Grit, Guts and Determination: The Leadville Race Series Podcast

Welcome to Grits, Guts, and Determination, The Leadville Race Series Podcast, a leading authority for all things Leadville! The show is hosted by Cole Chlouber, son of race founder Ken Chlouber, and it takes us on a story-telling journey of the rich, nearly forty-year history of this race. In each episode, we hear eccentric stories from Leadville community members, and along the way learn the tips and tricks to get to the line this summer! Today, Cole has a fun and spirited conversation with Sterling Mudge, a Leadville local of over twenty years and an active member of the community. Among his many projects to serve Leadville, Sterling is currently the Executive Director of the Cloud City Wheelers.

Starting with how Leadville found him, Sterling explains how he came to Leadville in 2000 as a college student transitioning to Colorado Mountain College. He had a great experience at CMC; it furthered his love of the outdoors, helped him get to know Leadville, and offered a deep sense of community. He stayed in the area after graduating, and his second job in Leadville - one he held for fifteen years - was with Parkville Water. Along the way, Sterling got involved with the Leadville race series. He and Cole reminisce about racing their single speed bikes, and Sterling explains how he moved from racing into other race involvement after becoming a father.

Moving forward, Cole asks Sterling about the organization he leads: the Cloud City Wheelers. The organization was founded in 2007 as an effort to build and maintain trails in Leadville. Sterling explains the organization's name, as well as how it began as a relatively small cohort of volunteers. In 2018, Sterling left his position with Parkville Water and redirected much of his attention to making the Wheelers more of a professional organization. The Wheelers have grown tremendously and multiplied their efforts at building and preserving trails, and they continue to plan further trail efforts. Recently, the organization has also been fundraising for a bike park, running a winter bike series, and launching what it expects to be an annual art gala.

For Sterling, love for the Leadville community is a family affair. To him, Leadville means home, with beauty well worth the effort needed to maintain it. His wife, Sarah, is the county commissioner, and she and Sterling have raised their two kids to treasure the outdoors. Sterling hopes to see community passion spread, with people valuing the beauty of Leadville, respecting neighbors on the trails, leaving the trails and land as they find them, and even finding ways to volunteer and financially support the community.

Thanks for tuning in! Don’t forget to like, share, and subscribe, and we hope to see you on the line in August!

Welcome to this episode of Grits, Guts, and Determination, The Leadville Race Series Podcast, a leading authority for all things Leadville! The show is hosted by Cole Chlouber, son of race founder Ken Chlouber, and it takes us on a story-telling journey of the rich, forty-year history of this race. In each episode, we hear eccentric stories from Leadville community members, and along the way learn the tips and tricks to get to the line this summer! The interview for today's episode is a special treat for Cole, and he's thrilled to share it with listeners! His guest for the episode is Christopher McDougall, author of Born to Run; Christopher has been coming to Leadville for years, and has had a hand in pushing the sport of running forward.

To kick off the conversation, Cole asks Christopher when Leadville found him. Christopher first came to Leadville to complete research for a book. He came with negative expectations, but found a far different reality than he anticipated! Not only was he won over by the people and place, but he soon found himself turning into a Leadville racer. Christopher shares about his wild first experience with a burrow race before the conversation shifts to his paradigm-shifting book. The book is grounded in a minimalist approach to running and uses an engaging race story to portray running as fun, cool, and adventurous. The book has achieved commercial success even without much direct marketing. On an indirect level, the efforts of big-name shoe companies to develop minimalist shoes helped the book, and vice versa.

As Cole and Christopher discuss, story has a profound power to drive people, and Leadville holds a unique status within the folklore of running. It has a sort of magic about it, centered in its people and commitment to grit, guts and determination, and carried forward by those who have been and continue to be shaped by Leadville. Christopher jumps into some of his own stories, starting with his experience starting his first Leadville race far too fast before turning to the time he was a pacer for barefoot-running Ted, the darker story of Caballo Blano and his disappearance, and his memories of Leadville legends Ken and Merilee.

