Leadville, CO · August
Leadville 100 Training Plan
What the Leadville Trail 100 Run asks of your training, and how to build for it. The coach writes the 100-mile plan around the course, the climb, and the fitness you have now.
- Distances
- 100 miles
- Course
- Hilly
- Usually held
- Each August
The Leadville 100 course
An out-and-back at altitude that never drops below about 9,200 feet and crosses Hope Pass at roughly 12,600 twice. Close to 100 miles with about 15,500 feet of climbing on mixed trail and dirt road, and a 30-hour cutoff. The double crossing of Hope Pass, the second one in the dark and deep into the race, is the defining feature and the point where most of the field's day is decided.
Weather on race day
August in the Colorado Rockies means freezing starts, strong sun at altitude by midday, afternoon thunderstorms that arrive without much warning, and a genuinely cold second night. You will need layers you carry for hours without using.
What to train for
Altitude and power hiking. Nobody runs Hope Pass, so sustained uphill hiking at effort is a trained skill here, not a fallback. If you live at sea level, plan the acclimation window seriously, and build long back-to-back weekends that put real vertical under tired legs.
Registration and official details: Leadville 100 official site
Leadville 100 training questions
How long should I train for the Leadville 100?
Most runners give a 100-mile race twenty to twenty-four weeks of focused training on top of a season of consistent aerobic mileage. The coach counts back from your actual race date, so if you have less time than that it builds the best plan the remaining weeks allow rather than pretending you have longer.
Is the Leadville 100 course hilly?
Hilly. An out-and-back at altitude that never drops below about 9,200 feet and crosses Hope Pass at roughly 12,600 twice. Close to 100 miles with about 15,500 feet of climbing on mixed trail and dirt road, and a 30-hour cutoff. The double crossing of Hope Pass, the second one in the dark and deep into the race, is the defining feature and the point where most of the field's day is decided.
What is the weather usually like at the Leadville 100?
August in the Colorado Rockies means freezing starts, strong sun at altitude by midday, afternoon thunderstorms that arrive without much warning, and a genuinely cold second night. You will need layers you carry for hours without using.
Do I need an account to get a Leadville 100 training plan?
For this one, yes. The instant browser builder stops at the marathon, so an ultra plan comes from the coach itself, which needs a free account. Still no card, and the plan adapts as you log the training.
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