Episode Details

Brayden came back on the podcast after finishing one of the hardest races in the country: the Leadville Trail 100.

What makes his story crazy is that he wasn't expecting to get into Leadville this year. He entered the lottery thinking it might take 3–5 years. Then the acceptance email showed up, and suddenly he had to figure out how to prepare for 100 miles through the Colorado mountains.

We walk through the entire experience.

Brayden talks about training for his first 100 miler, dealing with the altitude and heat, climbing Hope Pass, relying on his crew, watching other runners drop from the race, and eventually reaching the point where every mile became a fight against the cutoff.

One part of the conversation stuck with me.

Before the race, Brayden had already decided when he would allow himself to stop. A missed cutoff. A serious injury. Something medically wrong.

Being tired wasn't on the list.

So when things got bad, he didn't have to decide whether he wanted to keep going. That decision had already been made.

By mile 80, his Achilles was hurting, his knees were cooked, his quads locked up after sitting at an aid station, and the clock was becoming a real problem.

He kept moving.

This episode is obviously about Leadville. But it's also about commitment, preparation, friendship, suffering, and finding out what you're capable of when quitting would be much easier.

Brayden's story made me want to run Leadville even more.

Although after hearing the full story, I'm not sure that's the rational response.

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