Dates are up for 2025 - 9 August. I booked lodging for the week of the camp (hoping I can get in) and the race. Ready to burn that deferred 2024 entry.
Took some time off the bike this summer - and offensively dropped 15lbs over that time - but seeing dates in print has me excited to get back out there.
Throwing my hat in the ring again. Went in last year with what I thought were good chances of breaking 9:00 if everything went well. Ended up completely blowing up the last few hours and went 9:50 (riders I was around at bottom of Powerline went sub 9:00 so it was a complete melt down).
I think my wife will be doing it this year as well. Already have a place booked in Leadville for 2 weeks and pretty excited to tackle it together but trying not to think about it too much quite yet. Lots of other smaller goals to focus on for the next ~6 months first.
I’m in again too, got a coin at Lutsen last year that I used for this entry. I’ve got Unbound to worry about first though, but I’m hoping that means I’m carrying some pretty good fitness into the summer after a little recovery.
Right now I’m trying to get rid of some nagging, minor injuries before I start working my volume back up and get back to training.
I’m in for the Unbound/Leadville double as well. I did both this year and the timing between the events works out pretty well.
I had really good fitness for Unbound, took a couple weeks off and then just rode my bike a bunch prior to leadville (lots of TSS, but very little structure and no hard intervals). It worked out decent, but I plan to incorporate some Z4/5 work into my leadville prep for next year. Unbound is my target A+ race, but I’m still hoping to improve on my leadville time.
If I remember right, Unbound has a lot more punchiness and repeated VO2’s to stay with the front group for as long as possible as compared to Leadville, but balanced with the need to have the endurance to go for 200 miles / 12 hours without totally imploding? And, you were going to try incorporating some of that approach into your Leadville training to see if it helps with recoverability for some of the steeper climbs and above threshold sections?
Does that sound about right?
Yep, pretty much. Although it wasn’t so much about being with the front group as long as possible, but being in a fast enough group to stay in podium contention. So, I hung with the front group for an hour or so (typical crazy gravel start, but pretty flat terrain), then settling into the “right” group as we got into the more selective sections. I was ready for a fast first hour, but was surprised how hard people were still hitting the hills 2-3 hours into the race, so I may do a bit more v02max work next year. It wasn’t until after ~3 hours of hard racing when things settled down to endurance pace for the rest of the day.
Here’s a look at the first 3 hours of unbound this year, almost 45 minutes in v02max or higher.
Yep, I don’t plan to do a ton of Threshold/v02max work going into leadville next year, but I think I made a mistake skipping it completely this year. There are enough spots on the course that require short digs. Nothing like Unbound where you are racing to stay in a group, but still enough to warrant some training. This year was a bit of an experiment with the pure volume approach and it worked well overall for endurance, just hoping I can unlock a little more punch.
I’m still mulling over the decision…
On one hand:
But on the other:
The path to get in and in a good corral is difficult, which becomes a disincentive.
Any insights for this conflicted soul?
Old
I wouldn’t call the course boring or the hype over-done (Well, maybe a little over-done if you listen to too many “Leadville Family” videos). Generally I hear that from people who haven’t done it though - it’s definitely not a gravel course.
To be a player you’ll have to be real good in your age group. It’s a real large field with some real fast people that show up. What will make the biggest difference is how you deal with altitude and if you can pace well at altitude.
Getting in and in a good corral aren’t hard, just expensive. You can effectively pay your way in, and go do any number of corral improvement races. You could still do Austin Rattler this year.
How do you pay your way in? You mean through donations?
Fundraising spots or a camp + entry spot.
I’ll be in for 2025 with a deferral entry. Right now I’m focused on getting my volume up consistently so I can be where I want to be to start off 2025 and more specific prep. This year got derailed by crash-related injuries and work stuff keeping me off the bike too much, so one of my big goals for this year is to try to maintain consistent volume as best I can. Leadville will be my A race for next year (was supposed to be this year), so I’m going to be focusing all my energy toward it. My goal for the race is an official finish (so sub-12), and I think if I can maintain consistency with the volume and really emphasize getting in long rides, I can be well-positioned. Planning to sign up for the Silver Rush as a fitness test and potentially a slight corral improvement (assuming corrals stay the same, getting out of Brown into White). I’m lucky enough to at least not be coming from sea level being in Denver, but I want as much altitude prep time as possible.
