The runners in the 2015 Leadville Trail 100 were up and running before the rooster crowed in the old mining town high in Colorado's Rocky Mountains on Saturday, Aug. 22. Nearly 800 lined up on 6th St. for the legendary shotgun start, then trotted into the night. The fastest men will finish in about 16-to-17 hours. The top women will make it back to Leadville in about 19 hours. The overall race record is held by Matt Carpenter of Manitou Springs, who in 2005 became the first runner to finish in daylight. He clocked 15 hours, 42 minutes, 59 seconds.
This is a lot like Christmas morning for mountain/ultra/trail runners.