Ian Sharman Wins Leadville 100!

Saturday, August 17th was a victorious day for Ian Sharman and SCOTT Sports! Facing his third 100 mile race this summer, Ian headed to Leadville, CO to race in the prestigious Leadville 100.  With 4 weeks of recovery since his 4th place finish at the Vermont 100, Ian headed to Colorado early to acclimate to the altitude and do some hiking.

As Ian lined up at the start line, wearing his trusty T2 Kinabalus, he knew he was a dark horse contender.  With 200 miles already in his legs and minimal recovery, Ian was not on the rader to take home the trophy.  But, by mile 40, Ian and fellow runner Nick Clark were holding steady around 4th and 5th place.  As they headed to Hope Pass, with almost 3,000ft of climbing, Ian played it conservatively, choosing to power hike the whole climb.  Ian's pacing paid off, and by mile 60 he found himself in 2nd place with the distant thought of winning floating through his head.

Keeping his focus on the task at hand, Ian continued to manage his energy, understanding the limitations he faced with both the vertical climbing and the altitude, and by mile 67 he was in the lead, passing competitors who had gone out stronger in the beginning.  Ian continued to feel strong until about mile 82, where fatigue started to set in.  Digging deep, Ian continued on and even found his competitive spirit, finding the strength to pick up his pace and hold off Nick Clark for the lead.  16 hours, 30 minutes, and 4 seconds into the Leadville 100, Ian crossed the finish line first.  Dark horse no more, Ian was a full 36 minutes ahead of second place finisher Nick Clark.

Ian Sharman on the Winners' Podium. Photo courtesy irunfar.com

One huge trophy and top of the podium later, Ian heads home to California to rest before his final 100 mile race of the season.  With only 3 weeks of recovery, Ian will compete in the Wasatch 100 on September 7th.  For information on Ian, follow his blog.

CORRECTION

In last week's newsletter it was reported that Sage Canaday would next be competing at the Jungfrau Marathon in Switzerland.  Sage's next race is the UROC 100 in Colorado on September 28th.  Sage will be competing for the Ultra Skymarathon Series Championship.