Christopher also shares his book Running with Sherman, which gets into the tale of Christopher's as he runs with his donkey, Sherman. The book is another adventure story and an exploration of human-animal partnership. He also comments on his newest project: Born to Run 2. This book follows up on Christopher's initial Born to Run, but in addition to stories offers practical advice on minimalist running. As the conversation wraps up, Christopher advises listeners looking to get to the line this summer to sample the course, and explains the mountain snowshoeing is what he pictures when he hears the word Leadville.

Thanks for tuning in! Don’t forget to like, share, and subscribe, and we hope to see you on that line come August!

24 Carat Corner is a roughly 24-30 minute podcast that also offers a video component on our website and Facebook page. These will be monthly productions that cover off on important race information as it concerns your upcoming LRS event for the 2022 season.

This week's topics cover: Expos, parking and athlete guides for your Leadville Trail Marathon & Heavy Half weekend.

Tune in here to this episode of Grits, Guts, and Determination, The Leadville Race Series Podcast, a leading authority for all things Leadville! Host Cole Chlouber, son of race founder Ken Chlouber, takes us on a story-telling journey of the 38-year rich history of this race. We learn all the tips, tricks, and stories from the Leadville community members! Joining us today are Patti and Al Iverson, a couple who are members of both the Leadville and the Bahram Akradi Life Time family.

To kick off the conversation, Cole asks Patti and Al to share how Leadville found them. Their introduction to Leadville was in 2007 over a beer with a friend who had done one of the first races. At the time, participants could sign up for the race in groups of five, and they made it in! Today, Al has 12 total finishes and Patti has 11. Even though she didn’t finish the first time, Patti knew she would be back next year to finish. Listen as they share how Braham Akradi, CEO of Life Time, became the sponsor of the next year’s race and ran alongside the couple. Then, Al speaks of his transition from the real estate business world to the athletic world. The secret to life, they both believe, is to surround yourself with wonderful people in all stages of life.

For Al, the friendship, connection and comradery atmosphere of Leadville is what really drew him in. Leadville really opened the door for big adventures and inspired Al and Patti to embrace many other mountain bike adventures worldwide and meet like minded people. They share their favorite memories with Ken and Mary Lee, including Ken’s encouragement for Al to bring Patti back to the race next year. Leadville is proud to be founded on the backs of strong women and Patti is no exception to this. In addition to their athletic feats, Al and Patti have a CBD company alongside their son, Dark Horse Hemp Farms. Their products are especially pioneering care for teenagers with diabetes, though they are quite universal.

For new Leadville family members, Al and Oatti share their most valuable advice. First, don’t overlook the importance of finding valuable mentors who are familiar with the race or practice in the stage race offered at Leadville. Additionally, embrace the ebb and flow of the race. Patti recommends you come to the race with perfect nutrition and low weight, as you don’t want to carry extra weight up a mountain. Finally, they compare and contrast crews and backpacks and share what the word “Leadville” evokes for them.

Thanks for tuning in! Don’t forget to like, share, and subscribe, and we hope to see you on the line in August!

Welcome to this episode of Grits, Guts, and Determination, The Leadville Race Series Podcast, a leading authority for all things Leadville! The show is hosted by Cole Chlouber, son of race founder Ken Chlouber, and it takes us on a story-telling journey of the rich, nearly forty-year history of this race. In each episode, we hear eccentric stories from Leadville community members, and along the way learn the tips and tricks to get to the line this summer! Today the host is joined by Marshall Ulrich as they both discuss Marshall’s journey of cycling and his experience with Leadville.

Marshall begins by sharing about his journey to Leadville and how it became an extension of his family. He found running when his wife was diagnosed with cancer. It helped him deal with the stress of it all. Since then, he’s run in many different races, terrains, and countries. He has recently run 158 miles of Route 66 and plans to do it again and make it accessible for older runners and new runners alike.

Marshall has participated and finished the Leadville race thirteen times. He says there are races that are magnetic and bring you back time and time again and Leadville is one of them. He created the Leadville Triple Crown, where he did the bike, the run, and then did 10 laps around the lake on three consecutive weekends and currently he is the only one to have completed the challenge. He’s also run the Pike's Peak Marathon on the same day as Leadville Trail 100 Run. Cole says Marshall is a legend always trying to challenge himself.

