Leadville 100 with Lea Mulligan

Wow, it somehow took me two months to have the bandwidth and time to fully process my experience in Leadville enough to put it into paragraph form as opposed to a bunch of thoughts jostling around in my head. Racing 100 miles is an endeavor in itself, but Leadville was more than just a race to me. It was dedicating over a month to intimately getting to know the town, training at 10,000 ft, and embracing the process of going 100% into training in every way in a new chapter of my life. It was changing myself as an athlete in the ways I approach ultras, and I learned a lot about how I want to pour into this sport going forward to future events.

Leadville 100 itself is such a special race, and I would encourage everyone who has ever thought of giving it a shot to attempt to experience at least a part of the Leadville race series. One of the main reasons my coach, David Roche, encouraged me to go for Leadville was because of the hometown feeling of the race. All of my favorite races are deeply rooted in community and Leadville manages to embody that welcoming feeling while still being a competitive, well known event. The entire town was immensely welcoming throughout the entire experience, and I’ve never gotten more joy from an aid station than from the volunteers (and burros) up on Hope Pass cheering on the runners from 12,000 ft.

The real journey to Leadville 100 felt like it began when Mike and I moved into a tiny house right outside of downtown Leadville a month out from the race. Every morning, I could wake up and look out over the race course ranging from downtown to the Powerline climb to the majestic wilderness area below Mt. Massive and Mt. Elbert. It helped stoke the motivation for heading out for daily runs and visualizing an exciting race day.

The week that stands out in my mind as a key piece of the training block was a 90 mile week based all above 10,000 ft. It was an entirely aerobic focused week, so I got to spend time exploring the entire area around Leadville at an easy/moderate effort without spending too much time focusing on terrain that fit a certain workout. It was a special thing to intimately get to wander behind town towards Mosquito Pass, through various Colorado Trail sections, and around Twin Lakes.

One of the highlights of that week was getting to share a moment on Powerline with Kate Courtney as we both went up the climb. There was about 30 seconds of my moderate effort that matched her relaxed climbing pace on the bike, and we got to share a brief “you’re doing great!” She went on to crush the mountain bike race, and it was a fun moment to share as two of many individuals going after big goals in Leadville in 2025.

Fast forward to race week, and I’ve never been so happy to see my friends! Training in Leadville was a special experience, but it was also a solitary one for most of the month. I had my own training routine and put in a month of predominately solo miles. The joy and enthusiasm my friends brought from TN to Leadville truly made the experience, and they’ll never know how much I appreciate them being out there for the event.

In the past, I’ve had some really anxious days leading up to events, but we kept it fun with pizza dinners, a spa night (shoutout to all the guys in the crew painting their nails to match my kit), and swimming in Twin Lakes. The real nerves didn’t hit until the night before the race when I laid awake at midnight thinking through every aspect of the race. Athletes I coach ask me all the time about how much sleep impacts race performance, and this experience reinforced my belief that banking sleep the week before an event matters so much more than the night before. With the 4 am start, I managed to sleep maybe 30 minutes before the start of Leadville 100 and never felt like the slack of sleep impacted my race experience.

Luckily, my crew showed up right at 3 am and helped to dissipate some of the nerves. I tried to choke down some yogurt and toast for breakfast, but the early hour and nervous energy kept me from being able to eat anything. Last minute, I took down a SIS Beta gel and was ready to rock ‘n roll for the day. It turns out that averaging about 20 gels a week for the entire summer helped my body get ready to process them in any environment.

Leadville’s start line is really unique in that it feels like the entire town comes out to cheer on runners at the crack of down. Spectators lined the road for the first 3 miles of the course, and the energy in the air was electric. One of the highlights of my whole day was another SWAP athlete, Katie Asmuth, pulling me up the front of the start line and saying “women belong at the front.” It was a powerful moment to share with her that set the tone for a really cool day for the ladies overall at Leadville.

Once the race started, I charged out with Katie and Anne Flower for the first mile. When my watch clicked over to reflect 6:20 for the first mile, I started to question our aggressive start. I hadn’t realized we were going quite so fast and felt really relaxed running into the darkness with them. Knowing my fitness and game-plan for the day, I pulled back the pace a little to settle into my own rhythm. Going into the race with a podium finish as the goal, it was a bit nerve wracking to let them go, but I went into the event with the intention of having my own day and not focusing on position too much until past the 100K point.

