Leadville 100 — Crew & Fueling Guide
Aug 22, 2026 · 99.9 mi · 4:00 AM start · route
Stop by stop
Start — 6th & Harrison
mile 0.0Crew notes
Athletes must park at the Rodeo Grounds, Intermediate School or High School and shuttle/walk to the line. Start-line shuttles run 3:00–4:30 AM.
Gear
Must bring to the start
- Headlamp
- Rain jacket
- Beanie
- Long-sleeve shirt?
Fuel
Carry
- 2 × 40 g gel
- 2 × 40 g gel + 200 mg sodium
- 1 × 24 g gel
- 1 × 90 g Tailwind high-carb pack — dry — mix it at Carter Summit, mile 10.6
In bottles
- Bottle 1 — 30 g high-carb scoop + 500 mg electrolyte scoop
- Bottle 2 — 30 g high-carb scoop only, no electrolyte — it is 4am and cold, and two sodium gels are already in the pocket
Carter Summit — mini aid
mile 10.6Crew notes
New for 2026, on the north side of Turquoise Lake. Mini aid, outbound only — the course does not come back through here. No crew. Then the longest unsupported stretch of the first half: 9.9 mi to the Dam.
Fuel
In bottles
- Refill both bottles with aid-station water
- Mix in the 90 g Tailwind pack carried from the start
Turquoise Lake Dam (out)
mile 20.5Crew notes
New for 2026. Stocked aid station. NO CREW OUTBOUND.
Fuel
Carry
- 1 × 40 g gel
- 1 × 24 g gel
In bottles
- Refill both bottles with aid-station water
Outward Bound (out)
mile 26.0Crew notes
Crew Location 1, and the hub of the day. No crewing or parking restrictions — bring everything. Setup from 5:00 AM.
Fuel
Carry
- 1 × 24 g gel
In bottles
- Bottle 1 — 30 g high-carb scoop + 500 mg electrolyte scoop
- Bottle 2 — 30 g high-carb scoop + 500 mg electrolyte scoop
Food
First real food if it's going down.
Pipeline (out)
mile 29.6Crew notes
Crew Location 2 (“Pipeline Alternate”), where the trail crosses the road. Crewing point only — NO aid station in 2026. No parking restrictions, setup from 5:00 AM.
Fuel
Carry
- 1 × 24 g gel
In bottles
- Top off one bottle — 30 g high-carb scoop + 500 mg electrolyte scoop
Half Pipe (out)
mile 31.8Crew notes
Stocked aid station, but not a crew location.
Fuel
Carry
- 2 × 50 g gel + 200 mg sodium
In bottles
- Bottle 1 — 90 g Tailwind pack from the bag, mixed here
- Bottle 2 — aid-station water
Twin Lakes (out)
mile 40.5Crew notes
Shuttle only, no driving access: crew park at Outward Bound and ride in. Crew wristbands required. Bring only what fits in your lap on the shuttle.
Definitely a sock change here, probably a shirt change. MAYBE a shoe change too.
Gear
Must bring to Twin Lakes out
- POLES — do not forget the poles here
- HEADLAMP (the purple one) — a must here, same as the poles
- Rain jacket
- Long-sleeve shirt as an option, in a ziploc with socks
Must bring for Twin Lakes in (mile 64.2) — same shuttle trip
- Patagonia jacket
- Arc'teryx beanie
- Gloves
- Long-sleeve shirt
- Short-sleeve shirt
- Bandit half tights
- Patagonia running tights
- Socks
- Backup shoes
- Running belt + bottle
- Headlamps ×2 — bring all 3
Twin Lakes in — pacer carries
- Charging pack
- iPhone + watch charger
Fuel
Carry
- 2 × 50 g gel + 200 mg sodium
- 2 × 40 g gel + 200 mg sodium
- 1 × 50 g gel + 100 mg caffeine — first caffeine of the race
- 1 × 90 g Tailwind high-carb pack — dry — mix it at Hope Pass, mile 45.6
- 1 × 24 g gel + 75 mg caffeine — take it about two hours in, not at the stop
In bottles
- Bottle 1 — 30 g high-carb scoop + 500 mg electrolyte scoop
- Bottle 2 — 500 mg electrolyte scoop only, no high-carb — the Tailwind pack covers the carbs over Hope
Food
Sandwich, quesadilla, wrap — whatever the aid station has that isn't dry. Real food starts here and never stops.