In all his challenges, Marshall says if it’s worth doing, it’s worth doing well. He’s handled multiple different superhuman feats and has even been featured on Stan Lee’s superhuman show about folks who have accomplished extra extraordinary challenges. He simulated one of his extreme heat running conditions. Marshall explains that your body will adapt to most conditions and you have to discipline your mind. Learning to do that was how he climbed the seven peaks, including Everest. So much of completing these extreme challenges is about having the will to finish, something Marshall says he is grateful to have. Many of the challenges he’s tackled have been for charity or otherwise to shed light on a good cause. His book, Both Feet on The Ground details many of his challenges, and what he’s learned from them. More than anything, he says it’s about connecting with nature and figuring things out about yourself. His book Running on Empty details his run across America and also tells his love story.

For other runners, he recommends to view your current race as training for your next challenge. That’s kept him from experiencing a runner’s low after a big race.

Thanks for tuning in! Don’t forget to like, share, and subscribe, and we hope to see you on the line in August!

Tune in here to this episode of Grits, Guts, and Determination, The Leadville Race Series Podcast, a leading authority for all things Leadville! Host Cole Chlouber, son of race founder Ken Chlouber, takes us on a story-telling journey of the 38-year rich history of this race. We learn all the tips, tricks, and stories from the Leadville community members! Joining us today is someone who knows all about digging deep, James Lawerence, better known as Iron Cowboy. James has done 50 IronMan Triathlons in 50 days in 50 states, the Conquer 100 and has been a part of the Leadville family out on the mountain bike course.

To kick off the conversation, Cole asks James to share how Leadville found him. He was found completely unexpected and unprepared in 2016 coming out of other competitions. The beautiful thing about the Leadville family, James believes, is that they how and why looks different for everybody’s hearts. James has a love of finding human potential and views the competition as a way to improve either areas of his life, too. In 2012, James made it into the Guiness Book of World Records for the most half Ironmans done in a single calendar year. Then, James speaks of his family's campaign which raised over $80,000 to fight the childhood obesity epidemic.

James created the new challenge of the Conquer 100 in 2021. To learn more about the challenges Jame has taken on, James urges listeners to check out his website. James’s hardest feat, the 50.50.50, presented many challenges including the unpredictability of weather and bodily reactions. There were of course highs and lows in each and James is no stranger to feeling like quitting, but rejecting these urges created a high level of confidence for him.

James reveals the news that he will be retiring from the long distance racing and triathlon world and trading it for full time road, dirt and mountain biking. He shares his excitement for every aspect of biking and the ease it has on his body. He predicts how his life will unfold in light of this change and his plan to tackle Cape Epic in 2023 among many other races. Finally, James discusses his strategies for such strenuous feats. Don’t miss what he will be keeping on his bike during his races this year! Signing off, James urges the Leadville family to take their training one day at a time.

Thanks for tuning in! Don’t forget to like, share, and subscribe, and we hope to see you on the line in August!

Welcome to this episode of Grits, Guts, and Determination, The Leadville Race Series Podcast, a leading authority for all things Leadville! The show is hosted by Cole Chlouber, son of race founder Ken Chlouber, and it takes us on a story-telling journey of the rich, nearly forty-year history of this race. In each episode, we hear eccentric stories from Leadville community members, and along the way learn the tips and tricks to get to the line this summer! Today the host is joined by Garth Prosser as they both discuss Garth’s journey of cycling and his experience with Leadville.

Garth begins by sharing about his connection to Leadville and how it caught his attention early on. Before sharing more about his story towards Leadville, Garth then discusses a recent accident he was in and how he has been able to continue staying active and his journey towards recovery. Even though this has caused him to take a break from cycling for now, he shares how he still works hard to stay active and healthy with the goal of going back to cycling soon. This desire to be active started for Garth at a young age when he made the decision to try to be healthy, which resulted in him running and eventually participating in competitive running. This later opened the door for his love for cycling and joining different cycling races.

Next, Garth then goes into listing some of the businesses that have helped sponsor him and his races in the past and the current local bike ship that sponsors him now. He shares how these sponsors have helped increase his focus and determination in his journey of racing. Additionally, he also shares about some of the races he has been a part of. When it comes to the different kinds of bikes, Garth takes some time to share about his favorites he has used as well as goes into details such as how often he changes the tires and different bikes that are used for different races. Flat tires have been a common setback for Garth, and he discusses some tips he has learned from his years of experience.

