PRESS RELEASE – LEADVILLE, Colo., Aug. 1, 2019 — Set to take place on Saturday, Aug. 10, the 26th annual Leadville Trail 100 Mountain Bike Race, owned and produced by Life Time, is expected to host more than 1,500 hardcore mountain bike racers with an assortment of notable names in the registration mix for America’s highest 100-miler. The Leadville Trail 100 MTB is an extreme test of grit, guts and determination with the ultimate goal of completing the “Race Across The Sky” and earning the coveted silver and gold race buckle.
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The 2019 Leadville Trail 100 MTB athlete participant list includes more than 20 professional and distinguished riders, including top female talent Rose Grant, Nina Laughlin and Sarah Sturm, along with road bikers venturing off the pavement and onto the Colorado Rockies for the very first time. Noteworthy participants in the 2019 Leadville Trail 100 MTB include:
- Todd Wells — Races for SRAM/TLD Factory Racing; 2001, 2005 & 2010 USA Cyclocross National champion, and 3x Leadville Trail 100 MTB Champ
- Howard Grotts — Member of Team USA for cross country cycling in 2016 Summer Olympics, reigning and 2x champ of Leadville Trail 100 MTB
- Payson McElveen — 2x top-3 finish at Leadville Trail 100 MTB, 2x Leadville Marathon National Champion 2017, 2018
- Alex Howes — Rides for UCI WorldTeam EF Education First; current US Pro Road National Champion
- Taylor Phinney — Rides for UCI WorldTeam EF Education First
- Lachlan Morton — Rides for UCI WorldTeam EF Education First
- Ted King — Former UCI ProTeam Cannondale—Garmin, 2x Dirty Kanza winner
- Jake Wells — U.S. cyclocross national championship titles in Masters 40-45 & Singlespeed amateur
- Jacob Rathe — Rides for Wildlife Generation Pro Cycling p/b Maxxis
- Jeremiah Bishop — Rides for Topeak-Ergon Racing Team; has won all major U.S. mountain bike stage races
- Alex Grant — Rides for Cannondale Factory Racing; recently won the 2019 Crusher in the Tushar
- Peter Stetina — Rides for UCI WorldTeam Trek—Segafredo
- Todd Murray — Participant of every Leadville Trail 100 MTB over 26 years
- John Callahan — Participant of every Leadville Trail 100 MTB over 26 years
Current Leadville Trail 100 MTB record holders:
- Male: Alban Lakata: 5:58:35, set in 2015
- Female: Annika Langvad: 6:59:24, set in 2015
Life Time Founder and CEO Bahram Akradi, who is participating in the race for his 10th year, has pledged to donate $1,000 for every minute he completes the race under a twelve-hour benchmark to the Life Time Foundation, which aims to provide healthy school lunches to children across the nation by removing The Harmful 7via its partnerships with school districts across the nation. Akradi has raised more than $1 Million for the Life Time Foundation over the past three years with his Every Minute Counts campaign.
Both the Life Time Foundation and Leadville Trail 100 Legacy Foundation, which provides a $1,000 scholarship to each graduate of Leadville High School that chooses to pursue any form of higher education, will be present at the race expo which is free and open to the public throughout the weekend. The expo includes more than 70 booths and will host a women’s panel as part of the Women Ride The World campaign, which focuses on breaking down the barrier of entry for women in cycling. This year’s participant mix includes more than 270 female racers.
Created for the most determined athletes, participants of the Stages Cycling Leadville Trail 100 MTB compete in an ascending 100 miles of extreme terrain beginning at an altitude of 10,152 feet and climbing to 12,424 feet. The event is part of the Leadville Race Series, which takes place over three months each year, drawing thousands.
The Leadville Race Series is owned and produced by Life Time, the premier healthy lifestyle brand. It is among more than 30 premier athletic events owned by the company, including the New York City Triathlon, the Chicago Triathlon, the Miami Marathon, and the Dirty Kanza.
