Colorado women brave freezing temps, mountain passes to complete Leadville 100 ultramarathon

For most, completing a marathon is a high athletic achievement. For Steamboat Springs locals Jillian Albus and Sarah Horen, theirs is an “ultra” high athletic achievement after they successfully completed the grueling Leadville Trail 100 Run ultramarathon over the weekend.

A test of athletic endurance and mental strength, consisting of 100 miles of steep trail running through high-elevation peaks and covering over 15,000 feet of elevation gain, the Leadville 100 loops through Powerline, Sugarloaf Pass, Hope Pass and the Colorado Trail. 

For both women, it was their first time running in the Leadville 100 and completing an ultramarathon. Albus competed in another 100-mile race in Utah, but didn’t finish.

“Coming off not finishing (an ultramarathon) last year, I really wanted to dig deep when it got hard. I’m really proud of myself for that,” Albus said. 

Mountain biking is Horen’s primary sport, but she signed up for the five-event Lead Challenge to push herself in long-distance running.

“The run was a whole new experience for me, and I’ve never done an ultra(marathon) or anything. It was a big thing to try to achieve,” Horen said.

The Lead Challenge is demanding all summer long, with long distance, high altitude mountain biking and trail running events. It opened with the Leadville Trail Marathon in June, followed by the Silver Rush 50 in July.

In August, competitors must do the Leadville Trail 100 mountain bike race immediately followed by the Leadville 10K Run the next day. The challenge culminated with the Leadville Trail 100 Run, held last weekend on Aug. 16. 

Horen placed fourth for females overall in the Leadville Trail 100 mountain biking race, making it in under nine hours. With biking as her priority during training, her coach incorporated cross training with running and biking. 

She focused on activities that had a high impact on her leg muscles, such as climbing 14ers. Horen said that she already had the cardiovascular strength for such an intense long-distance run but her muscle strength was where she struggled the most. 

Horen finished the Lead Challenge as she crossed the finish line in 279th place overall for the Leadville 100 ultramarathon. Albus was just two places ahead of her in 277th place, a mere 11 seconds between their times. 

“I started training back when there was still snow on the ground,” Albus said, referring to long runs up and down Buffalo Pass road in the winter — as it was the area with the least snow. Albus focused on keeping a positive attitude during challenging moments in her training.

The race lasts over 24 hours, with racers running throughout the entire night and not only enduring physical exhaustion and cold temperatures but mental burnout as well. For Horen, this was one of the hardest sections of the race as she was freezing at the outbound aid station.

“I hit some walls with the cold in the middle of the night,” Horen said. 

Albus supported herself mentally by listening to a playlist that her friends added music to in difficult moments and getting a boost of positive energy when she saw her crew at each aid station. 

“Ultras are such a high and low. You’re on a roller coaster of emotions,” said Horen, noting that her “biggest battles” were relatively early on in the race between miles 21 and 38.

“It’s just like taking it one step at a time versus biting the whole thing and being overwhelmed with the whole challenge,” she explained. 

Albus’ struggles also occurred early on in the race, when she was feeling nauseous, found it hard to eat and was going slower than she wanted. “It wasn’t until mile 87 for the first time all day that I was like, OK, I have more of a chance than I thought I did before,” she said.

“I want to see how far I can push myself … I know that I’m strong and I think I just need that reminder for my brain to be as strong as my body,” Albus continued. 

One of Albus’ “high” moments was climbing up Hope Pass the second time. “There was this big, bright double-rainbow in the sky. It looked so beautiful,” said Albus, explaining that the moment was a reminder to take in the surrounding natural beauty even while she was exhausted. 

“And then, of course, the finish line. The last mile on the road with everybody cheering is unforgettable,” Albus said. 

One of Horen’s most memorable moments from the race was also hitting the finish line, although her crossing was not as traditional — she was closely followed by one of her pacers in a blow-up T-Rex costume. 

Horen and Albus met earlier this summer during the Yampa River Festival through mutual friends, even running a few times together to practice. “It was nice to know that there was somebody else out there who was running the same trails as me all summer,” Albus said. 

“It was really cool to be right there near Sarah (Horen) at the end. We finished pretty much almost together,” Albus added. 

Of Albus, Horen said, “Seeing Jillian out there was amazing. Seeing all my friends on the course and everyone going through the same thing and having such an awesome attitude and spirit.”

Both athletes came into the race with a simple goal of finishing before the cutoff time of 30 hours. At a time of 29 hours and 23 minutes, they not only accomplished that but conquered personal milestones.

“It was really a bucket list item … The main thing is taking on new challenges and things that you’re really uncomfortable with. Ultras are something that I’ve never really dabbled in prior to this, so just finding those challenges and stretching ourselves to see what we can accomplish,” said Horen. 

“It was an incredible experience. It’s a race that people try to get into for a long time, and I feel really lucky to be able to have run it so early on in my running journey,” Albus said.

She noted that in a town like Steamboat, with so many high-level athletes, it can be intimidating to not always be the fastest — but showing up and staying committed ultimately is what counts.