbert trailhead north access. I was dreading this ¾ mile climb of 800’, but surprisingly it went really well. I was fairly slow (as planned) but consistent and didn’t stop to catch a breath or go anaerobic in the process. I was happy nonetheless. Now it’s cruise time to Twin Lakes.

I feel the need. The need for speed! – Top Gun

The next 6 miles are pretty much downhill, some uphills thrown in, but it’s mainly a nice downhill descent to Twin Lakes. I used this time to try to make up some lost time to Halfmoon. I did manage to pass quite a few people in this section, but I was still behind the 8-ball time wise. When I finally hit the jeep road, about 1 mile to the aid station at Twin Lakes, it was already 12:20, 25 minutes behind schedule. I radioed ahead to my crew I was about 10 minutes out. Got to Twin Lakes in 8:29, met up with Nattu, checked in and out and ran to the crew point in the parking lot across the highway. As I was cresting the short hill before the steep but short descent into the aid station area, a loud crash of thunder was nearby scaring the crap out of me as well as the bystanders waiting for their runners.

I saw Bob and John there waiting for me, and I wanted to just sit for a bit and eat, drink, and put on a jacket as it was looking a bit stormy. I guess I was here longer than I planned, but suddenly I wanted to get going. As I was leaving I caught up with Terri Pfeil so we both went out into the meadow together. She was complaining about her legs hurting and wanting to drop earlier but her husband Mark wouldn’t let her. Good thing as she was able to finish it this year.

I’m too old for this shit! – Lethal Weapon

We had to go through this mucky, boggy swamp, mid-calf deep and smelly. Luckily, more water crossings awaited us to wash it all off. There were quite a few water crossings to get us warmed up for the river. Finally got to the river, saw the rope and plunged in. It was just above my knees (waist high on shorter runners) and cold. It was flowing pretty well from all the rain the past week. Well, up to now it has been fine and dandy. Now the climb up to Hope Pass was staring at me and I was hoping to get up the damn thing in a reasonable time. It wasn’t to be.

As I understand it, you only breathe once a minute. – 2001

First off, it was becoming harder and harder to breathe as I climbed up. And as a result, I was getting slower and slower. Tons of people were passing me, and I had to stop every few minutes to catch my breath. It was truly a death march, although the legs weren’t hurting, just couldn’t breathe. This was very frustrating as I have spent all summer up on the course training on these very climbs with no issues. In fact, I had one of my best ascents up Hope Pass just a month prior. WTF!!

Greg, honey. Is it supposed to be this soft? – Animal House

The other issue here was the mud. Lots of it and slicker than snot. I was hoping the other side wasn’t like this or it’s going to be really slow and ugly on the descent. The mud was so slimy that there were pools of water around previous footsteps in the mud. Of course, this didn’t help my situation any as it made it even more difficult to climb with this gunk. Lots of huge fungi all around, and it was pretty damp and humid as well. A little rain off and on as well, but nothing huge.

By the time I got to Hopeless aid station, ¾ mile from the summit, I was toasted. I sat down and asked for some of their famous mashed potatoes and coke. They were out of coke but offered me Poweraide instead. I took it. And took it. And took it. The potatoes were divine as well as the Poweraide. I was starting to feel much better, and my breathing was easier as well. The sun was out and I was warming up. One of the aid station personnel came over to me and asked me if I was number 308, as they heard I was having severe difficulties climbing. I said I was but was feeling better. I guess he was satisfied with my answer and said good luck on the rest of the climb. I saw John Hobbs come in and he asked me how I was. I said I wasn’t sure if I was going to make it or not in time for Winfield. He said don’t give up.

I see dead people. – The Sixth Sense

The climb up to the summit was uneventful, and actually was faster than expected. I was certainly feeling a lot better, could breathe again and just got to the top for the ride down on the other side. To my surprise, it was bone dry on this side, so I decided to let it rip to the bottom. I passed quite a few people on the downhills, some looking fine others not so fine. Also saw a lot of returnee runners on the their second trip up to the pass. Michele Jensen was looking great, and saw Daniel Boone, err, Davy Crockett as well. I only wished I was in their shoes as I didn’t want to come back up, but had to in order to go on.

Got to the road and made my way up the next 2. 5miles to Winfield and the turnaround. I was running a lot of the road here, walking most of the hills. Came across Scott Snyder who was groaning. He explained to me he broke some ribs a week or so earlier and that he was going to have to call it at Winfield. I was feeling kinda sorry for myself here, I must admit, since I was feeling so slow I kinda wanted to end it at Winfield myself. A lot of my running friends coming back out of the aid station gave me words of encouragement telling me to go on, I have plenty of time, etc.. I looked at my watch and it was just before 5 PM, more than an hour before the cutoff. Not a great situation, but I would go on.

I rolled into Winfield in 13:09 (5:09 PM), checked in and out and sat down with the crew and did the eating and drinking routine. I was feeling pretty wasted at this point, but Nattu was there ready to pace and wanted to get me going.

