Matt Mahoney's 2006 Colorado Vacation

I flew from Florida (17 ft elevation) to Colorado on Thursday, June 22, 2006 to begin altitude acclimation for the Hardrock 100 Mile Race on July 14. I spent one night at friends house in Boulder before driving to Leadville at 10,200 ft elevation and staying at the Leadville Hostel through July 12. My acclimation schedule was like this:

Pete and Carol starting up Sherman. We parked at the road on the other side of the meadow at 11,900 ft.

Sherman summit, 14,036 ft.

The Sherman trail is mostly talus with some snow patches.

The Leadville marathon heads east of town into the old mining district.

The climbing is gentle at first.

As we ascend, the roads get rougher and steeper. Here the grade approaches 30%.

Paul Koch leads the field just below treeline (11,800 ft) after returning from 13,150 ft Mosquito Pass, with Anton Krupicka only seconds back. Krupicka won in 3:41:04 followed by Koch in second place at 3:50:44. Results.