I have a question for you at the bottom of this email. But first…
Back in January, I sent this email where I made the commitment “to race the Leadville Trail 100 Mountain Bike Race and finish in under 9 hours to earn that coveted big buckle.”
I doubled down on that commitment when I sent this email in April.
So yeah—by the end of April, I’d told a MASSIVE number of people what I planned to accomplish. Nervous? A tad. Motivated? Hell yeah.
What’s Leadville?
Called the “Race Across the Sky,” Leadville is regarded as one of the hardest single-day mountain bike races on Earth: 105.3 miles with 12,500 ft of climbing, almost entirely above 10,000 ft. Just finishing is an oxygen-starved sufferfest.
Fun fact: At 10,000 feet, there's 30% less oxygen in the air. Add the smoke from nearby forest fires and constant dust kicked up by 1000s of tires, and simply breathing becomes a challenge.
Why Sub-9?
My goal was to crack the notorious 9-hour mark. Do this and you are awarded a majestically massive belt buckle. Cross in 9:00:01 and you get a much less majestic (and much smaller) belt buckle. In a typical year, roughly 15% of riders go sub-9—think Boston Marathon qualifier or sub-10 Ironman territory.
What’s it take?
A lot has to go right. First, fitness—loads of training. For me, that meant 10+ hours per week on the bike. But, fitness is just the cost of entry. You also have to stay healthy, avoid injury, acclimate to 10,000+ feet of altitude, avoid crashing, dodge mechanical issues with the bike, and nail a nutrition plan to consume at least 90 grams of carbs per hour while racing.
Most importantly, you need an amazing support system.
Yes, a veritable cornucopia of things have to go right to hit the target.
So, how’d it go?
I crossed the line in 8:45. Yeah baby!
Lessons Learned
Massive gratitude. After 8:45 of suffering, months of training, and the unrelenting stress about the clock, everything melted at that finish line. All of those feelings were immediately replaced by a deep sense of gratitude for the tribe that made it possible. My family, my friends, my team at work, my coach, and the crew at the bike shop all played a role in getting me across that finish line. With all that support, I merely had to turn the pedals.
Motivation isn’t enough. In 1983, Ken Chlouber and Merilee Maupin created the Leadville Race Series in an effort to revitalize Leadville, CO after the closure of the city’s mine. They’re icons and remain a strong presence at the events. At the pre-race meeting, Ken said “Motivation will get you to the start line...the only thing that will get you to the finish line is Total Commitment.” Doing hard things often requires a burn-the-ships mindset. You can want something very badly, but without total commitment, that goal is in jeopardy.
This leads me to my questions for you?
1. Who do you need to thank for helping you accomplish a goal? Or…
2. What are you totally committed to? Not just motivated—burn-the-ships committed.
If something springs to mind, please reply and let me know. I can’t wait to read your response.
It’s Who I Am,
P.S. There are few people that I need to thank specifically. Thank you to @elisabethwimmer14 and our boys for the time and grace. Team @roadid and @dogid for covering while I chased this goal.Teammate @sellnit. Your encouragement was the edge. @highlandtraining: thanks for preaching consistency. @reserbicycle (Gabe, Michael, Andreas, Alex): flawless bikes, incredible service. On race day, @tracyparadise_otm owned the feed zones. Each time I asked, “How am I doing?” she said, “You got this.” (That’s a 10-time finisher speaking.) On-site @roadid crew @bigwhitedog1, Rachel, @pjrabice made the weekend very special.
@roadid athletes @keegels99, @sofithevilla, @alexeyvermeulen, @sarahsturmy for the pre-race advice.
@lifetime.life and @leadvilleraceseries for honoring Ken and Merilee's Leadville tradition.
Most importantly, I thank God for all of you and for the opportunity to chase these crazy goals.
