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The Leadville Trail 100 is THE race for Katie Lovis. Of all the events, all around the world, this is the one that speaks to her. And this month, she gets the chance to take it on.

This is a dream that’s been years in the making for Katie. Along the way she’s tasted triumph and faced adversity. And she’s become a mother, which is probably a beautiful and richly rewarding mix of the two.

She’s ready. She’s done the work, stuck to her program and - a sore foot aside - she’s excited about what lies ahead. “I’m just really, really excited and I’m trying to keep that excitement without having the nerves take over,” Katie says.

“We sign up for these things because they’re really hard… I’m just really pumped.” When she heads to the US, she won’t be going alone. They say it takes a village to achieve great things. Well it feels like Katie’s just about taking her own village to Colorado to help her. And she’ll need them all - the “Race Across the Sky” is one tough test.

The race that saved a town

So what is it that makes the Leadville Trail 100 so special? It could be that long history - it’s one of the oldest milers on the planet. Or it could be the altitude - Leadville is in the Rocky Mountains at an elevation of 10,200 feet (3,100 metres) and the race goes uphill from there.

Perhaps it’s the challenge of 18,000 feet (5,500 metres) of total elevation gain along an out-and-back course that means you have to run out over Hope Pass, 12,600 feet above sea level, then down into the town of Winfield, then turn around and do it all again, but in the opposite direction.

Or it could be the fact the race literally saved the town. And what could be more magical as a backstory than that?

Mining began in Lake County in the mid-1800s when gold was discovered at the mouth of California Gulch (I had to look it up: a gulch is a steep-sided ravine with a small stream at the bottom - bigger than a gully, smaller than a creek).

That discovery started a gold rush that saw the population of the county swell well beyond 30,000. When the gold ran out, attention switched to silver. Huge deposits of galena - an ore which consists of lead and silver, were discovered and the town grew up around them. I guess Leadville sounds better as a city name than Silverville…

By the mid-20th century the Climax mine was the main employer in the region, pulling molybdenum out of the ground. But in 1982 the mine closed, making more than 3,000 miners unemployed literally overnight. The knock-on effects on other businesses in the city, which these days has a population of just 2,600, were devastating.

Leadville was on its knees. Enter Ken Chlouber, who was one of those miners, and Merilee Maupin, whose work as a travel agent dried up when the mine shut. They knew they had to attract people to the town, and they knew to make that really pay, they had to encourage them to stay overnight.

Of all the plans they could have hatched, they settled on perhaps the least obvious - staging a 100-mile ultra marathon in the town! At a time when there was only a handful of similar races being run anywhere in the world. It was an extraordinary decision that has created an extraordinary legacy.

The first running of the Leadville Trail 100 featured 45 starters, only nine finished, and the event has grown ever since. This year, around 10 times that number will start the race.

It’s no exaggeration to say the race - which is now part of a series of races held in Leadville, including a 100k mountain bike event - saved the town. And it keeps on giving through the Leadville Trail 100 Legacy Foundation.

Maupin was interviewed as part of The Magic is Leadville documentary. She said the foundation has contributed to the city in myriad ways - funding refurbishment of soccer fields, construction of a skate park, the running of the Mining Hall of Fame, a centre for senior citizens, the county’s search and rescue unit and the establishment of the Mineral Belt Trail.

It also invests in Leadville’s youth, providing a “scholarship to every Lake County high school graduating senior. Not need-based, not grade-based. Leadville based.

“And we don’t care if they’re going to truck driving school or research university, they all get it,” she says. The race’s motto is “Grit. Guts. Determination.” It’s not hard to see where it comes from.

Despite its fearsome reputation and high attrition rate, Maupin and Chlouber believe the race should be open to everyone, not just the elites. “If you think you’re tough enough, so do we,” Maupin says.

Proper preparation

If there’s one thing Katie Lovis has in spades, it’s toughness. This is a woman who once ran more than 300 kilometres with a broken fibula, trying to become the first woman to run the Gibb River Road in remote northern WA.

But even she’s not sure what to expect when she gets to Leadville. That’s not to say she hasn’t put the work in - her preparation has been meticulously planned and executed. But for someone living and training at sea level, running 100 miles - 164 kilometres - at altitude brings with it a host of unknowns.

“I've rejigged all of my nutrition because when you're at altitude, you burn through more calories and you lose your appetite. So I'm really being diligent with force-feeding myself when I'm out on my runs,” Katie says.

She’s taken a similar approach to hydration - she expects her body will require more hydration at altitude, so that’s also been a focus. There are other things that can be done to prepare, but ultimately nothing compares with training - or just living - in the mountains.

“They do say that heat training is the poor man's altitude training. So summer here [in Brisbane] was great. I ran all through the middle of the day. I love running in the heat, so that was no issue. It was really humid,” she says.

“That was over summer and obviously we're now in winter, it's cooled right down. And those gains don't stay. I can just do the best that I can do and not get too worried about it. It will be what it will be.”

One thing Katie can control is getting miles in her legs. She’s been following a program developed by US-based coaches David and Dr Megan Roche. Probably a good choice, given David Roche broke the course record in winning Leadville in 2024.

