On Saturday, August 17, 2024, historical past was made on the Leadville 100 Mile. Path runner and coach David Roche broke one of many sport’s historic course information by ending in 15:26:34, resetting the document by greater than 16 minutes.
The prior document was set in 2005 by mountain working legend Matt Carpenter at 15:42:59. Carpenter’s was an effort that might greatest be known as calculated, honed from a number of years of racing Leadville and a whole lot of hours of coaching on the course. Carpenter extremely particulars his 2005 effort on his web site. Carpenter’s was a document that many runners aspired to, however none might beat — till David Roche ran the 2024 version.
David Roche profitable the 2024 Leadville 100 Mile and setting a brand new course document. Picture: Leadville Race Sequence
The course has modified a small quantity in a number of spots within the interim 19 years since Carpenter set his document. Nonetheless, most Leadville specialists would name the present course a bit of longer and more durable than in 2005. Usually talking, the Leadville 100 Mile course runs on an out-and-back route described as largely runnable, with a few huge climbs, together with the double crossing of the excessive level at Hope Move, and a number of other different punchy climbs. All this takes place at excessive altitude, with the beginning and end in downtown Leadville, Colorado, at over 10,000 ft.
Roche, with greater than a decade of success in shorter-distance path racing expertise, began the 2024 race as a 100-mile rookie. Like most years at Leadville, the lead males, together with Roche, ran at or beneath course document tempo from the beginning. In most years, contenders have slowed in comparison with document tempo, beginning across the 50-mile level, or in some thrilling years, after round 60 miles in. However not Roche, who categorically caught the touchdown on this race, sustaining a great pad on track document tempo till he ran throughout the pink carpet of the Leadville 100 Mile end line.
Right here, we evaluate Roche’s versus Carpenter’s splits:
- At Could Queen 1 (mile 12.6), Roche got here via in 1:31:34, whereas Carpenter break up this part in 1:41.
- At Outward Certain 1 (mile 23.5), Roche was via in 2:59:11, whereas Carpenter break up 3:07 on the previous Fish Hatchery 1 assist station, positioned a couple of mile earlier than what’s now Outward Certain 1.
- At Twin Lakes 1 (mile 37.9), Roche break up 4:51:20, whereas Carpenter handed in 5:21.
- At Winfield (mile 50), Roche ran via at 7:09:08, whereas Carpenter’s break up was 7:35.
- At Twin Lakes 2 (mile 62.5), Roche was via at 9:27:00 and Carpenter at 9:39.
- At Outward Certain 2 (mile 76.2), Roche break up 11:35:30. Carpenter’s break up on the previous Fish Hatchery 2 assist station, positioned a mile in a while the course, was 12:00.
- At Could Queen 2 (mile 87.4), Roche handed at 13:29:03, and Carpenter’s break up right here was 13:45.
This might solely be the sweetest of victories for Roche, who suffered vital accidents in a motorcycle crash in April of this 12 months however was capable of get better and put together for this race.