Announcement from American Trail Running Association (ATRA) Double Track member Life Time Events – Leadville Race Series. Photos by Life Time Events.
Dream Chasers: Rodrigo Jimenez
Leadville-local Rodrigo Jimenez will be this year’s Dream Chaser, a fundraiser for the LT100 Legacy Foundation. Rodrigo will start last and pass as many runners as possible – the more people he passes, the more money will be raised. Rodrigo has conquered the LT100 Run eight times and the LeadChallenge Competition seven times. In 2021, Rodrigo ran as the Dream Chaser for the first time, starting 2.5 hours after the official race began. Yet, he finished 6th Overall (chip time) and passed an incredible 660 out of 680 runners!
Female Notable Runners to Watch
Alexi Pappas is an author and award-winning filmmaker. She represented Greece at the 2016 Rio Olympics, where she set the 10,000 m national record of 31:36. Pappas was an NCAA All-American athlete at the University of Oregon as a fifth-year athlete on the U of O team.
Eleanor Pell is a Boulder-based professional ultrarunner, sponsored by On Running, who has placed on the podium several times at notable races such as the Cayuga Trails 50M USATF Trail Championship and JFK 50 Mile.
Lucie Hanes is a professional ultrarunner and SCARPA rock climber living in the mountains of Colorado’s Western Slope. Her proudest athletic achievements in running include taking 1st in the Ring the Springs 100k (on top of hijacking the men’s podium), 1st in the Valkyrie 50k, and 6th in the Leadville Silver Rush 50. In climbing, she’s sent 5.13d and is well toward the elusive 5.14a mark. In her best single week as an athlete, she won the Ring the Springs 100k and sent 5.13c within days of each other.
Claire Lueking is an obstacle course racer, ultramarathoner, and adventurer. The youngest female to complete the Spartan Agoge, UltraBeast, and Delta, she continues to pursue her love of endurance racing through ultra-OCR and ultrarunning.
Devon Yanko is another all-timer with too many great results to list. She is the former winner and course record holder at JFK 50 Mile and recently won the Silver Rush 50. She has podium finishes at the Western States 100 and the 100 K World Championships and is a former winner of Leadville.
Male Notable Runners to Watch
Mario Mendoza is a professional trail runner, coach, and pastor. He has represented Team USA multiple times at the Trail World Championships and was the top American in the 2017 and 2018 editions, finishing in the top 10 in both. In the past 13 years, Mendoza has also won five USATF trail national championships.
Matthew Flaherty is returning to Leadville after an impressive second-place finish in 2021.
Duncan Callahan won the Leadville 100 in 2008 and 2010. He’s back to try to add one more win to his tally.
Tyler Andrews recently won the 100K Javelina Jundred in Arizona and the Tamalpa Headlands 50K. He placed 16th overall at Leadville in 2021. As a professional mountain runner, Andrews seeks redemption in his third Leadville.
Jeff Glasbrenner is a below-the-knee amputee. He raced Silver Rush last year and will also take on the Leadville 100 Run this year! Adding to his impressive resume, he’s climbed Mt. Everest and the other seven summits and will also attempt to ski to the North Pole this year.
Drew Petersen is a professional skier. He recently released a film called Ups and Downs which shows his mental struggles as a professional athlete – navigating PTSD, bipolar disorder, brain injury rehabilitation, and suicidal thoughts. Petersen tried to ski many of the mountains on and surrounding the Leadville Trail 100 course and has been training in these same mountains as he prepares to take on the 100-mile run in August.
Journeyperson Athlete Stories
Jeffrey Pierce of Colorado Springs won the final stage of the Tour de France back in 1987.
Phil Shin of California is attempting to be the first known liver transplant recipient to finish a 100-mile ultramarathon.
David Vobora of Texas is a former NFL player and founder of the Adaptive Training Foundation.
Scott and Simon Schubert, brothers, are looking to follow in their father’s footsteps. Their dad, Guy, was the first Australian to compete in Leadville in 1987.
David Green of Jacksonville Beach recently ran across America from his hometown to Muir Beach with his dog Lucky.
Jacqueline Pomeroy and Marge Hickman are both in their 70’s – Hickman is a 14-time Leadville finisher.
Laura Hamlet of Highlands Ranch is running for the Life Time Foundation and is filming a documentary series about veterans on healthy missions post-service.
Lindsey Knast is a road racing cyclist from the United States, active between 2015 and 2015.
Life Time Foundation – Giving Back to Leadville
Earlier this year, the Life Time Foundation provided a $70,000 grant to purchase a 2023 Collins Activity Bus to activate further Get Outdoors Leadville!’s (GOL!) continuum of year-round, active outdoor programming for Lake County youth and families. The purchase of the activity bus allows GOL! to engage more families by reducing transportation barriers, activating its mobile gear library concept, and adding substantial variety to program locations across Lake County. GOL! is an outdoor program for local Leadville-based youth committed to breaking down the cultural, social, and economic barriers to safely accessing and enjoying natural experiences.
“At the Life Time Foundation, we believe that while fun, challenging, and community-building physical activity is central to a healthy way of life for all ages, it’s especially important during childhood. We applaud GOL!’s efforts to build a safe and positive environment where all youth can be empowered to live healthy, happy lives.”
This year, 45 riders and 45 runners will raise money for the Life Time Foundation during the Leadville Trail 100 MTB and Run. All donations go towards our general fund to support grants and programming delivered nationally and locally in Leadville.