What? Over? Did you say over? Nothing is over until we decide it is! Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor? Hell no! – Animal House

Upon leaving Winfield, Nattu laid down the law (which I told him earlier before the race to make sure I do) in running the flats and downs, walking the ups. That is what we did all along the road. I thought I was feeling bad, there were still a lot of runners coming in who were probably not going to make it out of Winfield, or even to Twin Lakes. I wasn’t even sure on that one myself. But we continued to motor along and before long, we were at the dreaded trailhead for the big 2.2 mile climb back up Hope. When we got there, there was a helicopter up above looking for a landing spot. I asked the road marshal what’s up, and he said they were trying to get a guy off the course who had an epileptic seizure near the top. OMG!!

Maybe I should just hold my breath. – Apollo 13

I told Nattu it was going to be slow, and it was. Once again, it was hard to get a breath in. I was hoping to get up to where the trees end 1 mile up the trail and pray I can breathe again like the other side. It was slow. I’d go awhile but found myself leaning against a tree catching my breath. Runners behind me were catching up to us (sorta like the other side’s climb) which afforded me the excuse to step off to the side and wait for them to go around. This went on for about an hour. Finally, we got to the boulder field and above the trees. I was starting to feel better again and could go longer without having to stop. It also isn’t as steep the last mile up as down below. Regardless, I was moving better now and feeling better, so I just wanted to get up to the top before nightfall. We were playing leapfrog with a group of runners, and ended up passing some on the climbs while we were passed by others. Anne Watts came by with her runner she was pacing and they motored on by. At least the weather was holding out great. It rained a bit down below, but not really bad. HEY. Guess what? We made it! I yelled out a loud “Woo Hoo!” at the top and started cruising down the trail to the Hopeless aid station below. I was getting hungry and just wanted to get going.

No more wanking my yankee. The Donger need food. – Sixteen Candles

I must admit my forte is the downhills, and I wanted to take advantage of that now that the big climb was over with, at least for now. Passed a number of runners going down the trail, including Anne and her runner. People were hearing my thumping of my shoes on the rocks as they stepped aside to let me pass. A lot of “Thanks!” were being said as we made our way down. Got to Hopeless before dark, sat down briefly for some more potatoes and Poweraide. I gave Nattu my bottles to refill while I ate and drank. After a few minutes I wanted to get going so I got up and told Nattu we’re leaving. It was pretty boggy here and I ended up running more on the grass off to the side rather than the muddy trail.

Yep, yeah we’re famous for our mud.
Famous for your mud? How’s your Chinese food? – My Cousin Vinny

Even though it was muddy we were running through the muck. There were some sections that were very muddy and steep which caused us to slow down and walk, but it was a run all the way down to the river. About a mile below Hopeless we finally had to pull out our flashlights. Now I was just looking for flashlights ahead to try to pull me along and catch up to. We passed a couple of runners who mentioned “You are on a mission! Keep going! Go for it!”. Not sure if it was going to help any but I was feeling pretty good. Some of the switchbacks were pretty muddy and Nattu mentioned that I should stay up above it as it wasn’t as slick there as in the middle. I was pretty bummed on one section, totally runnable and straight, was a mucky mess that forced us to a walk. Luckily it was short and we were able to run again.

Inconceivable! – Princess Bride

I would sort of slow down at times, only to see a light ahead which perked me up a bit to pick up the pace a bit and catch the light. Then a miracle happened: the mud was over and it was just dirt and rocks to run through. Woo hoo! Not long afterward, we reached the metal sign indicating the river was just a mile ahead. No stopping now! I kept going. Here’s a section I normally walk as it is fairly flat but I was running it, feeling really good. Not sure if it was my adrenaline going or I had a second wind, but we kept running. I told Nattu if he was ready to get really wet. Got to the river, and Nattu asked if I wanted to go first. I said I’ll go first and with my flashlight in my mouth I held onto the rope and waded across. Got to the other side and waited for Nattu, gave him a hand up and we continued on running. More water crossings, colder and feet numbing than before.

I’m fuzzy on the whole good bad thing. – Ghostbusters

Nattu radioed ahead that we were about a mile out from Twin Lakes, and that we were going to need to be crewed after the aid station as we were going to be tight on the Twin Lakes cutoff. When we were just coming up to the bog, I told Nattu to have fun. What a mess. I nearly fell over on a steep hole, but kept going. I got a call on the radio from Ron’s crew asking if we had seen Ron. That got me going. Maybe I could catch up with him. I saw lights just ahead and kept running. It wasn’t him, but I continued on and saw the lights of Twin Lakes just ahead. There was lots of cheering going on. Got to the parking lot and I heard Matt Watts shout out “Get going Dale! You have 5 minutes!” I glanced over where Ron’s crew was but didn’t see Ron (he was there already) but kept going. Then Lorraine came up next to me and ran with me through the parking lot and across the street. She backed off then as I continued on. Gwen Heist-Hall yelled at me to get moving, just minutes away. Got to the aid station with 2 minutes to spare. Checked in and out and got to my crew area and sat down briefly to refuel, and rest. Nattu handed over the reigns to Bob now. Bob was ready to go. I needed a few minutes to recover from the past 1.5 hours of running from the summit. I thanked Nattu for his help, and told him I doubt I could have done what I did without his incessant nagging and prodding to keep me moving. In other words, he did exactly what I told him to do before this whole rollercoaster of a ride started.

