This weekend, Leadville welcomed back 1,000 athletes to take on one of the nation’s toughest trail races.
Leadville Local Noah Williams takes first place in the marathon for the men and Brittany Charboneau of Denver finishes first for the women’s division. For the Heavy Half Leadville Local Jessica Roberts took first for the women and Brandon Krage finished first for the men.
The 2021 Leadville Race Series season kicked off Saturday with a field of approximately 1,000 runners representing 44 states and 5 countries at the Leadville Trail Marathon and Heavy Half, owned and produced by Life Time. The 26.2 and 15.5 mile distances took runners on the historic mining district’s challenging mining roads and trails, hitting a high of 13,185 feet at Mosquito Pass.
In the women’s Trail Marathon division, Brittany Charboneau, 33, of Denver, Colo. placed first with a finish time of 4:14:52. Lauren Puretz, 28, from Colorado Springs, Colo. secured second place with a finish time of 4:27:18. Emily Fischer, 31, also from Colorado Springs placed third in the division with a completion time of 4:41:20.
For the men’s Marathon division Leadville local Noah Williams, 26, placed first with a finish time of 3:35:01. Scott Spillman, 34, from Denver, Colo. secured second place with a finish time of 3:41:34. Timmy Parr, 39, from Gunnison, Colo. placed third in the division with a completion time of 3:48:45.
In the women’s Heavy Half division, Leadville local Jessica Roberts, 33, placed first with a finish time of 2:29:40. JoAnna Masloski, 43, of Lone Tree, Colo. secured second place with a finish time of 2:40:12. Kate McLaughlin, 33, from Golden, Colo. placed third in the division with a completion time of 2:41:07.
For the men’s Heavy Half division Brandon Krage, 27, of Brighton, Colo. placed first with a finish time of 1:59:09. Alex Willis, 33, from Leadville, Colo. secured second place with a finish time of 2:00:12. Nicholas Noone, 26, from Boulder, Colo. placed third in the division with a completion time of 2:07:30.
While not all were successful making it to 13,185 feet, this year’s youngest finisher was 16 years old and the oldest was 79 years old.
The Leadville Race Series continues with the Leadville Silver Rush Race weekend which is set to take place July 10-11. Athletes will run or bike 50 miles around Leadville, Colo. gaining over 8,000 feet in either race. Next up is the Stages Cycling Leadville Stage Race, July 30 – Aug 1 which will take athletes a total of 100 miles over the course of three days.
Leading into the rest of August, the Stages Cycling Leadville Trail 100 MTB is Aug. 14, a true test of endurance and grit, athletes will traverse 100 miles across the high-altitude and extreme terrain of the Colorado Rockies. For those who dare to try it, the LeadBoat Challenge offers Leadville Trail 100 MTB racers to also compete in the 144 mile SBT GRVL Black course the very next day for the ultimate test of endurance and athleticism. The Leadville Trail 10K will also take place that weekend on Aug. 15.
The Leadville Race Series’ 2021 season concludes with the Leadville Trail 100 Run presented by La Sportiva on Aug. 21-22, this legendary “Race Across The Sky” 100-mile run is where it all started back in 1983. Athletes who have successfully completed the Leadville Trail Marathon, Silver Rush 50 MTB or Run, Stages Cycling Leadville Trail 100 MTB, Leadville Trail 10K Run and Leadville Trail 100 Run within the allotted cut-off times, for a total of 282.4 miles, will earn the coveted title of “Leadman” and “Leadwoman”.
Additional upcoming LRS events include Stages Cycling Lutsen 99er June 26, Tahoe Trail July 17, Stages Cycling Barn Burner Sept. 19 and Stages Cycling Austin Rattler Run and MTB Oct. 6.
The Leadville Race Series is owned and produced by Life Time, the premier healthy lifestyle brand. It is among more than 30 premier athletic events owned by the company, including the Verizon New York City Triathlon, the Chicago Triathlon, the Miami Marathon and Garmin UNBOUND Gravel presented by Craft Sportswear.
About the Leadville Race Series
Started with only 45 runners as the Leadville Trail 100 Run in 1983, the Leadville Race Series now consists of seven running events and four mountain biking events, plus six events in the Leadville Qualifying Series. The Race Series stretches across three months, and hosts thousands of racers on foot and on mountain bike in some of the world’s most iconic events. Endurance athletes worldwide now make the pilgrimage to Leadville, Colo., with the single goal of competing in “The Race Across the Sky.” Visit www.leadvilleraceseries.com for more information.
About Life Time® – Healthy Way of Life
Life Time champions a healthy and happy life for its members across 144 destinations in 39 major markets in the U.S. and Canada. As the nation’s only Healthy Way of Life brand, Life Time delivers an unmatched athletic resort experience and provides a comprehensive healthy living, healthy aging and healthy entertainment experience that goes well beyond fitness to encompass the entire spectrum of daily life for individuals, couples and families of all ages. For more information visit www.lifetime.life.