Leadville, Colorado · Trail
Official site ↗Leadville Trail 100
The Race Across the Sky: 100 miles out-and-back through the Colorado Rockies from Leadville, entirely above 9,200 feet, crossing 12,532-foot Hope Pass in both directions.
Distances
- Distance
- 100 mi (161 km)
- Vert gain
- 15,744 ft (4,800 m)
- Cutoff
- 30 hr
Out-and-back over 12,532-foot Hope Pass, twice · WSER 2027 qualifier (sub-30:00)
| Distance | Vert gain | Cutoff | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 100 mi (161 km) | 15,744 ft (4,800 m) | 30 hr | Out-and-back over 12,532-foot Hope Pass, twice · WSER 2027 qualifier (sub-30:00) |
Course records: Anne Flower 17:58:19 (2025) · David Roche 15:12:30 (2025)
About
The Leadville Trail 100 started in 1983 as a way to save a collapsing mining town, and it worked: every August the town of Leadville, the highest incorporated city in the United States, empties onto Sixth Street at 4 a.m. to send runners out on the Race Across the Sky. The course runs out-and-back on trails and dirt roads along the Colorado Trail, starting at 10,200 feet and never dropping below 9,200.
The centerpiece is Hope Pass at 12,532 feet, crossed outbound and again on the return, with the Twin Lakes crossings on either side. Sub-25-hour finishers earn the big gold and silver belt buckle; the 30-hour gun ends it. Roughly half the field finishes in a typical year.
Course
Out-and-back from downtown Leadville along Turquoise Lake, over Sugarloaf and Powerline, through Twin Lakes, and over Hope Pass to the Winfield turnaround, then all of it again in reverse. About 15,744 feet of climbing, all between 9,200 and 12,532 feet.
How to register
Entry is by lottery each winter, with additional spots through Leadville Race Series qualifiers, charity entries, and the Leadman and Leadwoman series. The race is produced by Life Time.