Ian Sharman runs with his pacer as he makes his final loop around Turquoise Lake en route to his second title during the Leadville 100 on Saturday, August 22, 2015. (AAron Ontiveroz, The Denver Post)
Ian Sharman, the British-born ultrarunner who now resides in Bend, Ore., , one of the most well-known and popular ultras in the world. Sharman, who is sponsored by AltraRunning, was wearing a Garmin Forerunner 920XT GPS device while racing the out-and-back course. to , the popular app and website that allows cyclists and runners to track their athletic activity using either a phone or, as in this case, another GPS device.
Note that the activity only adds up to 97.5 miles (the course is 100 miles). Discrepancies can happen for various reasons — cloud cover, measurement from a specific device, starting and stopping the watch for some reason. Still, they provide interesting insight .
- Sharman’s first mile was his fastest. in 6 minutes, 39 seconds. This probably isn’t surprising — excitement, anticipation of running with 650 people all at once can do that (he also dropped 146 feet in elevation).
- He gained nearly , burned , and averaged .
- His moving time was calculated at 16:21:39. I didn’t see Sharman until the final aid station and the finish (he was always slightly ahead of where I expected him). But most stop briefly at aid stations to refuel and change shoes or shirts and clothes to keep them fresh.
- at the 53rd mile. In that span, when he was ascending for the second time, en route to Leadville again, he was also only averaging 122 steps per minute.
- He set Strava course records from the start of the Leadville 100 at Sixth and Harrison to Mayqueen aid station — a 12.6-mile trek in which he averaged 8:05 per mile.
- On the , a 1,390-foot at an 8 percent grade over 3.1-miles, he set a Strava course record in 42:03.
- The middle 25 percent of his race to the halfway point was completed in 4:25. The halfway point to the 75 percent mark was completed slightly faster, in 4:21:21. Again, that data is based on his running 97.5 miles.
- In the final 13.5 miles, he slowed compared to his previous attempts, setting his third-best times in Strava for most segments. He told The Denver Post after the last aid station — May queen Inbound — that he started feeling dizzy and weak before recovering. He also didn’t face much pressure in that final stretch. By then, the course record from Matt Carpenter was out of reach, and he had more than an hour advantage over second place.
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