Trail Running · Colorado

🇺🇸Leadville Trail 100 Run:
Course Analysis & Race Readiness

160 km with 3,752 m of climbing above 3,000 m, topping out at 3,792 m. Twelve climbs, matched descents, and one-third flat running make this an altitude-drenched test of relentless durability.

CourseRecon scores your own training against the durability and descending demands that define Leadville Trail 100 Run — the sample analysis below shows exactly how.

160 km

Distance

+3,740 m

Vertical Gain

−3,750 m

Total Descent

Aug 22, 2026

Next Edition · 31 days out

Check YOUR readiness

Connect Strava · No card · 2 min

The Course · GPS-Measured

What 160 km / 99.2 mi and 3,740 m / 12,270 ft of vertical gain actually look like

Measured from the GPS track: 160 km / 99.2 mi and 3,740 m / 12,270 ft of vertical gain. This is the terrain you're signing up for: read it before it reads you.

Course Profile

Terrain summary

Claimed vs GPS-Measured

Claimed · Organizer

160km

Distance

+4,800m

Gain

−0.0 km−1,060 m

GPS-Measured

160km

Distance

+3,740m

Gain

Climb & Gradient

+3,740 mTotal Gain

−3,750 mTotal Loss

Gradient Distribution

60%

Flat

≤3% grade

17%

Run-Climb

3–15% up

Steep Climb

>15% up

19%

Descent

downhill

Steepest Sustained Sections

Climb

KM 85.4–89.7 · +704 m

+16.5%

Descent

KM 70.2–74.7 · −713 m

-16%

ClimbCRUX

KM 63.1–70.2 · +986 m

+13.8%

Descent

KM 89.7–96.9 · −979 m

-13.4%

Finish & Cutoff Times

What it takes to finish

Reference finish times from past results — use them to set a realistic goal pace.

15h 13m

Winning time

30h 00m

Back of pack

What This Race Demands

Four things this course asks of your body

Every course weights the four pillars of mountain-ultra fitness differently. Durability carries 52% of the scoring weight on this course — the terrain makes that the deciding factor.

Weighting shows where readiness is won or lost at this distance — not whether you need each pillar. An aerobic base is a given for a race this long, so it carries little deciding weight even though it's essential — the gaps open on the climbs, descents and the back half.

AerobicSustained engine

Foundational

Sustained effort over 160 km entirely above 3,000 m, peaking near 3,792 m.

ClimbingVertical power

16%

Twelve climbs and 3,752 m of gain, including one 986 m ascent at 13.8%.

DescendingEccentric / braking

33%

3,758 m of loss across eight descents, with drops of 979 m and 713 m at 13–16%.

DurabilityLate-race resilience

52%

160 km, 12 climbs, and 3,758 m of descent demand structural resilience deep into the race.

The Profile in One Line

A high-altitude 160 km ultra where sustained durability and long descents outweigh any single climb.

Aerobic FoundationalClimbing 16%Descending 33%Durability 52%

Here's how CourseRecon reads a course and an athlete

Sample Readiness Analysis

What a readiness result looks like for this course

This is a worked example for a representative strong mountain-ultra athlete — not your score. Connect your own training and the same analysis runs on you.

Sample

OUT OF 100

MOSTLY READY

For a representative strong mountain-ultra athlete

This is a sample — connect your Strava to see your own result.

Pillar Breakdown

Aerobic

Every kilometer sits above 3,055 m with a high point of 3,792 m, so thin air taxes the aerobic system across the full 160 km even on the 33% that is flat.

Climbing

Twelve climbs total 3,752 m, headlined by a 986 m ascent over 9.8 km and a 704 m section at 16.5%, requiring strong sustained uphill power at altitude.

Descending

3,758 m of descent over eight sections includes a 979 m drop and a 713 m plunge at 16%, punishing quads and demanding controlled downhill technique.

Durability

At 160 km with 3,752 m up and 3,758 m down, repeated climb-descent cycles late in the race make resistance to accumulated fatigue the decisive factor.

km 63–70

The 986 m Crux Climb

A 9.8 km ascent gaining 986 m at 13.8% is the course's biggest single climb, arriving near halfway to test climbing legs before the long descents.

km 89–97

The 979 m Descent

A 979 m drop over 7.3 km at -13.4% arrives just after the 704 m climb, hammering already-fatigued quads in the race's decisive middle section.

Whole course

Altitude and Distance

160 km run entirely above 3,055 m and up to 3,792 m compounds fatigue, making late-race durability the trait that separates finishers from contenders.

That was a sample