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!