Garth then moves to a more personal note as he shares about his fight against cancer and what kept him going through the hard times. He did this by focusing on the end goal of getting back to doing what he loves and continuing to stay active in new ways. He also shares about the importance of getting multiple opinions from doctors so the best-informed decisions can be made. Through all this fight and effort, Garth was able to win his battle with cancer and is still cancer free. He goes on to talk about some of the other setbacks and accidents he has had over the years and how he overcame these obstacles.

The episode concludes as Garth reflects over his many years of experience in cycling and races and shares some advice to listeners who may be new to this sport. He encourages these listeners to stay chill and to make smart and safe choices. Instead of stressing out over small details, he encourages them to just keep putting one foot in front of the other and to continue moving forward.

Thanks for tuning in! Don’t forget to like, share, and subscribe, and we hope to see you on the line in August!

Welcome to this episode of Grits, Guts, and Determination, The Leadville Race Series Podcast, a leading authority for all things Leadville! The show is hosted by Cole Chlouber, son of race founder Ken Chlouber, and it takes us on a story-telling journey of the rich, nearly forty-year history of this race. In each episode, we hear eccentric stories from Leadville community members, and along the way learn the tips and tricks to get to the line this summer! Today's episode features guest William "Doc" Wenmark, whose experience with entrepreneurship and distance running ultimately led him to where he is now: about to turn 75 as a mountain biker with 18 Leadville finishes under his belt and no stop in sight!

While most listeners know him as a biker, he started out as a runner, and more specifically a marathoner and then an ultra-marathoner. Doc explains how his 104-marathon career started in the early 70's, with a nearly 6-hour first run driving him into training for a sub-3 hour time, writing a running curriculum called ALARC, and channeling the lessons in grit he learned from family and military service into his running. ALARC evolved into different coaching efforts over time, and even took on a philanthropic nature through its annual Ice Dive! Doc has served as the ‘Ed Fitz’ race director, and in '92 he found Leadville's 100-mile run (or rather, Leadville found him!). The Leadville 100 was known, even then, as the Everest of Ultras, and it took Doc 6 attempts to finish the race - with a time of 28 hours, 39 minutes.

Outside of running and biking, Doc has faced another Everest: his day job and its efforts to change the face of healthcare in America! He has been in the medical field since his days as a military medic, and he spent much of his career creating one of the nation's first private urgent care networks. He crafted the network in his home state of Minnesota before eventually selling to a large urgent care system. Doc wrote Bill's Book as a how-to for others, has served as President of the North American Association for Ambulatory Urgent Care, and even worked on the place of urgent care in Medicare. Ultimately, he concludes, the entrepreneurial urge, desire to work hard, and commitment to accomplish great things are simply part of his DNA!

In '96, Doc's drive toward reinvention, improvement, and relevance brought him to the Leadville bike race. With 18 finishes at this point, Doc has countless stories to tell, with their bottom line being his consistent message about Leadville: you must respect it, because Leadville won't accept anything less. As the episode wraps up, Doc shares about how, as an older runner, he values the Stage Race. He also talks about how he values the Leadville race founders, has been profoundly shaped in all of life by Leadville, and would advise listeners to cheer, volunteer, trust what's between their ears, and persevere!

Thanks for tuning in! Don’t forget to like, share, and subscribe, and we hope to see you on the line in August!

Tune in here to this episode of Grits, Guts, and Determination, The Leadville Race Series Podcast, a leading authority for all things Leadville! Host Cole Chlouber, son of race founder Ken Chlouber, takes us on a story-telling journey of the 38-year rich history of this race. We learn all the tips, tricks, and stories from the Leadville community members! Joining us today is the bubbly Becky Lynn Bauer.