After running up Powerline with intention during training, I had that section of the course as a first checkmark in my mind. I was determined to run every step of the climb and was stoked to sync up with Imogen Ainsworth (2nd place finisher) to work the body of the ascent. At that point, there were a lot of women running really close together, and we all got to soak in an epic sunrise at the top of the Powerline climb together.

One of the most wonderful pieces of this sport is the true camaraderie between competitors. Every single woman I ran with throughout the day was so kind and encouraging, and I was truly happy for every person who passed me throughout the day. Each individual is out there having their own roller coaster journey through suffering and joy, and it creates an unmatched atmosphere of kinship and stoke for each other.

Mile 25 was my first low point of the day, and I really fought to keep my mindset positive in that moment. The best advice I received before the race was that it was likely that I was going to have low moments in this long of an event at altitude and that keeping relentless forward progress was the best solution to those issues. Stopping to attempt to solve issues caused by altitude is often unhelpful since you’re still above the altitude of 10,000 ft.

Another really key piece to my race was making sure I was taking gels and liquids consistently every 30 minutes regardless of stomach cramping or lethargic energy. I ranged from approximately 60-90 grams of carbs per hour with SIS Beta Gels, Maurten and Precision Caffeinated gels, and Skratch High Carb mix. 100 mg of caffeine every other hour was really helpful in combatting the heavy head feeling that often comes alongside racing hard at altitude.

After working through my low patch at mile 25, I really enjoyed the long descent from the base of Mt. Evans into Twin Lakes Aid Station. The energy of Twin Lakes was unreal with the incredible crowds and unbeatable help from the La Sportiva team and my friends. I wiped off with a cool towel, grabbed some extra gels for the long, un-crewed section ahead, and set off towards the long climb up Hope Pass.

 Instead of being intimidated by the ascent, I was looking forward to a change of rhythm after the relentlessly runnable sections of terrain on the earlier parts of the course. One of the most special parts of Hope Pass to me is that the bottom of the climb resembles parts of Eastern Appalachia. Technical roots and rocks encompass the trail alongside evergreen trees and a gently flowing creek. It embodied a moment of peace in the race to me in an otherwise fairly foreign environment. I kept a steady power hike up the entirety of Hope Pass and got a burst of energy from seeing the majestic Burros standing at the top of the pass cheering on runners as volunteers passed out Skratch drink mix and Never Second Gels. I quickly snagged a bonus caffeinated gel and tried to switch my mindset into preparing to bomb down the steep far side of Hope Pass.

A huge goal going up Hope Pass was to be going down the descent before David got to the top of the pass the 2nd time, and I was thrilled to pass him coming back up as I hurtled down the trail. We exchanged a brief “you’re amazing!” and kept going on our individual journeys. This point in the race is particularly unique in the out ‘n back format because you start to see other runners coming towards you. It was so inspirational getting to see all of the top men and women already returning from Winfield Aid. Anne Flower and Katie Asmuth were both particularly enthusiastic and kind as they started their return journeys back towards town.

My lowest point in the race was returning from Winfield back up to Hope Pass. This climb involves approximately three miles with 1,000 ft. of gain in each mile back to above 12,000 ft. It’s the 2nd time runners reach the high point of the course, and for me, the first time I truly felt anxious about the effects of altitude on my body. As an extremely social person, I was so excited to say hello and exchange encouragement with all the runners coming down from Hope Pass. Unfortunately, I think that used up a bit too much oxygen, and I got really nerve-wrackingly dizzy half way up the climb. I felt like I was moving at a snail’s pace putting one foot in front of the other and shifting gears to focus on surviving the climb instead of moving up in position in the race.

It’s wild how one moment at altitude you can feel like your race is completely over and the next moment, everything can come back together as if you never felt bad. I crested the top of Hope Pass, started back towards the Burros, and everything somehow clicked again. I’m not sure if it was a mental flip, the lowered HR from going downhill, or the descent down from 12,000 ft, but I felt like I was on top of the world by the time I got back to Twin Lakes.

