Fourteen years in the past, in the course of the summer season of 2009, I had the great fortune to run three of North America’s most iconic 100-mile races. With my household by my facet, we traveled to the Western States 100, Hardrock 100, and Leadville 100 Mile and loved the splendor of those three excellent occasions over the course of 11 weeks. For all 5 of us, it was probably the greatest household summers of our lives.

This 12 months, as luck would have it, I had the chance to journey to every considered one of these races once more, this time as a volunteer and crew member. In some ways, all three occasions held the identical magic and maintained the identical really feel as they did 14 years in the past however, as one may anticipate, some issues had modified.

The writer racing the Western States 100 in 2009. Picture: Glenn Tachiyama

The Western States 100, the granddaddy of all of them, was already immensely well-liked again in 2009. Nonetheless, after I evaluate what I noticed in 2009 to what I noticed this previous 12 months, one factor stands out. There was a big enhance within the variety of spectators, sponsors, and media members attending the occasion.

Considered one of my tasks at this 12 months’s Western States was to work alongside my good good friend Scott Wolfe, monitoring parking at Robinson Flat, the mile 30 assist station of the race. It was exceptional to see the variety of sponsor automobiles and media groups that descended on the racecourse. Moreover, it appeared just like the quantity of people that had pushed as much as the help station to easily watch the race was large. I, for one, like to see the elevated curiosity within the race and sit up for being a part of the volunteer staff that works to handle this progress within the years to return.

Media assemble to attend for the winners on the end line of the 2023 Western States 100. Picture: Garth McGimpsey

On the Hardrock 100, I used to be privileged to be a part of the Run Steep Get Excessive media staff that was video streaming the race reside from the Silverton Excessive Faculty gymnasium. Over the course of 48 hours, we labored to deliver the occasion to folks reside by way of YouTube. It was a brand new expertise for all of us and one which helped to share the occasion with the extremely world.

After I evaluate the 2009 occasion to this previous 12 months the one factor that stood out is how a lot of a world occasion it had change into. Whereas there was the occasional worldwide runner within the occasion a decade and a half in the past, this 12 months the race was populated by runners from over a dozen international locations, one thing I think will proceed to extend because the attain of the race expands.

Lastly, for my return to the Leadville 100 Mile, I used to be a part of a staff of coaches from CTS offering help to runners at Twin Lakes, a key assist station at miles 37 and 62. All through the day and into the night time, we related with dozens of runners in addition to their crews and pacers.

What struck me about so many of those interactions was how many individuals had been working Leadville as their first ever 100-mile race. Again in 2009, I might guess that only a few folks ran this occasion as their first 100 miler. This 12 months, at the very least in my expertise, it appeared that greater than half had been doing so.

Jacquie Mannhard celebrates successful the 2023 Leadville 100 Mile. Picture: Life Time

It was fantastic for me to revisit the Western States 100, Hardrock 100, and Leadville 100 Mile multi function summer season. The chance to see the vibrancy of the path and extremely neighborhood shut up was inspiring for me and gave me renewed hope for the long run, even all these years later.

Bottoms up!

AJW’s Beer of the Week

This week’s beer of the week comes from Eddyline Brewery in Buena Vista, Colorado, simply down the highway from Leadville. The Boater Beer Pilsner is a quintessential summer season beer, good for a day on the river or within the mountains. Gentle and crispy and weighing in at a modest 4.5% ABV, Boater Beer is a pleasant, all-purpose beer for any event.

Name for Feedback

Is there a race that you just’ve been going to for lots years, and what adjustments have you ever observed happen?