Hope Pass (out)
mile 45.6Crew notes
No crew. Do not start the round trip to Hope Pass without warm and protective clothing regardless of the weather in town.
Fuel
In bottles
- Refill both bottles with aid-station water
- Mix in the 90 g Tailwind pack carried from Twin Lakes
Winfield — turnaround
mile 52.3Crew notes
No crew, no pacers.
Fuel
Carry
- 2 × 50 g gel + 200 mg sodium
- 1 × 40 g gel + 200 mg sodium
- 1 × 24 g gel
- 1 × 50 g gel + 100 mg caffeine
- 1 × 90 g Tailwind high-carb pack — dry — mix it at Hope Pass, mile 59.1
- 1 × 24 g gel + 75 mg caffeine — take it about two hours in, not at the stop
In bottles
- Bottle 1 — 90 g Tailwind pack from the bag, mixed here
- Bottle 2 — aid-station water
Hope Pass (in)
mile 59.1Crew notes
The crux. Second crossing at 12,500+ ft, then a 2,700 ft descent to Twin Lakes. Likely the last leg in daylight — carry the headlamp before you need it.
Fuel
In bottles
- Refill both bottles with aid-station water
- Mix in the 90 g Tailwind pack carried from Winfield
Twin Lakes (in)
mile 64.2Crew notes
Tough love everywhere else — here I'll probably need compassion and a hug or two. I was up on this part of the trail on a Sunday and it is brutal, so coming off the second Hope crossing I’ll be beat up in the legs and in the head, and it’ll probably be dark.
Full clothing change, first thing into the aid — start it before anything else. Probably a long sleeve to start the leg, and at least the winter layers go into Brooks’s pack for later.
This is the longest stop of the race, but try to keep it to about 12 minutes. Watch the clock and get me out.
Fuel
Carry
- 1 × 50 g gel + 100 mg caffeine
- 1 × 40 g gel
- 1 × 24 g gel
In bottles
- Belt bottle, 675 ml — 30 g high-carb scoop + 500 mg electrolyte scoop
- Pack bottle 1, 500 ml — 30 g high-carb scoop + 500 mg electrolyte scoop
- Pack bottle 2, 500 ml — 30 g high-carb scoop + 500 mg electrolyte scoop
- Brooks adds whatever extra water he wants for himself
Food
Calories, calories, calories. This is the stop that gets me back into life, so get as much in me as I'll take.
Pack
Switch out of the pack and into the belt. Brooks takes the pack and mules it from here — 1,675 ml between the two of us. Offload anything else heavy onto him now.
Half Pipe (in)
mile 72.8Fuel
Carry
- 1 × 24 g gel
- 1 × 50 g gel + 100 mg caffeine
In bottles
- Refill the belt and both pack bottles with aid-station water
Pipeline (in)
mile 75.1Crew notes
NOT STOPPING HERE. Running straight through from Half Pipe to Outward Bound — 5.9 mi in one go. Crew does not need to come to this one.
It is a legal crew point if the plan changes (handoffs only, no aid, and no pacer-bib pickup — a pacer swapping in must already have the bib), which is why it stays on the list.
Outward Bound (in)
mile 78.7Crew notes
Last full crew stop — the last crew location on the course and the last stop with parking. Everything after this is 21.2 mi with one aid station and no driving access, so this is the crew's final chance to hand over anything heavy.
Sadie crews here for both me and Brooks. Anything I need out of the car happens now, and anything I want at the Dam gets named here so she can bring it over.
From here it's 5.5 mi to the Dam, which should be plenty of time for Sadie to take the shuttle across and be waiting there to swap in for Brooks.
