The Leadville 100 Trail Run is one of the oldest and most challenging 100-mile races in the United States. Founded in 1983 in the hopes of reviving Leadville’s faltering economy, the race now draws hundreds of intrepid ultrarunners and their supporters to our hometown every August. While many HMI faculty, staff, and alumni have completed this legendary achievement over the years, HMI has never before taken on a formal role in supporting the race and its runners. This year, HMI secured a spot as the host organization for one of the six aid stations and we put out the word to alumni and friends to join us as race volunteers.
Since the Leadville 100 is an out-and-back course, we needed to staff the aid station for two shifts representing miles 24 and 76 of the race. The morning started off quietly, but the aid station soon began to buzz with activity. Since the runners were still fresh and “only one marathon” into the race, they arrived in high spirits and larger packs. About 700 runners attempted this race this year, most of whom were still in the race at this point. By the cutoff time of 10am the next morning, but only about 50% had finished.
After the final outbound runners cleared our aid station, we experienced a lull for a few hours before the fastest inbound runners passed through, headed in the opposite direction. Word had reached us that the frontrunner David Roche was setting a blazing-fast pace–on track to break his own 2024 course record. Sure enough, around 3:30pm, Roche sped through our aid station, barely stopping to refuel. Not long after, female frontrunner Anne Flower cruised by, seemingly unphased by the 76 miles and thousands of feet of climbing already behind her. Both Roche and Flower would go on to set new course records this year–Flower breaking a record that had stood for 31 years.
As the light started to wane, more and more runners passed through our aid station. The temperature plummeted and our ramen, broth, and hot chocolate were in high demand. The true aid station heroes were the night shift volunteers which included shift captain Parker Watson (Semester 22 alum) and the Semester 55 apprentices, fresh off the HMI staff training trip. These fine folks supported the most desperate runners who were battling frigid temperatures and struggling to beat the 3am cutoff at our aid station. Our team stuck it out until the final runner was accounted for, and finally called it a night around 4am.
Shoutout to our alumni volunteers!
All in all, sponsoring the Leadville 100 aid station was a huge success. We hope to make it an annual tradition that gives our alumni community a fun and meaningful excuse to return to Leadville. So mark your calendars for next year: August 15-16, 2026!
