August « 2009 « www.arareko.net

Last weekend I was lucky (and stubborn) enough to finish my 2nd 100-mile ultramarathon, the Leadville Trail 100. The result was an awesome experience, after putting myself to the test and trying to go beyond my limits once again…

The 100-mile trail run of “The Race Across The Sky” consists of a 50-mile out-and-back course through the mountains Southwest of Leadville and towards Winfield, in Colorado. Its altitude above sea level ranges from 2,800 to 3,800 meters, making it the highest 100-miler in the United States. It features beautiful forest & mountain landscapes with 2 major mountain climbs in between. Here’s a brief race report of the whole thing.

Luis, Chalita, Vicente, Cinthia, Rubén and myself arrived to Leadville, Colorado by Thursday night (after some shopping in Denver) and immediately went to the Leadville Hostel for checking in and catching a good sleep. The next morning we woke up to have a big breakfast “hostel” style then headed to the medical check-in, picked up our race packages and enjoyed a little walk around town. At noon we finished packing our dropbags and left them in the place designated by the race organizers.

We spent most of Friday’s afternoon taking naps, reading and meeting lots of people. Among them was Micah True (a.k.a. Caballo Blanco) who is best known for being the race director for the Copper Canyon Ultramarathon in Chihuahua, Mexico. We really enjoyed the fun chat with him and promised to run together next March in the Sierra Tarahumara. By 6 p.m. we had a giant carbo-load dinner at the hostel (tons of tasty lasagna, bread & salad) then went to “sleep”.

The alarm ticked at 2:30 a.m. of Saturday. We jumped out of bed and into our running clothes, had a “last visit” to the toilet, double-checked our packs and walked to the start line. Everyone was very psyched and looking forward to the adventure ahead. By 4 a.m., the gun was fired and the race began, a little more than 500 runners started a very long voyage…

Start to MayQueen – 0 to 13.5 miles (4:00 a.m. – 6:19 a.m.): The crowd of runners ran down the street. Locals and crews shouted words of encouragement while we tried to find our place in the pack of runners. Luis and Chalita headed on with the front runners while I remained in the middle of the pack as well as Vicente, Cinthia and Rubén.

We enjoyed a cloudless night and it was great to see the Milky Way and the millions of stars in the sky. The first couple of miles went really smooth as those were downhill, then came a short but steep hill before entering the single track trail that goes around Turquoise Lake. Once at the lake, lots of tiny bright dots from runners’ flashlights were visible along its shore, it was really magic.

A couple of hours later I arrived to the MayQueen aid station, where I quickly refilled my Nathan Synergy water bladder, ate some fruit and a sandwich and headed out to the trail again. I was 10 minutes ahead of my estimated split time for completing the race in less than 25 hours.

MayQueen to Fish Hatchery – 13.5 to 23.5 miles (6:19 a.m. – 8:34 a.m.): Dawn came around 6 a.m. (before MayQueen) and the sun appeared once I reached Hagerman Pass Road. The view of Turquoise Lake was amazing and the climb up Sugarloaf Mountain seemed really long. I turned off my headlamp and power-walked most of the dirt road till getting to the top.

At the top of the mountain came a long stretch of fun ups and downs where Cinthia and Rubén passed me, then the dreaded powerline descent appeared. I carefully ran down the steep hill and enjoyed the view of the big valley Southeast of Sugarloaf Mountain, everything was going great and I was in excellent mood.

20 minutes later I arrived to the Fish Hatchery aid station. I changed long sleeves for a light shirt, dropped my headlamp, refilled the water bladder, ate, drank Coke and got out of there as quickly as possible. I still was ahead of my schedule for a few minutes.

Fish Hatchery to Halfmoon – 23.5 to 30.5 miles (8:34 a.m. – 10:36 a.m.): Going out from Fish Hatchery, we followed an open paved road for a few miles. This section was really unpleasant for me since I don’t like running in straight lines and even worse if it’s over pavement. Also the temperature was around 30ºC which exhausts me not only physically but psychologically as well.

After 2 hours of struggle, I arrived to the Halfmoon aid station (after only 7 almost-flat miles!), half hour behind my planned split time. I repeated the usual aid station ritual of eating and drinking and went out of there as soon as I could. I knew it would be hard to recover the lost time during the upcoming sections of the course.

Halfmoon to Twin Lakes – 30.5 to 39.5 miles (10:36 a.m. – 12:44 p.m.): Out of the aid station I entered the Colorado Trail that goes around Mt. Elbert on the way to Twin Lakes. I felt renewed once I got to the single track trail and under tree cover. The course started to show the real beauty of the race I was running.

While I enjoyed the downhill trail it was easy to see the Twin Lakes at the bottom of the valley. Despite my efforts to recover the lost time in the previous section, I got into the Twin Lakes aid station 45 minutes behind my schedule. I was feeling well overall but the heat wasn’t helping me at moving faster.

