Ultra-Runners From All 50 States, 35 Countries, Take On Leadville 100
LEADVILLE, Colo. (CBS4) - More than 600 runners started the 35th annual Leadville Trail 100 Friday.
The first finisher broke the tape more than 17.5 hours later.
Ian Sharman, a British citizen from Bend, Oregon, won for the fourth time in 17:34:51. It was his third straight victory in the iconic "Race Across the Sky."
Two Denver men, David Tierney (18:32:34) and Michael Hewitt (18:59:45), came in second and third.
"Of all the times I raced Leadville," Sharman said, "this race was definitely the hardest for me and winning this year means more to me than my other wins because I had to overcome more. Leadville is a classic race and it's great racing here. I'll definitely be back at some point to go for five wins."
In the women's race, Devon Yanko of San Anselmo, California, too the top honor, finishing in 20:46:29. Simona Morbelli (21:16:22) of Climax, Colorado, and Christy Burns (21:43:15) of Evergreen, Colorado, followed her across the finish line.
"Racing Leadville has been on my bucket list for a long time," Yanko said. "I had such a great support group. This was the first time my husband paced me and towards the end of the race, he reminded me that one of my best skills is finishing strong so I was really excited to finish as strong as I did."
The Blueprint for Athletes Leadville Trail 100, presented by New Balance, is 100 miles in length and sends racers through challenging trail terrain with a total elevation climb of 14,000 feet.
Forty-five runners started the first race in 1983.
This year, 287 runners finished the race out of 601 who started.
