Leadville Trail 100
The 'Race Across the Sky' — 100 miles above 9,200ft in Colorado, up to 12,600ft at Hope Pass. What to consider for altitude, heat-to-cold swings, and pacing.
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Race conditions
Distance: 100 miles out-and-back, Leadville, CO.
Elevation: ~15,600 ft climb. Start 9,200 ft, high point 12,600 ft (Hope Pass).
Cutoff: 30 hours.
Conditions: big altitude, big temperature swings, strictly enforced cutoffs.
Known requirements (official)
- • Hydration capacity for high altitude + sun exposure
- • Headlamp for night
- • Layering for cold nights at altitude
- • An explicit electrolyte plan
Always confirm against the current official race manual, rules change year to year.
What to consider: what’s worked for others
Hope Pass is the crux — respect it
The double-crossing of 12,600 ft Hope Pass is where Leadville is won and lost. Acclimatize, and pace conservatively so you arrive at Winfield with something left.
Plan for sun and freezing nights
Afternoon thunderstorms and near-freezing 3 a.m. descents both happen. A light packable layer and sun protection (hat, sleeves, sunscreen) are both essential.
The cutoffs are real
Leadville's 30-hour overall cutoff and intermediate cutoffs are strictly enforced. Many finishers target a sub-25-hour buffer. Know the timing at Mayqueen and Winfield.
This curated section summarizes publicly available, legitimately sourced content, race-official requirements, finisher interviews, published gear lists, and race-report blogs. It is framed as “what to consider,” not as a statistic.
No field reports yet for Leadville Trail 100.
When finishers contribute, we’ll show counts here, never “X% recommend” claims until the sample is genuinely credible and disclosed.
Community field reports
Below are firsthand gear reports from runners who've toed the line. We publish counts, not 'X% recommend' claims, until the sample is credible.
No field reports yet for Leadville Trail 100
If you’ve run it, share what you carried and how it held up.
Race-day tips & hacks
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