Hard pass for 2025 as my A event is 90% sure to be https://www.volcanicepic.co.nz/
Will still probably do Sea Otter. but Tahoe Trail is looking questionable since it looks like they’re going to make it 3 shorter laps rather than the big loop it’s traditionally been.
My next time in Leadville will be 2026 for the Stage Race, then maybe 2027 for another shot at the LT100 as a 60 year old.
If you don’t value the vibe/hype, you might be turned off. It can be a little over the top at times. The racing and competition at the pointy end is legit, but I think you can get that aspect elsewhere without the circus surrounding the leadville event. That said, it’s a pretty prestigious race to win/podium your age group, so there’s that. But the racing side isn’t really what makes the event in my opinion (maybe I’d feel different if I was fighting for a podium).
I can be a pretty jaded eye-rolling dude about many things, but I personally dig the whole leadville experience. It can be a little cheesy at times, but it’s the real deal and not just hype (in my opinion). There is still a strong connection to the history of the race/community even with lifetime being in charge these days. This will be my 5th year in a row. First year, I was all about the big buckle and I was really focused on my race/results and getting a big buckle. I still can’t/won’t let that side go completely and the race has so many moving parts that I think it’s one of the hardest events to execute well (strong incentive to come back and try new things). But the racing part now takes a backseat to basically a 2+ week vacation in the mountains every summer with the race happening at the end. I still care about my result, but I’m more excited watching less experienced cyclists fighting to finish at 12 hours or beat the cutoffs. I think a key part of what makes leadville so unique is that it’s a big challenge for pretty much everyone. There is no easy way around that course, so everyone is suffering. It’s an out and back format, so you see everyone out there and there are usually a bunch of folks cheering. It’s not like a lot of big races where some folks are choosing a shorter course and can slow roll it all day for a finisher’s medal. The slower you are, the harder leadville is to finish. You will see some unbelievable suffering and effort on that course that I haven’t seen at any other cycling event. Whether that’s appealing or not is probably very individual.
Anyway, lots of rambling there but hopefully gives you some feel for the race. It is crazy expensive these days for a 1 day race, but maybe go look at ironman entrance fees if you want to feel better about it. For most, it’s a “bucket list” thing (and belt buckle thing) more than a pure race results thing. But there is definitely serious racing going on as well. You are paying for the bucket list aspect even if you are just there to race.
I have never raced an event where everyone was so positive & encouraging: the spectators and competitors alike.
With that being said, I race to see what I’m capable of, and to give myself a target to strive for. Leadville is a worthy goal race IMO where you can stack yourself against others and know where you stand.
There are a number of things that make Leadville really cool to participate in as others have said. The mass of people at the start is a sight to behold. You get that at other big events too, like Unbound, but it’s still pretty wild to see everyone stacked up in the corrals in the morning eagerly anticipating the start.
I like the course a lot too. Yes, it’s not super technical but there is enough there to think about, and that includes the tricky descending of the Goat Trail with two way traffic. It’s part of the challenge. Seeing the pro race unfold as you climb Columbine is great too. Powerline at mile 80 is something I’m thinking about in training all year long.
There are so many more people out on the course compared to the vast majority of other endurance races. At Unbound you will go endless miles without seeing a soul at times. At Leadville the are big masses of people never more than a handful of miles away. It really adds to character of the race. There are usually a ton of people at the finish too.
I was really cool to follow @Nate_Pearson journey when he did it in 2018. I think this was at least the start of @Jonathan starting to change his perspective on the race. In 2019 Jonathan, and I believe Brandon from TR, both did it, and there was no question he spoke differently about the event afterwards. Since then a lot of racers that Jonathan is close to, like Keegan, Sofia, and Hannah, have all excelled there, and again you can see the effect Leadville has had on them all.
