By Daniel Petty, courtesy of the Denver Post
Boulder’s Ryan Smith won the Leadville 100 trail run on Saturday night thanks to consistent second-half pacing that left his rivals unable to respond. It was the biggest win of his ultrarunning career.
© Provided by MediaNews Group d/b/a Digital First Media Ryan Smith #931 races with Clare Gallagher, his pacesetter, during the Leadville trail 100 run on August 17, 2019, in Leadville.
The Boulder-based runner, who came to the United States from the United Kingdom and works full-time a software engineer, was greeted at the finish by his wife and almost 2-year-old daughter. He turned 40 years old this year.Bath To Shower Conversions – See MoreDiscover & Browse Bath To Shower Conversions Now on ConsumerSearch!Sponsored by consumersearch.com
“There’s just a lot of running in the race,” Smith said, referring to the long flat sections along much of the course. “It really favors a flat runner rather than a mountain runner, and I typically do a lot of mountain stuff.”
His win — in 16 hours, 33 minutes, 25 seconds — was far from expected. Smith was not among the pre-race favorites to win, and he wasn’t feeling well leading into the Twin Lakes aid station near the 40-mile mark. But at the turnaround at Winfield, he held his pace steady, averaging around 10 minutes per mile for the rest of the race.
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