Fuel
Carry
- 1 × 50 g gel + 100 mg caffeine
In bottles
- Belt bottle, 675 ml — 30 g high-carb scoop + 500 mg electrolyte scoop
- Pack bottle 1, 500 ml — 30 g high-carb scoop + 500 mg electrolyte scoop
- Pack bottle 2, 500 ml — 30 g high-carb scoop + 500 mg electrolyte scoop
- Sadie's pack, bottle 1 — 500 ml, DOUBLE high-carb (2 × 30 g) + 500 mg electrolyte — the finish leg is the thinnest carry of the race
- Sadie's pack, bottle 2 — 500 ml, mixed here and carried over on the shuttle
Pack
Last scoops of the race. The two bottles for the finish leg get mixed HERE and go over the shuttle in Sadie's pack — there is no powder at the Dam.
Turquoise Lake Dam (in)
mile 84.2Crew notes
Sadie swaps in here via the shuttle from Outward Bound. Brooks takes the shuttle back.
Possible sock and shirt change here, TBD.
Fuel
Carry
- 1 × 50 g gel + 100 mg caffeine
- 1 × 24 g gel
- 1 × 24 g gel + 75 mg caffeine — take it about two hours in, not at the stop
In bottles
- My pack, bottle 1 — 500 ml, half the 90 g Tailwind pack from the bag
- My pack, bottle 2 — 500 ml, the other half of the Tailwind pack
- Sadie's pack, bottle 1 — 500 ml, already mixed at Outward Bound
- Sadie's pack, bottle 2 — 500 ml, already mixed at Outward Bound
- Top everything off with aid-station water — this is the last water on the course
Pack
Take my pack back off Brooks and drop the belt. Sadie carries the second pack. 4 × 500 ml between us, and no refill for 15.7 mi.
Finish — 6th & Harrison
mile 99.9Crew notes
Brooks can join for the final mile down 6th Ave.
Beer + pizza + shower + sleep.
Gear
Have at the finish
- Blanket
- Patagonia jacket
- Beer
- Crocs
Other information
Fueling
Goal is 75–90 g of carbs and ~500 mg of sodium every hour.
Set a watch alarm for it. The plan is not “eat when hungry” — by mile 50 I will not be hungry and I will still need 75 g. Every stop above lists exactly what goes in my hands and what goes in the bottles.
The scoops only exist where crew is — the start, Pipeline out, both Outward Bounds and both Twin Lakes. Everywhere else is gels and Tailwind packs out of a bag, mixed with aid-station water.
Three stops have nothing of mine. Carter Summit and both Hope Pass crossings have water and food, no drop bag and no crew, so three Tailwind packs travel dry and get mixed there — the only way to make a carb bottle mid-carry.
Caffeine
Nine caffeine gels — six at 100 mg and three small ones at 75 mg. A 100 mg gel goes out at every stop from Twin Lakes out to the end: Twin Lakes out, Winfield, Twin Lakes in, Half Pipe in, Outward Bound in, the Dam. The three 75 mg ones ride along on the only carries over four hours — Twin Lakes out, Winfield and the Dam — to be taken about two hours in, not at the stop. Never two at once, and nothing caffeinated before Twin Lakes out. The counts are exact; hand out a spare and a later stop goes without.
When the stomach turns
Back off the concentration, not the calories. Slow down 10 minutes and keep sipping; drop to the 24 g gels and dilute the bottle; cold and salty beats sweet. If nothing goes down, keep taking fluid and get 35–40 g in any way possible — an hour at zero is survivable, two is a DNF.
Real food
Gels alone won’t hold up all day. Start adding real food around Twin Lakes out (mile 40.5) and keep it going inbound. Aid-station food is fine for this — sandwiches, quesadillas, wraps, anything soft. Nothing super dry; it just needs to be calories that go down.
Sock and shoe changes
Ideally I’m not the one untying my shoes — get them untied and off me while I’m sitting down. I’ll retie them myself.
How to talk to me
Probably skip “how are you feeling?” Odds are the answer is “not great,” and if it’s going well I’ll say so.
