Hope Pass and marathon course

Since I haven’t written for a while, I thought now would be a good time for a few updates.  Since the double-crossing of the Grand Canyon, I took it easy to recover for a little bit.  Now I’m back in full training mode and getting more stoked than ever about the 100-mile journey at the end of the summer. 

            Two weeks ago, the summit of Hope Pass finally was clear of snow, so a couple friends and I headed up to Leadville to run the part of the course that traverses the pass.  Hope Pass is where a lot of people’s Leadville dreams die.  During the 100-mile race, you approach the base at mile 40, then climb up 3,000 ft over a few miles, followed immediately by a steep decent 3,000 ft down the backside where the 50-mile aid station waits.  At this aid station, you are allowed to pick up a pacer for the first time.  Your pacer is the person responsible for making sure you keep drinking and eating and moving forward when you feel like you want to collapse on the side of the trail.  Armed with mantras, music and corny jokes, the pacer can be an invaluable tool to get you to the finish.  That being said, they will also have to put up with all your complaining and anguish, so it’s important to pick people who will be able to handle you, perhaps in your darkest hour.  The backside of Hope Pass is the perfect place to pick up a pacer because the next 10 miles of the race you have to go BACK up and over the pass again, even steeper on the climbs this time.  This is where most people drop out of the race, typically because they cannot make it back over the pass in the time allotted.  Race director Ken Clouber said it best; “Hope Pass is a son of a bitch on a good day”.

            To learn more about the pass, I decided it would be a good idea to climb it so I had an idea of what I would be in for in August.  The trail leading to Hope Pass begins in a swampy field and typically racers have to cross a small stream before you begin climbing up.  What we didn’t know is that the small stream is August is a raging river in June from all the snowmelt coming off the mountain in front of us.  After a couple failed attempts at crossing, I eventually found a spot to gently hurl my hydration pack and gear across the river and fight my way across the waist deep freezing water.  Now 1-mile into the trek, wet and cold, I headed towards the trees to get moving up the hill.  I hiked through the trees at a good pace, then kept going up past the tree line, at which point I started huffing and puffing a little harder, but still feeling good for being at 12,000 ft.  A short while later I summited, then bombed down the backside thinking to myself “that wasn’t so bad”.  I ate my words as soon as I began the ascent back.  The backside was lighting my calves on fire and I don’t think my heel touched the ground for about a mile.  Up and up and up.  Imagining going up this hill with 50 miles on my legs made me shudder a little.  After a second summit, I headed back down towards the car, what would be mile 60 of the race.  I learned a lot about this part of the course and I’m hoping to run Hope at least once or twice more this summer before the 100.

Distance: 18 mi

Elevation Gain: 6,100 ft

Time: ~7:00

View from the top of Hope.  In the upper right of the picture you can see the town of Leadville.

Backside of Hope Pass

            Since the snow has made it hard to get a lot of high-altitude training this year, I headed back to Leadville the following weekend to run 17 of the 26.2 miles of the marathon course.  Believe it or not, the Leadville marathon last year was my first marathon and the longest distance I’ve run up to that point in my life.  This weekend celebrates my 1-year anniversary of that race and I’m planning to cut 1 hour off my time from last year (6:23).  Although this time is far from respectable for a road marathon or qualifying for Boston, the Leadville marathon course is one of the toughest in the nation because of the rugged terrain and the 13,100 ft mountain you have to climb in the middle of the race.  To compare this race to the Boston marathon would be like comparing the taste of lobster to skittles.  The toughest part of the race, just like the 100, is a 3,000 ft climb to the top of Mosquito Pass.  Last year when I ran it, all I remember is pain and misery as I was going up and it seemed like it would never end.  Last weekend, though, I felt like I was flying up the pass.  Maybe I’m in better shape now, maybe it was just relative to Hope Pass the previous weekend.  Either way, it made me really excited for the marathon coming up this weekend.

Distance: 17.7 mi

Elevation Gain: 3,600 ft

Time: 3:30

For most runners, the marathon distance is the zenith of running as a sport.  There are thousands of training plans out there and everyone has their own formula for success.  Finishing my marathon a year ago was one of the greatest accomplishments of my life.  I was building up to it for months and was completely exhausted by the time I finished.  Going into the race this year, my mentality is very different.  I understand and respect the distance much more than I did last year.  I know what fuel my body needs and how to mentally engage myself in my running.  Last year I just wanted to finish, but this year I want to finish fast.  The course is tough and I’m anxious to see the difference one year of training can make. 

Marathon elevation profile