Leadville Trail Marathon & Heavy Half
Leadville Trail Marathon & Heavy Half race day weather
Cool start, warming finish
Runners will face a cool start at 45°F, warming significantly to 67°F by the finish. A light tailwind is expected early on, but headwinds will challenge runners from miles 7 to 20. With moderate climbs and descents, especially the significant ascent from miles 11 to 14, pacing adjustments and hydration will be crucial as temperatures rise. Overall, runners should prepare for a warm finish despite the cool start.
This course climbs 2,861 ft to its high point and back, so we look at it at 2 points, not just the start line. In a typical year, at 9:00/mi, you start at 45° and finish around 10:27 AM in 67°.
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Leadville Trail Marathon & Heavy Half route and elevation
The Leadville Trail Marathon & Heavy Half course has about 5,787 ft (1,764 m) of climbing and 5,766 ft (1,757 m) of descent, a net rise of about 21 ft (6 m). It is hillier than 99% of the marathon courses racecast.io has mapped, measured by what the hills cost in time. The hardest mile is mile 13, with 792 ft (241 m) of climbing and a 15% average grade.
Biggest climbs
- Miles 3.2 to 5.4: climbs about 1,285 ft (392 m).
- Miles 10.1 to 13.8: climbs about 2,075 ft (632 m).
- Miles 19.7 to 21.4: climbs about 835 ft (254 m).
What the hills cost
- 3:30 on a flat course is about 4:08 here (38 minutes slower).
- 4:00 on a flat course is about 4:43 here (43 minutes slower).
- 4:30 on a flat course is about 5:19 here (49 minutes slower).
Hills only, priced mile by mile on the course map. The pace calculator above adds the race-day weather.
Even-effort splits for a 3:30, 4:00 or 4:30 finish
| Mile | Climb | Descent | 3:30 | 4:00 | 4:30 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 172 ft | 0 ft | 7:59 | 9:08 | 10:16 |
| 2 | 445 ft | 0 ft | 10:21 | 11:49 | 13:18 |
| 3 | 101 ft | 282 ft | 6:13 | 7:07 | 8:00 |
| 4 | 402 ft | 57 ft | 9:27 | 10:48 | 12:09 |
| 5 | 707 ft | 0 ft | 12:57 | 14:47 | 16:38 |
| 6 | 178 ft | 197 ft | 6:39 | 7:36 | 8:34 |
| 7 | 0 ft | 540 ft | 5:56 | 6:48 | 7:38 |
| 8 | 10 ft | 342 ft | 5:59 | 6:50 | 7:42 |
| 9 | 364 ft | 4 ft | 9:35 | 10:57 | 12:18 |
| 10 | 2 ft | 158 ft | 6:16 | 7:10 | 8:04 |
| 11 | 293 ft | 3 ft | 8:58 | 10:15 | 11:32 |
| 12 | 526 ft | 0 ft | 11:07 | 12:42 | 14:18 |
| 13 | 792 ft | 0 ft | 13:51 | 15:49 | 17:48 |
| 14 | 464 ft | 66 ft | 9:55 | 11:20 | 12:45 |
| 15 | 0 ft | 656 ft | 6:03 | 6:55 | 7:47 |
| 16 | 0 ft | 804 ft | 6:20 | 7:15 | 8:09 |
| 17 | 0 ft | 395 ft | 5:57 | 6:47 | 7:38 |
| 18 | 67 ft | 153 ft | 6:26 | 7:22 | 8:17 |
| 19 | 99 ft | 71 ft | 6:55 | 7:54 | 8:53 |
| 20 | 33 ft | 306 ft | 6:04 | 6:56 | 7:47 |
| 21 | 563 ft | 0 ft | 11:28 | 13:07 | 14:46 |
| 22 | 239 ft | 355 ft | 6:23 | 7:17 | 8:12 |
| 23 | 0 ft | 614 ft | 6:00 | 6:51 | 7:42 |
| 24 | 300 ft | 70 ft | 8:27 | 9:40 | 10:53 |
| 25 | 35 ft | 415 ft | 5:57 | 6:48 | 7:39 |
| 26 | 0 ft | 276 ft | 6:03 | 6:55 | 7:46 |
| Last 0.4 | 0 ft | 6 ft | 2:44 | 3:07 | 3:31 |
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About the Leadville Trail Marathon & Heavy Half
This is a 26.2-mile (42.2 km) marathon through the mining districts east of Leadville, is held in June each year. The midpoint of the course is at Mosquito Pass, with an altitude of 13,185 feet (4,019 m). In 2006, a "heavy" half marathon event of 15 miles was added, which is run on the same day and also goes to the top of Mosquito Pass. Wikipedia
