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"The athletes did not disappoint at any level once the gun went off. It was a magnificent day for all aspects of Leadville."
LEADVILLE, Colo.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Rebecca Rusch and Todd Wells conquered more than 100 miles of challenging Colorado Rockies terrain and elevations ranging from 9,000 to 12,612 feet to take top honors at this year’s Leadville Trail 100 MTB. Nearly 2,000 riders from 50 states and 21 countries descended upon Leadville, Colo. to take on the country’s most prestigious ultra-distance mountain bike race.
Competing against a stellar field of some of the country’s best mountain bikers on the 103-mile course, Rebecca Rusch (Ketchum, Idaho) won the women’s division at 7:31:45, shattering the previous women’s record she set last year by more than 16 minutes. She’s the only woman in Leadville Trail 100 MTB to win three times.
Todd Wells (Durango, Colo.) won the men’s division at 6:23:38, just seven minutes shy of last year’s record of 6:16:37, set by Levi Leipheimer. Wells’ time is the men’s second fastest finish in course history.
The women’s division was the most competitive in recent history and saw Gretchen Reeves (Avon, Colo.) finishing second at 7:35:38 and Pua Mata (Anaheim Hills, Calif.) finishing third at 7:37:50. Both women also broke last year’s record set by Rusch. In the men’s division, Alban Lakata (Lienz, Austria) finished second at 6:27:57, and Alex Grant (Salt Lake City, Utah) finished third at 6:35:32.
“From the moment Ken Chlouber electrified the field today with his words of inspiration at the pre-race meeting until the start of the race, we felt we had the deepest field in the event’s history,” said Scott Giffin, Leadville Race Director. “The athletes did not disappoint at any level once the gun went off. It was a magnificent day for all aspects of Leadville.”
The renowned Leadville Trail 100 MTB is the original ultra-distance mountain bike event, beginning and ending in the heart of Leadville, Colo., located west of Denver. Since 1994, the Leadville Trail 100 has been attracting thousands of racers to the Colorado community. For all Leadville race results and more information, visit www.leadvilleraceseries.com.
About the Leadville Race Series
Launched with 45 runners as the Leadville Trail 100 in 1983, the Leadville Race Series now consists of six running events and three mountain biking events. The Leadville Race Series hosts thousands of racers on foot and on mountain bike in some of the world’s most iconic events and environment. It begins each July with the Leadville Trail Marathon and Heavy Half Marathon events and concludes with the 12/24 Hours of Leadville MTB and Run in September. Endurance athletes worldwide now make the pilgrimage to Leadville, Colo., with the single goal of competing in a “Race Across the Sky.” For more information, visit leadvilleraceseries.com.
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