Twin Lakes to Winfield – 39.5 to 50 miles (12:44 p.m. – 4:55 p.m.): After refreshing at the aid station I ran into a big meadow, where, just before the river crossing, I met the race’s front runner: Anton Krupicka. Despite the obvious signs of stress from heat and being the race leader, he (and his pacer) seemed to be flying over the course (many hours later I got news that he dropped out of the race around mile 78). The river crossing was an absolute pleasure, getting my feet wet with cold water after 40 miles of running was a great relief, specially before the crux of the course.

Past the river I entered the woods again and started the 1,000-meter climb to Hope Pass. Hiking fast on the uphills is relatively easy for me because of my frequent mountaineering trips above 4,000 and 5,000 meters. I was able to pass a lot of runners during the climb, while at the same time I witnessed the front runners come down the mountain on their way back to Twin Lakes.

I arrived in good shape to the Hopeless aid station, ate some noodles soup, refilled my water bladder and continued my way to the top of the mountain. Almost arriving to the pass, I met Luis who was coming back from Winfield. He looked well even though he said he wasn’t feeling so good. Nevertheless, he continued running down while I cheered him. A few minutes later I reached Hope Pass and stopped for a bit to enjoy the landscape and shoot some pictures. The views were really inspiring!

The trail from Hope Pass to Winfield is beautiful: lots of switchbacks and a very narrow single track trail that goes through the forest. I ran most of it till I reached the dirt road a couple of miles before Winfield. I power-walked most of that last slightly uphill section. I met Chalita, Cinthia and Rubén who just made the turn-around at the Winfield aid station and were on their way back to Hope Pass.

At the Winfield aid station I was checked-in and weighted. I dropped from 195 to 187 pounds (88.5 to 84.8 kilograms) during the first 50 miles, less than 5% of my body weight before the race. I was happy to see that my hydration and nutrition plan for the race was working really well: aside from eating and drinking at the aid stations, every 1 or 2 hours I took a SaltStick cap (kindly provided by Luis) and an energy gel, to prevent from cramps and to keep my carbohydrate levels high. After the weigh-in I was instructed by the medical staff to drink and eat well before heading out, and so I did!

I enjoyed most of the aid station’s delicious treats: 1 turkey breast burrito, half PB&J; sandwich, 1 cup of noodles soup, some potato slices dipped in salt, 2 giant slices of watermelon, 1 orange, 3 cups of Sprite, 2 cups of Powerade and 1 cup of Coke. The amazing volunteers at the aid station refilled my water bladder and I was out of the place as fast as I could with my fully-loaded stomach.

Winfield to Twin Lakes – 50 to 60.5 miles (4:55 p.m. – 8:51 p.m.): I left the aid station with a little more than 1 hour before the cut-off time. I was feeling really well but my tentative plan to go for less than 25 hours was already out of the question since some hours before. The climb up Hope Pass required more time than what I imagined and by Winfield I was two and a half hours behind my desired schedule. From then I focused only at keeping up a nice pace, the good attitude and to enjoy every mile of the course. I knew that after the first 50 miles the rest of the race would become a mind game in which the desire to finish would be my only fuel to go through it.

I saw Vicente just before leaving the dirt road and entering the narrow single track trail to Hope Pass. He was on his way to Winfield, a scant 20 minutes before the cut-off. We wished luck to each other then continued our own way.

The climb back to Hope Pass became a little difficult due to the amount of runners hiking up the narrow trail. On the good side, I was able to chat with some of them while we struggled together along that section of the course.

I arrived to the top of the pass at around 6:30 p.m., the sun started to set so I hurried myself down to the Hopeless aid station. I had some soup, water and thanked all the volunteers for their great effort in putting such a nice aid station in such remote location.

I ran all of the descent through the woods while the sunset took place. I carried a small handheld flashlight but didn’t want to use it unless it was absolutely necessary, I was confident in my footing and my vision in the darkened forest.

At some point I reached Chalita, who was having a psychological down and slowed his pace considerably. We exchanged some words but I was so into my pace that couldn’t slow down to have a conversation. I offered some words of encouragement and continued my way out of the forest.

Crossing the river at 8 p.m. didn’t feel as good as the first time, but I was relieved to know that I had a dry pair of shoes waiting for me at the Twin Lakes aid station. I finally used my flashlight to go across the meadow and reached the aid station while a thunderstorm passed by in the distant Eastern horizon.

Twin Lakes to Halfmoon – 60.5 to 69.5 miles (8:51 p.m. – 11:42 p.m.): At Twin Lakes I prepared for the all-night run ahead: changed to long sleeves and lycras, taped a small blister in one of my toes, changed socks and shoes, grabbed my headlamp and rain jacket, had some food for dinner and refilled the water bladder.

In the meantime, Chalita arrived to the aid station with a tired look in his face. I tried to cheer him up so he could put himself together and get out of that state. After checking that I had all the necessary stuff to continue, I headed out into the forest darkness with almost an hour of cushion before the cut-off time.

The slight climb into the Colorado Trail was good enough to get my body warm after some minutes. I moved as fast as I could through all of that section, being careful of not getting out of the course. After a couple of hours of hiking, jogging and chatting with fellow runners I arrived to the Halfmoon aid station.