So what does a 12-week program aimed at helping experienced runners excel over 100 miles look like? Frankly, for a back-of-the-pack runner like me, it’s scary! In that program, week 10 is the peak mileage week - 160+ kilometres in total - before a two-week taper into race day. Here’s a sneak peak at peek week:

It’s stating the obvious, but running 160 kilometres in a week takes commitment. Especially when you have to fit it in around an already full life.

“I'm going out at 3 o'clock in the morning pretty often to get the Ks done,” Katie says. “I still have to go to work, I still have to look after [eight month old son] Alex. So it takes work, but it's enjoyable work. I like it.”

She’s also focussed on strength training in the lead up, with gym work and pilates.

The course

There is nothing easy about the Leadville course. It’s an out and back course (which means you start at point A, run out half the distance, then turn around and run back to finish where you started - at point A).

The middle of the race is the killer - just before the halfway mark you have to run up and over Hope Pass, which has an elevation of 3,810 metres. To put that in context, it’s more than 1,600 metres higher than Kosciuszko. That’s serious altitude.

And because it’s just before the halfway mark, and this is an out and back course, it means you have to tackle the climb and the descent twice in quick succession. It’s the crux of the course. The obstacle that needs to be overcome.

Experienced runners say the first 40 miles of Leadville is reasonably runnable. That takes you past Turquoise Lake, through the Mayqueen aid station, along some single track to climb over Sugarloaf Pass and into the second aid station, Outward Bound, just beyond the 23 mile mark.

From there, it’s a steady grind up “Powerline”, so-called because you’re running under an overhead powerline. You go through aid station three, Half Pipe, early in the climb. Once you hit the summit at Powerline, it’s a long, steep downhill into Twin Lakes, the race’s main aid station.

This will be a chance for Katie to regroup, refuel and connect with her crew before taking on Hope Pass. She won’t see them again until she gets back to this point, and by that stage she’ll have conquered Hope Pass twice and be well on her way to finishing the race.

She’ll also be able to pick up a pacer at Twin Lakes - a person who is allowed to run with competitors partly as a safety measure, but also to keep their spirits up.

Hope Pass looks steep and long. And once you’re down the other side there is a sting in the tail with another kick up before you reach the Winfield aid station, where there is no crew access - the halfway point in the race.

Then it’s just a matter of retracing your steps. Simple!

As you’d expect, Katie has studied the course, and has a plan. And it involves starting conservatively. She’s not looking forward to the first 40 miles (and therefore the last 40 miles) because it’s relatively runnable and doesn’t play to her strengths, which lie more in single track courses.

“Funnily enough, the bit I'm most looking forward to is ‘quote-unquote’ the hardest bit. I'm most looking forward to going up and over Hope Pass. Twice. It's the highest part, but it's really cool mountain and a windy trail,” Katie says.

“I like hiking with purpose. I think it's smart… I'm looking forward to that. That to me is a real adventure. How often do you get to hike up a mountain like that at pace? I also really enjoy the problem solving,” she says.

“You've got to think about using your poles. How are you taking on your nutrition? Are you taking it on the way up? Are you drinking enough? How long is it taking because you're not getting to your crew again until you’re back over? So that bit, I'm really excited about.”

There’s also the weather to think about at the top of Hope Pass. It’s so high, it effectively has its own weather. At that altitude it’ll be cold, even if it’s been warm down in Leadville. That’s another set of problems to solve.

So how does she think she’ll go? “I believe I can go sub 24 hours. And if I really push, I believe I can get close to 20. I don't know what's going to happen with the altitude. I don't know what's going to happen, but I believe that I can do that. It's a huge ask, but I just know I've got it in there if things go okay,” Katie says.

“I want to do my best. That's the biggest thing. I want to do my best.” You can’t really ask for more than that.

Dream team

Whatever happens in Leadville, Katie won’t be tackling it alone. She is taking quite the crew with her. And as a bonus, she’s won a lottery to have a base at Twin Lakes aid station. Space is tight and many runners will be relying on their crew to bus into the aid station.

But Katie has an allocated space, which means her crew can set up at Twin Lakes to make sure she has everything she needs going into and coming out of the double take on Hope Pass. As an additional bonus for the crew, this is the party aid station where there is always something going on. Apart from the start-finish precinct, it’s the beating heart of the race.

At Twin Lakes to look after Katie will be her core team - crew chief Renee, who is a running friend of Katie’s making the trip from Australia; Kim, a strength and conditioning coach and friend from Katie’s time living in Canada who is flying down from north of the border; and Kim’s mum, who loves an outdoor adventure.

Katie’s partner Brad will also be there, but he’ll have his hands full with their son Alex, who’ll be nine months old by then. So Brad will be based with Katie’s second cousin Amanda and her husband Jerry, who live in Colorado Springs, a two-and-a-bit hour drive from Leadville.

Colorado Springs will also be home base for Katie, Brad and Alex in the week before the race. It sits at 7,000 feet elevation, so gives Katie a week to ease into being in the mountains, without going from 0 feet to 10,000+ in one hit.

Kim and Brad are also aiming to run as pacers with Katie. Six grown-ups and a baby - it’s quite the team. And it promises to be quite the adventure.

Upcoming Events

There are way too many events for me to list everything that’s happening around the country, but here is a selection of upcoming races (with a bias towards South East Queensland).

The Running Calendar website is a great source if you want a comprehensive understanding of what’s available around Australia.