Local runner completes extreme race in Colorado – Bitterroot Star

Leadville, Colorado, is an old mining town located in the towering Rocky Mountains. When the mines closed in the early 1980’s, everyone thought the town would die along with the closing mines. The town wasn’t a ski resort like some of the other Colorado towns and had to come up with a different idea to help keep the town alive.

Ken Chlouber, a local resident, came up with the idea of a run through the Rockies. Leadville’s elevation is 10,200 feet. Ultra Running was just beginning and he thought this would be the perfect place to bring runners, and others, to town. 

The Leadville Race Series began in 1983. There were only 45 runners in the first race which was 100 miles long. It is now the oldest ultra race in the country and one of the most difficult. Dubbed the “Race Across the Sky,” the race begins at 9,200 feet and climbs to 12,600 feet before dropping back down. Not only do the runners have to run 100 miles, they must complete the race in under 30 hours. Those who complete the course on time win a belt buckle.

There are checkpoints along the course which is an ‘out and back’ course. The runners leave Leadville with the eventual goal of Winfield, Colorado, 50 miles away. There, they turn around and retrace the course. The runners are weighed, and checked for dehydration and other medical issues before being allowed to continue. The runners are encouraged to bring a crew to help along the way. The crew can be at some of the aid stations. After the first 50 miles, a pacer can accompany the runner, one at a time, to encourage the runner and keep them on course. 

Mike Sylvester, a resident of Stevensville, has been running for about 20 years. He doesn’t like to be called a runner and is very humble when it comes to talking about running. He began running as a way to think and organize his thoughts. He works for a timber company in Canada and spends a lot of time on the road or in the field. 

Meghan Hanson is a Stevensville resident but spends a lot of time in the Tetons and is also a runner. Sylvester moved to Stevensville with Hanson and the two began running the canyons. Several years ago, Hanson ran across Spain and has done other ultra marathons. 

Hanson had rescued a dog when she moved back home to Stevensville and often took the dog, Kintla, on her runs. When Sylvester began training for the Leadville 100 this time, he took Kintla with him. They began with running about 100 miles a week and then built on that. Hanson said they often ran up one canyon, such as Kootenai or Big Creek, and back. The trail systems here in the Bitterroot are in pretty good shape for running, according to Hanson. With all the canyons, it is easy to go up one canyon and out another. They usually begin their runs about 4 a.m. 

As the pair increased their distances, Kintla was right there with Sylvester. Hanson said they ran a 53 mile race in the Tetons where the elevation went from 9,500 to 13,000 feet. After each run, Sylvester and Kintla celebrated with BBQ sliders and baby aspirin. 

When they got ready to go to Leadville for the race on August 20, the couple were going to leave Kintla at home with a friend. But Hanson had second thoughts. 

“He had trained with Mike all this summer,” she said. “It wasn’t fair to leave him home.”

This year, Sylvester had a crew with him for the race. Kintla and Hanson were part of that crew. Hanson said Kintla was disappointed when Sylvester took off at the beginning of the race. 

The first half of the race was a solitary run with just the competitors on the trail. He was right on time at the first check station but came in 20 minutes late for the second. At the third check point, he described it as being in the “pain cave” but then got past that. At the 50 mile turn-around, his crew could step in and help. Although only one pacer could run with him at a time, the crew members took turns to keep him going. 

Hanson said there is a lot of “carnage” along the trail and it’s easy to get discouraged. There is only a 44 percent completion rate on this race as the dropout rate is high. When running this distance, it’s important to eat to keep up your strength and stay hydrated. Although some runners eat some unusual food such as two pounds of bacon or olive brine, Sylvester has settled upon drinking Boost which has a lot of calories without being too sweet. They add more electrolytes to the drink, too. 

With fresh pacers every few miles, they were able to keep Sylvester focused on running and not on what was going on around him. Claire Baer, Don and Sara Carpenter, and Hanson made up Sylvester’s crew. Sara Carpenter handled the medical issues such as feet and making sure he had new socks, along with treating his nausea. He didn’t recognize his crew at the turnaround point but they kept him going. As they ran through the night, each of the crew took a two or three hour stint with him. Hanson ran the final leg and said that it “crushed” her. 

All of the crews are able to join their runners in the last mile. Hanson said Sylvester was so excited to be finishing this race and Kintla was excited to see his running buddy. Sylvester completed the 100 mile race in 28 hours. Out of 825 starters, only 380 finished. 

After running this brutal course, you would think Sylvester would take a break, but he and the dog didn’t. Labor Day weekend, Sylvester, Hanson and Kintla headed to Big Sky where he ran in the 50K Rut Race.