Sunki Mountain Running Camp

Many runners who sign up for the LT100 set their sights on the under 25 hour big buckle.  On the surface, it seems like such an obtainable goal.  But when you look at the numbers, you quickly realize how elusive it can be.  I believe only about 15% of those who started last year, got the big buckle.

This will be my first LT100 and first 100 miler.  Should I just shoot for the under 30 hour finish?  Maybe.  Unfortunately that line of thinking doesn't really light a fire under my butt.  I can tell you shooting for an under 25 finish does.  Sitting here six months away from big day, I have the luxury of time to start planning now for how I'm going to make this goal a reality.

First off, I have a lot to learn from others who have been there.  Thankfully, there are gobs of race reports and other online resources to read.  The more you read about the LT100, the more you realize how many runners that succeed on other courses come to Pb and get humbled.  Next, I need to run many miles at elevation.  That's close to impossible right now, but come spring, I need to plan to go high as much as possible.  Finally, all ultras I've run to date have shown me the tip of the iceberg when it comes to fueling.  I still feel like a rookie in this area.  I have so much to learn, test out, and dial in here.

I recently heard about a four day mountain running camp in Leadville this May 25-29.  It is being run by Footfeathers & Lucho and looks like they've put a lot of thought and planning into providing runners a great opportunity to gear up for summer ultras.  My interest was piqued by the small size, personal attention, focus on the LT100 course, topics for discussion, and being joined by the men's & women's 2010 LT100 champs, Duncan & Liza.  How sweet it would be to sneak away for a few days of "higher" education from some folks whose paths I'd be honored to follow.

The camp is not cheap.  I debated for a few days on just going to the less expensive training camp offered by the LT100 organization...me and about 150 other people.  I also thought about scrapping both and just getting up to Pb more to run portions of the course on my own...flying by the seat of my pants style.  When comparing this opportunity to other options, it became clear to me that the camp was a step in the right direction towards the under 25 goal...not to mention a fun few days in the mountains.

I believe they have a couple spots open if anyone else is interested!