Handing me things beats asking what I need — especially late. Gels, how many, fluid: if you can just run it without checking in, that’s ideal. My brain will be pretty fried by then and every decision costs something. I’ll speak up about clothes and anything else I want.
A little tough love helps. Being told to stop being a bitch and get moving works better on me than coddling. Encouragement is always welcome too — just keep it honest, no need to tell me I look great when I don’t.
No apologies this weekend. If something gets forgotten, left in the car, packed in the wrong bag — we’re problem solving instead of apologizing.
What’s in each drop bag
There are 3 race drop bags, not 5 stops. 2 of the 3 get hit twice — once outbound, once on the way home — so one bag covers both visits. Each bag below is split by visit, and the two halves should go in separate labelled ziplocs so the outbound stop can’t eat the inbound one.
Outward Bound and Twin Lakes get no drop bag. Crew is at both with the car at Outward Bound and on the shuttle at Twin Lakes, so those are handed over, not dropped. The Twin Lakes list is still below, because crew can only carry what fits in their lap and needs to know exactly what that is.
Turquoise Lake Dam
Write on the bag: DAM — Ham Evans #___
Outbound — mile 20.5
Ziploc: DAM — OUT — mile 20.5
- 1 × 40 g gel
- 1 × 24 g gel
Inbound — mile 84.2
Ziploc: DAM — IN — mile 84.2 — DO NOT OPEN OUTBOUND
- 1 × 50 g gel + 100 mg caffeine
- 1 × 24 g gel
- 1 × 24 g gel + 75 mg caffeine
- 1 × 90 g Tailwind high-carb pack
Do not touch this half on the way out.
Also in the bag
- Spare headlamp batteries
- Dry socks
- Long-sleeve for the last leg
The most important bag in the race. Its inbound half feeds the last 15.7 mi with no aid, no crew and no water after it. Pack the two halves in separate labelled ziplocs.
Half Pipe
Write on the bag: HALF PIPE — Ham Evans #___
Outbound — mile 31.8
Ziploc: HALF PIPE — OUT — mile 31.8
- 2 × 50 g gel + 200 mg sodium
- 1 × 90 g Tailwind high-carb pack
Inbound — mile 72.8
Ziploc: HALF PIPE — IN — mile 72.8
- 1 × 24 g gel
- 1 × 50 g gel + 100 mg caffeine
No crew either time, and inbound it is the last bag before Outward Bound — we run straight past Pipeline. The outbound visit takes the sodium gels and the Tailwind pack.
Twin Lakes
Write on the bag: TWIN LAKES — CREW SHUTTLE BAG
Outbound — mile 40.5
Ziploc: TWIN LAKES — OUT — mile 40.5
- 2 × 50 g gel + 200 mg sodium
- 2 × 40 g gel + 200 mg sodium
- 1 × 50 g gel + 100 mg caffeine
- 1 × 24 g gel + 75 mg caffeine
- 1 × 90 g Tailwind high-carb pack
Inbound — mile 64.2
Ziploc: TWIN LAKES — IN — mile 64.2 — NIGHT
- 1 × 50 g gel + 100 mg caffeine
- 1 × 40 g gel
- 1 × 24 g gel
Also in the bag
- Socks
- Shirt
- Warm layers for the night half
Not a race drop bag — crew carries this in on the shuttle, and can only bring what fits in their lap. Pack it to that limit. The outbound half feeds the Hope crossing; the inbound half starts the night.
Winfield
Write on the bag: WINFIELD — Ham Evans #___
Once only — mile 52.3
Ziploc: WINFIELD — mile 52.3 — ALL OF IT
- 2 × 50 g gel + 200 mg sodium
- 1 × 40 g gel + 200 mg sodium
- 1 × 24 g gel
- 1 × 50 g gel + 100 mg caffeine
- 1 × 24 g gel + 75 mg caffeine
- 2 × 90 g Tailwind high-carb pack
No crew, no pacer, and four and a half hours back over Hope on whatever comes out of this bag. Two Tailwind packs: one mixed at Winfield, one carried dry for the top of Hope. Pack it like the aid station won't have anything.