Halfmoon to Fish Hatchery – 69.5 to 76.5 miles (11:42 p.m. – 2:03 a.m.): I had a little more fruit and food at Halfmoon while I seated for a bit. I was feeling really well but the thought of the exhausting paved road to Fish Hatchery haunted me. Chalita appeared 10 minutes later, he was totally renewed with a fresh look in his face. That change of shoes at Twin Lakes was crucial for him.

I was happy to see my friend back on the game. We decided to continue together for the rest of the race, then left the aid station with a little more than 1 hour before the cut-off. We hiked and jogged most of the dirt road till reaching the dreaded paved road. From there we walked as fast a we could till getting to Fish Hatchery.

Fish Hatchery to MayQueen – 76.5 to 86.5 miles (2:03 a.m. – 5:52 a.m.): We entered the aid station with great relief after leaving behind the awful paved road. Cinthia and Rubén had been resting there for some time. Cinthia developed some problems with fluids during the last miles and she wasn’t able to retain any food as well. After evaluating their situation, they opted to drop out of the race for the sake of health. A wise decision. Chalita and I said goodbye to them and left the aid station 1 hour before the cut-off.

Once back on the road, we made a quick stop to tape a big blister in Chalita’s foot, then continued our way to the climb up the powerline to Sugarloaf Mountain’s top. The sky was clear again and we were able to enjoy the beautiful night while we passed runners along the way. We felt motivated and had a strong pace up the mountain. After reaching the top, we started a quick descent to Hagerman Pass Road and the MayQueen aid station. We arrived there with less than 45 minutes to spend.

MayQueen to Finish – 86.5 to 100 miles (5:52 a.m. – 9:19:57 a.m.): MayQueen was our last stop before the finish line. We went through it as fast as possible, after getting water for the last miles and putting some food into our mouths. We left the place with a little more than half hour before the cut-off, dawn had just started and we couldn’t afford wasting more time.

We power-walked and jogged as much as we could along Turquoise Lake’s shore. The views continued to be amazing and the feeling of being so close to the finish line pushed us through the trail ahead. At some point I felt like I had no more time to waste and shouted Chalita to hurry up. I started to run again.

I ran out of the lake shore and joined the dirt road that goes back to Leadville. “Still a couple of miles to go…”, I thought. I moved as fast as I could, turning back from time to time to see if Chalita was somewhere near. No signs of him. I continued my way up the road, confident that he would make it to the finish line, no matter what. I ran, and jogged, and walked, and ran some more. Closing the gap between me and the red carpet.

Eventually, I stepped onto Leadville’s streets. People yelled and cheered me up. I was feeling great and continued to run all along the street. I focused on enjoying the moment, those last minutes of struggle.

500… 200… 100… 50… 20… 10 meters… The long red carpet and the finish line. I made it. After 29 hours, 19 minutes and 57 seconds of being on the run, I had to stop. This time for good. I felt at peace, very alive and lucid. I received my finisher medal and a big hug. I was grateful.

I weighted 188 pounds (85.2 kilograms) at the post-race medical check-in. I felt well and was invited to eat and rehydrate in the tent, then I headed to the hostel.

On my way up the street I met Vicente, Rubén and Luis. They congratulated me for my finish. I was informed that Luis ran a great race after all, he finished in 20:47:33, 12th place overall and 2nd place in his class. Vicente bailed out from the race at the turn-around in Winfield, being a very experienced distance road runner he felt out of his element on the steep trails. Nevertheless, we congratulated each other for the effort.

We returned to the finish line to see if Chalita had already arrived. He was there, sitting on a chair, with a huge sincere grin on his face, drinking a can of Coke. He finished in 29:37:24. I congratulated him, we shook hands and smiled to each other.

After taking a well deserved shower, we went to the awards ceremony. We received our buckles and a great sweatshirt. We picked up our drop bags from the finish line and headed for lunch. We enjoyed a couple of beers and some giant burgers at the famous Leadville saloon. Everything was joy and laughter. We had a long post-lunch nap, then dinner and more sleep till Monday.

The rest of the trip was absolute fun by itself. Chalita was so sore that he could barely move, I wasn’t so bad at all so I could make fun of him. Cinthia, Rubén, Chalita and myself left Leadville in the morning, leaving Vicente and Luis who departed to Boulder in the afternoon. We drove back to Denver to catch our flight back to Houston, then another one to Mexico City.

We arrived here at 9:15 p.m. and quickly went through the immigration process. Odi and Beto were waiting for me at the arrivals hall, I was more than happy to see them. I said goodbye to my running friends while they reunited with their families. Beto dropped Odi and me at my place, where I picked up my car and headed to my parents’ place. The rest of the evening was spent talking about the wonderful experience while we enjoyed a celebratory cake.

Once at Odi’s place, she gave me a little notebook with congratulation notes from my closest friends, our families and herself. That was the best award/gift one can get after running 100 miles: little, meaningful writings from your beloved ones. I cried like a baby. No medals or buckles could be as valuable as that little notebook. Odi gave me a big hug before I went back home. I felt complete, I was at home