To kick off the conversation, Cole asks Becky to share the story of how Leadville found her. In 2012, she stumbled upon the book Born To Run while she was in Japan for a marathon. She was asked to pace a mutual friend in the Leadville 100, and the rest is history. She ran her very first marathon in Hawaii and won 2nd place in the female division. Realizing she was good at competing, she committed to coming back the next year, placed 1st female and was sent to Japan to compete in their sister race. Her first Leadville race was in 2013. Listen as she recounts the experience of her very first Leadville and the hardest lesson she learned along the way. Becky recalls her one DNF and her frustration about it to this day. However, to this day she has 3 Leadville finishes. In 2014, her time was 24:16:31 and in 2015, it was 23:56:35. For Becky and her husband, coming to Leadville is like a coming home party.

In 2021, Becky took on an even higher mileage challenge of the Cocodona 250. She knew that all 2020 registrations were rolling over to the next year, so she decided to take a chance with the 250 miler. Her coach developed a master training plan and she began training on May 3rd. Her initial goal going into the race was to simply reach the finish line, then began inspiring herself to make it into the top 10. She finished 7th female overall! Though she lived the 200 experience, she likely will stick with the 100, which is her ultimate favorite distance.

Finally, Becky touches on her life outside of running. She has worked in the pharmaceutical industry in benefits for 22 years. Her boss recognizes that Becky’s real passion is running, and encourages her to pursue it. Before wrapping up, she shares her favorite local training spots. Beyond race day, Leadville has taught Becky that she is stronger than she thinks she is and that she can always dig deep. For the Leadville family going into upcoming races, Becky advises that now is the best time to address even the smallest injuries and shortcomings.

Thanks for tuning in! Don’t forget to like, share, and subscribe, and we hope to see you on the line in August!

Tune in here to this episode of Grits, Guts, and Determination, The Leadville Race Series Podcast, a leading authority for all things Leadville! Host Cole Chlouber, son of race founder Ken Chlouber, takes us on a story-telling journey of the 40-year rich history of this race. We learn all the tips, tricks, and stories from the Leadville community members! Joining us today is John Stamstad, Leadville’s very first mountain bike champion.

To kick off the conversation, Cole asks John to share the story of how Leadville found him. He was a passionate runner in high school, and was thrilled to learn about the mountain bike race. Cole and many others view John as the godfather of endurance cycling. In 1985, he entered and rode a nonstop 547 mile race across Missouri. Being on his bike all day is something John enjoys immensely, and he discovered the thrill of mountain biking in 1991. He rode in and won Race Across Australia in 1993! Next, John tells the story of his first Leadville Race experience in 1994. For him, the real draw of these extreme endurance events is that just finishing them is a huge accomplishment.

Next, John gives a look into his diet and nutrition leading up to these big events. He was introduced to GU Energy Gel in Australia, before it was on the market. One of the hardest parts of mountain biking is eating on a rough trail. Many foods end up freezing in such high altitudes, so you have to be strategic about what you bring. In these environments, John reveals, you have to think differently about everything and learn by doing. Since he has reentered the sport in the last few years, technology has changed a lot. Following a GPS makes the race all the more efficient, because you can be prepared for the hills to come and see how much further you have to go.

In addition to his many other accomplishments, John entered a 24 hour solo race in Moab. Originally, the race wasn’t meant to be done alone, but when John wasn't allowed to enter the event as a solo participant, he decided to go for it anyway. Because of him, the race began to allow solo participants the very next year.

In 1990, John pioneered yet another big challenge, the Tour Divide race. Listen as he tells the story of how the race came to be. While he initially planned for the race to be a supported one, he ultimately realized it was ultimately meant to be unsupported. He believes that solitude is part of the challenge and the enjoyment for such races. The Tour Divide is a 2,745 mile annual mountain biking ride traversing the length of the Rocky Mountains, from Canada to the Mexican border.

In 2005, John’s FTK shifted from the Divide Race to the 320km John Muir Trail, this time on foot. He quit bike racing in 2000 to devote his time to his family and career. During this time, he turned to running for recreation. He participated in several races by foot and enjoyed the novelty of it, and being introduced to new trails which couldn’t be traveled by bike. Discussing his training regimen, John reveals that he often does best when he rides hard for multiple days in a row. Power meters are his most suggested method for measuring training. Finally, John shares his most proud accomplishment, which is that he changed the perception of endurance sports as something which is fun and approachable for everyone.

Thanks for tuning in! Don’t forget to like, share, and subscribe, and we hope to see you on the line in August!