Boulder’s Clare Gallagher won the 34th annual Leadville Trail 100 in July, in her first try at the distance, and in the second fastest time ever. The 24 year old, who was second in the state cross country meet back in 2008, tells us how she did it, and we celebrate her success with this month’s “The Runner Box” Colorado Runner of the Month prize.
Clare, congrats! A win and in such a fast time, in your first 100, that’s pretty incredible. I’ve read some about your background – Princeton, Thailand, Rocky Mountain Runners – but how did you come to be on a 100-mile starting line? I mean, it seems like you skipped a whole bunch of lesser distances, and you’re just 24 – much younger than many people running 100s.
As soon as I did my first ultra and trail race (50 miles), six months after graduating from Princeton while living in Thailand, I knew that 100 miles would be in my future. To be honest, I didn’t overthink signing up for a 100—I just knew that I wanted to do one, ideally to earn enough points to enter UTMB next year. Running a race in Colorado was important because I wanted to be able to drive to the starting line. I suppose, too, that I tend to underestimate things in my mind. Leadville was an instance that actually worked out; I only cried once!
People either love Leadville or hate it, it seems. How’d you decide on Leadville for your first 100?
Leadville’s history speaks for itself, and its highly runnable nature suits my strengths. I’m not keen on super technical routes. Instead, I thrive off relentless slog miles of zone-out trail or service road. The fact that Leadville has so many mile of ‘slog,’ which most trail runners despise, is one of the reasons I was so happy during the race. I was thriving in my element! Many a flat mile I thought of my training partner and former college teammate from Princeton, Abby Levene. She’s now a professional triathlete in Boulder and her slow runs are my fast ones. I thought, “if Abby were here, she would not be running a 10 minute mile on flat road.” Personal motivators, both harsh and positive, like this were key to keep pushing throughout the second half.
Being a 100-mile rookie, I’m curious how you trained? What kind of mileage and time per week for instance?
I coach myself and sometimes that’s great, like when I decide to take multiple days off just because, but then not so great when I decide that my life depends on a 32 mile run on cement. My weekly mileage peaked at 95-100 miles in June, July and August, but dipped as low as 35-40 when I’d take consecutive days off to calm down injury scares or a busted ankle the size of a small watermelon (which happened 5+ times this summer…). I try to not be anal. That’s when things get out of control. A busy schedule of work and school helped temper my stoke, along with outrageously fun runs in the high country with friends.
Your 19:00 time ranks as second all-time in the 34-year history of Leadville. Were you working off target splits at any point during the race, or just running?
I didn’t know that until after the race when a reporter from the Denver Post told me. I was delirious and said something along the lines of “sweet.” Now, days after the race, I realize this is more than sweet, but proof that prior experience isn’t a prerequisite for success; I hope other new ultrarunners, regardless of age, see my win as proof that you can surprise yourself if your expectations aren’t set too high. To answer your question, yes, I had target splits. I averaged the top women’s’ times from the last few years for each aid station and tried to stick to that range (I taped this piece of paper into a Ziploc bag that I cut with nail clippers the night before. I never actually looked at it during the race though. I went entirely on feel. Had I started to feel really bad or too fast, I suppose I would’ve referenced it). I was ahead of the target pace for most of the race, and really pulled ahead in the middle miles. Surprisingly, this is when I felt the slowest! I wish I knew Ann Trason’s splits from her course record time. What an inspiring crusher!
I think I saw that you’re also registered for September’s Run Rabbit Run 100 in Steamboat. Just over a week after Leadville, does that turnaround still look doable?
Thank you for reminding me! I just let the RD know that I will not be starting. I’ve received a lot of solicited and unsolicited advice post-Leadville about how best to recover. It seems a lot of people are concerned about me becoming a ‘one hit wonder.’ I, too, am also motivated to not make Leadville my only successful race. Thus, I am recovering for months before my next big romp. But, I’ll be crewing for my friend, and Leadville pacer, Amanda Smash’em Basham at RRR. I owe her big time after she dragged my body, in the dark, for the last 26 miles of Leadville!
What’s your favorite thing in the RunnerBox?
KaKookies! I was starving when I got the box and ate this scrumptious treat right away. Any gluten free cookie is good to me (I’m a Celiac), and this was particularly coconutty J I also like the concept of a RunnerBox in that the receiver doesn’t have to make any decisions. It’s all chosen for you and it’s all awesome product! Thank you, Colorado Runner!
Thanks Clare and good luck at future races! Follow Clare on twitter @puppiesonmts and on Instagram @ccgallag.
“Leave the research to us, and we’ll leave the training to you,” says Runner Box. The Runner Box is a subscription-based service that delivers a “box” of runner-friendly goodies to you every other month, items like gels, bars, and other accessories hand-picked to add to your running. Many items are new to the market, and new items are expected with each box. A great service for yourself, the boxes also make great gifts and are often themed around holidays.
Previous “The Runner Box” Colorado Runners of the Month:
July 16 – Addie Bracy
May 16 – Tabor Scholl
April 16 – Amanda Basham
February 16 – Alia Gray
November 15 – Ali Williams
October 15 – Neely Gracey
September 15 – Timmy Parr
August 15 – Andy Wacker
July 15 – Lanie Szuch
June 15 – Joe Gray
May 15 – Brittni Hutton
April 15 – Andy Rinne
March 15 – Justin Ricks
February 15 – Laura Thweatt