Leadville Trail 100

Book excerpt: The history of the Leadville Trail 100 Mile Running Race was a story waiting to be told. This legendary race, founded in 1983, has attracted Tarahumara runners from Copper Canyon, Mexico, world champion athletes such as Ann Trason and ultra-marathoners from around the world to run along rocky forest trails, through swiftly flowing streams as well as climbing a majestic 12,600 foot mountain pass in their quest to become a race champion or simply finish this grueling race. How did the creative genius of Jim Butera lead him to Leadville, a remote mining town in the Colorado Rockies, to create the Leadville Trail 100 mile running race? What transpired to make this 100-mile race the premier high altitude running event in North America? The history, stories and facts of the Leadville Trail 100 are contained in this book, as seen through the eyes of those who have been there and run upon those magical trails. Listen to stories by Frank Shorter, Marshall Ulrich, Ann Trason, Bill Finkbeiner, Tom Sobal, Tony Post, the two authors and many others who have run upon those magical trails. Learn about the history of the race with detailed descriptions about every race, championship runs, tales from the trail, training trips on how to finish the race or even win the race, detailed course descriptions, a running cult called Divine Madness Ultra Club, the legendary Tarahumara runners from Mexico, year by year finishing results and so much more. There is no other 100-mile race on the planet having a more storied legacy as rich and vivid as the Leadville Trail 100. Settle down into a comfortable chair while opening your mind to learn how reality and previously untold stories destroy myths and untruths about the Leadville Trail 100, along with thirty-six years of amazing race history, great antidotes and maybe a twinge or two of nostalgia in reliving glory days from the past and infinite hope for future races.