It’s no secret that the Leadville 100 MTB is one of the toughest endurance races in the world. Each August, hundreds of cyclists tackle this grueling course, biking over 100 miles of rocky terrain 10,000 feet above sea level. For most athletes, finishing this race a single time represents a bucket-list accomplishment.
But when John Callahan and Todd Murray pedaled across the finish line on Saturday, it was far from their first time. The two cyclists have been showing up for the Leadville 100 MTB every year since the first race in 1994. Back then, it was simply an outgrowth of the Leadville 100, or “Race Across the Sky,” an ultramarathon that started in 1983.
Now Murray and Callahan, both 61, have watched it grow from a relatively small competition of about 130 riders to a major event with nearly 2,000 competitors. They’ve rolled through plenty of changes over the years, showing up to Leadville, Colo., every summer and finishing the exhausting race. Even during years when tragedy threatened to derail their annual pilgrimage, they somehow found their way back to the starting line.
For completing the race a 30th time this Saturday — amounting to 3,000 miles — they each received an enormous, glittering belt buckle from event organizer LifeTime Race Series.
“It’s slowly starting to sink in what John and I have done and it feels really special,” Murray said. “Countless people can attest to the fact that this race changed their life.”
Pedaling Through MTB History
Cycling in general — and certainly mountain biking specifically — has changed a lot since the halcyon days of 1994. As a result, the inaugural Leadville 100 MTB was quite a bit more relaxed, according to Murray and Callahan.
For one thing, a lack of modern technology made everything a bit more vague than today’s world of GPS-enabled watches and smartphones. The length of the course — tied with the small number of participants — meant that most riders spent most of the race alone.
“We weren’t using GPS back in the beginning, so who knew how long it actually was?” Murray said.
Back then, everyone started at the same time, rather than the wave starts that organizers now employ to avoid bottlenecks early in the race. The initial course also offered more singletrack and even a section on the Colorado Trail. These were eventually removed as the race gained popularity with the advent of cycling superstars like Lance Armstrong.
And Murray and Callahan certainly couldn’t use the full-suspension mountain bikes so common today. Everyone was riding the same 26” wheels with inner tubes, they said. Callahan still remembers the hardtail he used in the early years, and he doesn’t think bike upgrades have fundamentally changed the nature of the race. The five major climbs, including Sugar Loaf, Power Line, and Columbine, remain just as difficult now as they were in 1994, according to Callahan.
Total elevation gain of the race remains around 12,000 feet.
“The difference in bikes doesn’t change the effort you have to put in,” he said. “You can be more comfortable, but the effort doesn’t change.”
Finding a Reason to Keep Going
Callahan and Murray weren’t friends when they started racing in Leadville. In fact, they didn’t officially meet for the first 10 years. But as they kept returning year after year, the two Colorado residents forged a friendship through a mutual love of the race.
“We know each other so well in so many ways,” Callahan said. “It creates a strong bond, even though we don’t see each other much.”
Doing anything for 30 years straight is difficult — and both Callahan and Murray had moments when they hesitated to put themselves through the wringer all over again.
The worst year was 2018, when Callahan’s oldest son committed suicide. He and his family were crushed, and he couldn’t bring himself to even get on the bike. When race day arrived in August, he struggled to find the motivation, but eventually found himself driving to Leadville. It was a tough day, and as Callahan struggled to reach the finish line, he found himself alongside his friend Murray. For the first time, the pair were arriving at the finish line together.
They rode the fast few miles holding hands.
“I was finally able to forget the pain I was going through,” Callahan said. “I came away from that race with a different mindset than when I went into it.”
Leadville 100 MTB 2024
The list of people with life-changing stories from the Leadville MTB race includes this year’s winner in the women’s category: Melisa Rollins.
She first entered the competition 8 years ago through a charity slot. (The race is now so popular that it’s kept to about 1,800 riders chosen through a lottery.) Rollins finished in just over 10 hours in what she later described as the “hardest day of her life.” But it lit a fire in her that became an obsession, she wrote on Instagram this week.
That obsession led to her first pro contract in 2021, when she finished sixth. This year, she came in first place with a time of 7:10:10.
“Leadville is much more than a race to me,” Rollins wrote. “It’s my cycling origin story, my purpose when I don’t feel like training. It’s my why.”
As for the men’s winner, defending champion Keegan Swenson came and conquered once again, earning his fourth consecutive victory. In 2023, Swenson set a new course record of 5:43:31. He managed to complete the course nearly that fast this year (final time was 5:43:31) — despite a flat tire early in the race.
Both Callahan and Murray also found themselves on the podium for a photo sporting their giant-size buckles. Callahan actually took first place for his age group, setting a new personal best over his previous record from 20 years earlier. Murray also finished in style, coming in third place for his age group.
“But that’s not the thing,” Callahan said. “I’m not going for belt buckles. I’m going ‘cause it’s fun. It’s been such a thrill to do this race for 30 years in a row.”