The return to Twin Lakes at the 100K mark is a nice checkmark in the race because you get to pick up pacers. This is particularly nice at Leadville because your pacers are able to “mule” for you, a term which means carrying all of your gear. My friend Charlie was my first pacer and was the absolute MVP for keeping me dialed in with nutrition and hydration. Every 10-20 minutes he’d ask me if I needed electrolytes, water, or another gel. I wasn’t the most talkative in this section, but he kept me distracted with stories of the trip and shared memories of other trail adventures in the past. After being a big part of my first 100 journey at Pinhoti 100, it was really special to get to share those miles with him at Leadville too.

At Half Pipe, my friend Will picked me up from Charlie to get through the road section and massive Powerline climb before the final sections of the race. The pacing section with Will was truly the highlight of the entire day. It was filled with a lot of ups and downs, but it was truly memorable. We came upon Katie Asmuth on the road section between Half Pipe and Outward Bound and ended up passing her into 3rd place position in the race. Katie was truly the most inspirational person out there running her own race, pushing hard, and combatting some really hard GI distress. Despite not feeling good, she was so incredibly encouraging to me, and I hope she knows how much that meant to me.

At that point, I didn’t realize I’d moved into 3rd place until Will told me, and I got a complete burst of adrenaline. The next few road miles went by in a blur as I turned on some music, and Will and I started singing along to some of our favorite songs as the sun started slowly setting, a rainbow appeared, and everything felt right in the world for that tiny instance in time.

Of course, that was when the wheels started coming off, and I hit some of the hardest miles of the day. The return up to 11,000 ft. really got me on the return climb up Powerline, and I couldn’t combat the nausea. I spent that entire section of the race trying to hike uphill while simultaneously vomiting. Let me tell you, it works better than it should if you try to keep moving and dry heaving at the same time. That section felt like time was moving through sludge, and even the space aid station on top of the climb couldn’t make me smile.

Similarly to Hope Pass, I felt better on the descent and tried to bomb down towards Mayfield Aid Station as well as I could. The smooth road felt great, but the rocky CT section of trail jostled my stomach, and I had to take a few more moments to pause and puke on the side of the trail. Coming into the Mayqueen Aid Station with a little less than a half marathon to go in the race was a huge relief, and Will passed me off to the final miles with my husband, Mike.

The final miles passed in a blur of dry heaving, attempted flow on the rolling terrain around Turquoise lake, and a grim determination to stay in 3rd place until the end of the race. It’s a unique thing to run in the final piece of 100 miles with your partner because you can be your true, stripped down self in those moments. Mike got to witness the full depth of the suffering, the determination, and the true span of emotions from the entire day. I’m so appreciative that I get to have a life partner who truly knows me in that specific vulnerable way.

It wasn’t until I could see the finish line in the distance that I truly let myself begin to celebrate the day. I found some tiny, hidden reserves of energy left to spring towards the finish line (always do your strides) and crossed in 20:39:04, 3rd place, and one of the top 20 fastest times in history. It felt absolutely surreal. My crew, the La Sportiva team, and my family were all at the finish line, and it meant the world to me to soak up that moment with them all. Years ago, my mom and I had stared up at the mountains of Leadville as I dreamed of possibly trying the race one day. In that moment, I’d completed that dream, and she was there to share that moment with me and all the people that I love.

To my crew, it absolutely wouldn’t have been as memorable or as joyful without each and every member of the crew being a part of the experience. All my humans brought such a deep level of stoke and excitement to the day, and I’m so appreciative of their friendship. To the La Sportiva crew, the Prodigio Pro kept me comfortable all day, the cheering and support at aid was unmatched, and I’m so thankful to work with such truly, quality people! To the Leadville Race Series, the town and community truly knows how to put on a world class event.

Leadville 100 left its mark on me and also stoked my drive to continue to grow in this sport. I ran among the ghosts of people I’ve looked up to in this sport for years, and I want to continue putting myself in the position to chase those people, these 100 mile events, and the feeling of pushing to the edge of what feels possible. This sport is scary, painful, and absurdly human, and that’s what makes it all worth it. The low moments, the beautiful moments, and everything in between create memories that I’ll cherish for my whole life.