Fasten your seatbelts. It’s going to be a bumpy night. – All About Eve.

After about 5 minutes or so, I got up and said let’s go. I knew it was going to be really tight this next section. I got here just before the cutoff, and have 3 hours for the next 8.5 miles to Halfmoon. Under normal situations, like, not chasing cutoffs, 3.5 hours to Halfmoon is not a big deal. It’s generally agreed by most runners that the Halfmoon cutoff is extremely tight if chasing cutoffs. As an example, my first year of finishing Leadville I got to Halfmoon 10 minutes before the cutoff, and walked the next 7 miles to Fish Hatchery aid station and was ahead of the cutoff there by 1.5 hours. But, these are the rules and I had to deal with them. So now I have 3 hours, a section I can do fresh in 2.5 hours if all goes well. But I’m tired, I’m starting to get achy, especially my legs (from all the mud running my quads were trashed) but I’m still optimistic. Bob was ready and we headed out. It was a slow and steady climb up the jeep road. This section used to really bother me, but I guess I’ve done it enough times now that it isn’t that big of a deal now. The part that bugs me is the long climb after the road up to the camping area just below the Mt Elbert south trailhead, long and uphill. Bob kept me focused and talked about whatever came to mind. I tried to reply to some of his questions but I was just wanting to get this climb over with and wanted to focus on that and not waste a lot of energy talking at this point. We ran some of the flattish parts and minor downs, but mostly it was a walk. Actually, my running was probably more of a powerhike than anything else at this point.

We finally got to the point where it was a slight downhill, and I tried to muster a run but it was more of a walk. I knew at this point that making it in time to Halfmoon was not going to happen. All I could do is keep going and see what happens.

Goddammit! I don’t want another estimate! I want those procedures, now! – Apollo 13

When we reached the 4 mile point on our segment, I asked Bob what time it was. He said, rather reluctantly, “11:30”. “Dale, I didn’t want to mention it but I don’t think we are going to get to Halfmoon in time.” We left Twin at 9:45. It has taken us 1:45 to go 4 miles, mostly uphill, but we still have some hills to climb before heading down to Halfmoon road. “Well Bob, I kinda knew that when we left but I didn’t really want to quit there. It is what it is, let’s just get there.” It was at this point we both mutually agreed to just relax, make the most of what we have left and enjoy the rest of the night as we made our way over to Halfmoon. At this point, it seemed like a tremendous burden had been lifted from my shoulders and I was feeling much better about the decision instead of stressing over a ridiculously tight cutoff. We finally got to the top of the climb where a huge fire pit marks the descent down to Halfmoon. Bob asked me if I wanted to run the down or walk. I said “Let’s run it so we can get to the beer sooner”. So we ran it. I ended up walking it instead. At this time, it was after midnight. I suggested to Bob we should take the Mt Elbert parking lot shortcut instead of staying on the course and adding another mile to our now hopeless journey. He was game. So at the bottom of the descent we came to the turnoff for the parking lot and we made a right instead of veering left and staying on the course.

You’re even late for your own funeral. – Goodfellas

We got to the road and started walking and running. We were wondering how we were going to get to our crew who was now waiting at Treeline. Hopefully someone at the aid station would give us a ride. We were about ¼ mile from the aid station when we came upon a truck picking up all the stray runners who were late. The guy came up to us and told us “Regrettably, you’re late getting into Halfmoon. I can give you a ride there and we will contact your crew to come pick you guys up.” Well, problem solved. We climbed in and enjoyed the rest of our ride into Halfmoon.

It took Nattu about 20 minutes to get the word that we needed picking up. In the meantime, Bob and I were hanging out at the aid station, huddled around the propane space heater, eating and drinking whatever was left to eat and drink. We asked for a beer, but all they had was Coors light. No thanks. That ain’t beer. Finally Nattu showed up to pick us up.

You’ll get nothing and like it! – Caddyshack

Nattu gave Bob, I and two other runners a ride back to Treeline. John was waiting for us there and Bob went with John back to the house. Nattu dropped off the runners at their cars in Leadville, and then we headed back to the house for a much anticipated beer or two. It was now 2 AM, John, Bob and I were drinking a beer or two with Nattu abstaining and waxing philosophically about the days events. No regrets, just frustration on my part. I felt bad that John didn’t get to pace, but he was okay with it and has been to Leadville enough to know these things can and will happen.

Was I disappointed? You bet! Do I have any regrets? No. Sometimes things go well and other times they don’t. I’m still learning about this EIA and how to manage it. Obviously, there is more learning to do. That’s the neat thing about these 100 milers….you can always learn after you run one, finish or not.

I’ll be back. – The Terminator

Maybe not next year but sometime in the next few years.

Thanks to all who helped me on my shorter journey this year, as I would not have been able to get where I was without all of your help.