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35th Anniversary of the Blueprint for Athletes Leadville Trail 100 Run – Paul DeWitt Q & A
It’s the 35th Anniversary of the Leadville Trail 100 Run! Over the next several months, we are catching up with former LT100 Run winners to get the inside scoop on the race, tips on training, and how winning the Leadville Trail 100 impacted their lives.
Today we are excited to be chatting with two-time Leadville Trail 100 Run winner Paul DeWitt (2003, 2004)!
LRS: What inspired you to run the Leadville Trail 100?
I grew up thinking ultras were crazy, but after moving to Colorado I was doing more and more trail running, and a lot of the most interesting events happened to be ultras. I had done a few shorter running and snowshoe races in Leadville and figured the 100 would be a good one to try. It didn’t have any entry requirements which helped as well as I had never done an ultra when I signed up for my first LT100.
LRS: What was the most memorable part of running the Leadville Trail 100?
Being able to share the experience with family and friends. I ran it 4 times in a row (4th, 2nd, 1st, 1st) and each time had a number of friends and family help crew and pace, several of whom went on to finish the race themselves, including my wife, dad, and brother-in-law.
LRS: How did winning the Leadville Trail 100 Run affect your life?
It was the first real high profile ultra I won so there was a fair amount of press coverage and I started getting invited to more races. When I first started coaching it helped to have name recognition but now I’m known more as a coach then a former runner.
LRS: What have you been up to since you won?
I continued competing seriously for another 5 years (through 2009) and then transitioned into coaching other runners, which has been my full-time job for the last 6 or 7 years. I stay active hiking, mountain biking, and rock climbing.
LRS: What is the best piece of advice you could give to someone who is thinking about running the Leadville Trail 100?
Learn how to power hike; you’ll be doing a lot of it on race day!
For more information about Paul’s run coaching, visit his official website: http://www.dewittcoaching.com.