There are race destinations… and then there’s Leadville, Colorado — a town perched at 10,152 feet above sea level, where the air gets thin, the trails get steep, and grit becomes more than a slogan. It becomes your fuel.
Welcome to the Leadville Race Series — a lineup of endurance events that call to runners and cyclists from all over the world. Not because it’s easy. But because it isn’t.
And that’s exactly the point.
Where the Mountains Ask More of You
Leadville doesn’t whisper.
It looks you in the eye and says:
“You’re tougher than you think, and you can do more than you know.”
You feel that truth in your lungs from the first breath.
In your legs on the first climb.
In your mindset somewhere around mile… well… all of them.
The terrain is rugged.
The air is thin.
The community is strong.
And somehow the combination changes you.
The Races That Shape the Season
The Leadville Race Series isn’t one event — it’s a summer-long celebration of endurance:
🏃 Leadville Trail 100 Run – the legendary “Race Across the Sky”
🚵 Leadville Trail 100 MTB – a 100-mile mountain bike suffer-fest (with views worth every pedal stroke)
🔥 Silver Rush 50 Run & MTB – fierce, beautiful, and humbling
🏔 Leadville Trail Marathon & Heavy Half – steep, gritty, unforgettable
👟 Leadville 10K – proof that altitude makes even short miles count
Every race begins above 10,000 feet.
Every race demands respect.
And every race reminds you that courage doesn’t live in comfort.
It lives in forward motion.
Why I Keep Coming Back
This year marks my third year racing in Leadville — and for the first time, I’m stepping up from the Heavy Half to the full Marathon.
I don’t come back because it’s easy.
I come back because Leadville always shows me something about myself:
🌄 how calm I can be in hard moments
💪 how persistent my body can be
🩸 how closely I can listen to what I need
💚 how strong compassion + discipline can be together
As The Fed Diabetic Runner, racing here means blood sugar planning, fueling intention, layered preparation, and a whole lot of grace.
And somehow, that only deepens the experience.
Because Leadville honors effort — not perfection.
A Town Built on Resilience
Leadville has lived hardship and revival.
Miners once dug deep beneath these mountains for survival.
Today, athletes dig deep inside themselves for strength.
And the spirit is the same:
Work hard.
Show up.
Keep going.
The town embraces the race community with warmth, cowbells, and late-night cheering that feels like family. Aid stations aren’t just tables — they are small pockets of hope where volunteers refill bottles… and spirits.
What Makes Leadville Different
Yes, it’s high.
Yes, it’s hard.
Yes, you’ll question your life choices mid-climb.
But you’ll also:
✨ laugh with strangers
✨ cry happy tears
✨ feel fully alive
✨ stand at finish lines that feel like rebirth
And once you run here, the mountains stay with you.
You don’t conquer them.
You learn from them.
This Post Is the Beginning
This introduction is the first entry in my Leadville Journal Series, where I’ll share:
📖 family history rooted in Leadville
🌄 reflections from the trails
🩸 fueling + diabetes insights
🏃 race preparation + courage lessons
Because Leadville isn’t just where I race.
It’s where my story deepens.
It’s where my ancestors once stood.
It’s where I keep learning who I am — breath by breath, mile by mile.
And I can’t wait to bring you along.
Here’s to grit.
Here’s to altitude.
Here’s to believing we can do hard things — with compassion for our bodies every step of the way.
💚
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