Rusch, Lakata Come Out - On Top Of It All!
Rebecca Rusch celebrates her fourth win with a new women’s record: 7:28:06.
Rebecca Rusch and Alban Lakata conquered more than 100 miles of challenging terrain with elevations as high as 12,424 feet to take be crowned champions at this year’s Leadville Trail 100 MTB. Nearly 2,000 riders from 50 states and 35 countries were in town to take on the country’s most prestigious ultra-distance mountain bike race.
Rebecca Rusch (Ketchum, Idaho) won the women’s division at 7:28:06, shattering the previous women’s record she set last year by more than three minutes. She’s the only woman in Leadville Trail 100 MTB to win four times. Among the women’s division, Sally Bigham (Poole, England) finished second at 7:34:35 and Pua Mata (Anaheim Hills, California) finished third at 7:38:04.
Alban Lakata wins the top prize at the LT100 MTB. Photo by Becky Thompson
Alban Lakata (Lienz, Austria) won the men’s division at 6:32:24. Lakata held off Christoph Sauser (Sigriswil, Switzerland), who finished second at 6:34:51, and Jeremiah Bishop (Harrisonburg, Virginia), who finished third at 6:41:58.
Congratulations Racers!
Calm Those Running Jitters with Some Q & A – Tonight!
Are you running The Race Across the Sky this weekend? Or maybe you’re a dedicated Leadville Trail 100 crew member? Still feeling a bit nervous about your preparedness? Well let some of the locals help soothe your jitters. Tonight at 7 p.m., Sawatch Backcountry presents “Going the Distance: A Question and Answer Session on Ultras, Diet and Injury.”
The program will provide an interactive chat with the folks who know firsthand what it takes to cross the finish line. Join Head Coach Miles Krier of the Leadville Running Company. Krier is a life-long athlete and professional exercise Physiology And General Science Educator. His ultra running career includes 10 Leadville Trail 100 finishes which earned him the coveted 1,000 mile Leadville buckle.
Joining him will be Nadia Kimmel, a registered nurse, nutrition consultant and executive director of Desert Mountain Medicine. Kimmel has 17 years of experience as an outdoor educator, has completed multiple ultras, paced others and worked the Hope Pass medical tent and other aid stations.
Eric Cutlip, the owner of Leadville Community Acupuncture will also participate in the panel. Cutlip is a Doctor of Oriental medicine and has also completed multiple 100 mile bike races in the Single Speed category.
For more information call 719-486-2271. This program is brought to you by the Leadville Running Company, Desert Mountain Medicine, Leadville Community Acupuncture.
Where It All Began: The Race Across The Sky will be held this Saturday, August 18 Photo by David Hahn.
