The granddaddy of all ultramarathon sufferfests returns to the Leadville skyline for the 27th year Saturday at 4 a.m.
From there, endurance addicts have 30 hours to complete the so-called “Race Across the Sky,” running the 50-mile out-and-back trail starting at 10,200 feet before dipping down to 9,200 feet and back up to 12,620 feet. That equates to some 15,600 feet of climbing and descending over aptly named Hope Pass.
Matt Carpenter of Manitou Springs set the course record of 15 hours, 42 minutes in 2005 and still may be the only person to finish the race before sunset. He received the lauded Leadville ore cart trophy for his efforts. The other finishers — roughly half the expected field of 600 — go home with a belt buckle, a hooded sweat shirt and a pair of barking dogs.
Visit: www.leadvilletrail100.com or America’s highest incorporated city on Highway 24 (Colorado 91) south of Copper Mountain Resort.
