Independent movie “Rosemead,” directed by Eric Lin and starring Lucy Liu, will open in theaters on December 5, but Denverites already sneaked a peek during the 48th Denver Film Festival on Saturday.

After being awarded the 2025 John Cassavetes Award in Denver on Saturday, Lucy Liu, who is also the movie’s producer, shared how “Rosemead” intends to break away from the industry’s tendency to typecast Asian actors.

“I think that when I came into the business of Hollywood, there was an exoticism that was required, or I guess it was something that people wanted,” Liu told the Denver Film Festival audience during a Q&A before the movie. “And I’ve never really thought of myself as exotic before. If anything, I thought, what? You know, if I looked like everyone else, you know, that was American, it would have been so much easier.”

Liu said that initially, she had an audition only once every few months, as roles were scarce. The narratives Hollywood considered suitable for Asian actors were extremely limited, focusing primarily on action and martial arts. And while those movies are entertaining, Liu said, they don’t allow for a broader range of stories.

“Our own personal stories are hidden and not brought to the surface because we don’t think there’s going to be an audience for it. But they should let us choose,” she said. “Whether you want to see it or you don’t want to see it, it’s your choice. But the fact that it’s not even there is not acceptable.”

In Eric Lin’s “Rosemead,” Liu plays the role of a Chinese immigrant mother who discovers that her schizophrenic teenage son, played by Lawrence Shou, has a fascination with mass shootings. The film received awards at the Bentonville, Locarno, Belfast, and Philadelphia film festivals, and resonated with international audiences in the United States and Europe.

“It shines a light on a lot of topics that a lot of people don’t even talk about with their friends, let alone at home.” Liu said she hoped “Rosemead” would spark honest conversations about issues that are often avoided due to a sense of shame.

When the film opens in December, it is set to prompt discussion about difficult topics and contribute to a more authentic and complex representation of Asian communities on screen. If the turnout at the Denver Film Festival is any indication, the audience for these stories is already there.

Gun violence and cartel kidnappings are not typical material for lyrical fiction. But for Jennifer Clement, they are the starting point.

Ms. Clement, president of PEN International and author of several critically acclaimed novels, is a key speaker at this year’s San Miguel Writers’ Conference in Mexico.

Her books explore urgent and controversial issues through lyrical storytelling, depicting harsh realities through the eyes of young, psychologically complex characters. Writing about current affairs in a fictional form does not require less research. If anything, it requires more.

“What the reader reads is a very small amount compared to what went into writing the book,” Jennifer Clement says.

Her latest book, “Gun Love,” took her seven years to research and write. For two years, Ms. Clement even received the daily local newspaper from a town in Florida to get a feel for the setting of her story. She describes the final work as the tip of the iceberg.

“I’ve been to the NRA twice, I’ve interviewed survivors of massacres, like, for example, some of the kids that were in the Batman movie [the 2012 Aurora shooting], and just all kinds of research and interviews. None of that ended up in ‘Gun Love,’ but I think the book sits on it. It sits on that research.”

While there is no shortage of tragedy, “Gun Love” seeks to avoid judgment, focusing instead on moments of light in even the most grotesque situations, Ms. Clement says.

“I go to these themes through the door of poetry. That means that in the greatest darkness, to try and find light, in where there is profanity to try and find the divine, so that where there is ugliness, I place beauty. That is my poetical intention.”

That approach is not always easy. American gun culture, she says, bewilders her.

“It’s hard to understand, and I find it also completely immoral, because it’s such a huge business.”

Arms trafficking represents a significant revenue stream for some gun dealers in the United States. A 2013 study by the University of San Diego found that 47% of U.S. gun dealers would go out of business if firearms were no longer trafficked from the United States to Mexico.

But strong emotions about these realities, she says, can drive a story. She wrote both “Gun Love” and “Prayers for the Stolen,” a novel about cartel violence and the abduction of girls from rural Guerrero, out of deep distress.

“In my case, I would say that at least these last two books of mine were written from a lot of pain, something that really hurts me on some level. I mean, to have little girls stolen in Guerrero, and then all this gun violence and the way it’s affecting Mexico. I’m horrified about what’s going on here now. And the guns play a big part.”

During the writing process, however, Ms. Clement says she focuses on her characters’ voices and their perceptions, rather than her emotions.

“In ‘Gun Love,’ it’s Pearl’s story, and it’s Pearl who’s speaking. It isn’t Jennifer Clement who’s speaking,” she says, referring to the book’s main character. 

“She takes over in this mysterious way that happens when you write. Many, many writers talk about this happening to them, and I can say that it happens to me. I sort of hear her, and I kind of let her speak.”

To avoid telling readers what to think, she gave the draft to a fellow writer who is an avid hunter and gun enthusiast. 

“I said, can you just read this book and make sure it’s okay if you’re a hunter reading it. And he said: yes, it was okay.” 

The book’s settings also evolved as the writing progressed. 

“A lot of people think that maybe I chose Florida because it has this reputation of being very exotic and full of strange people. But actually, that’s not the reason. I chose Florida because I wanted very much, and I didn’t know this until into the writing, very much the spirits of the native people to be in my book.”

The fate of Native American nations during European settlement plays a subtle but important role in “Gun Love,” accompanying the main characters through songs, references, and prophetic encounters.

“One thing that’s very clear is that no Indigenous population has ever been able to win against guns,” she said, noting that firearms were central to the violent displacement and destruction of Native American nations, many of whom lived in what is now Florida.

“They walked the Trail of Tears to try and get away. And so, in ‘Gun Love,’ the Trail of Tears is discussed and appears.”

The Trail of Tears refers to forced relocations of the Native American nations from the southeast of the United States to the area west of the Mississippi River under the Indian Removal Act in 1830. 

The law was passed to enable the forced seizure of Indigenous lands for white settlement and cotton cultivation. At gunpoint, thousands of Native Americans were marched westward, and many died from disease, starvation, and exhaustion along the journey, or were killed resisting the theft of their ancestral territories.

Produced for the website of the international San Miguel de Allede’s Writers’ Conference & Literary Festival.

Thinking of getting a literary agent? That can be easier said than done, with agents sifting through hundreds or even thousands of proposals a month.

For many writers wondering how to get a literary agent, the answer goes beyond just finishing a manuscript.

Anna Knutson Geller is a literary agent who splits her time between New York and San Miguel de Allende in Mexico.

Specializing in spirituality, practical non-fiction, and inspirational memoirs with her agency Write View, Ms. Geller says that aside from a gripping sense of storytelling and a real authority over the subject matter, an author’s existing platform plays a big role. 

“I’m looking at whether they blog, whether they send a newsletter, what their social media presence is like,” says Ms. Geller. 

“I’m looking for someone who is not only able to write, but able to amplify that message out to a wider readership.”

You may have thought that once you’ve done all the hard work of writing your book, the marketing side would all be up to the publisher, but that is no longer the case. 

These days, new authors are expected to have already built an audience for their work. 

“It’s important because there are so many books published each year that unless your idea is so novel and compelling that it really will speak for itself and draw an audience to it, more and more publishers are really looking for an author who has laid that groundwork of getting a built-in readership, even before that book comes into the world,” says Ms Geller. 

Aside from beefing up your social media presence and personal blog, there are several other steps you can take to make it easier to find an agent. 

This includes doing your homework, knowing the name of the person you are addressing, what the agency specializes in, and why your work would be a good fit for them.  

“If somebody is submitting a fantasy novel, you can see on my website that I really focus on non-fiction,” says Ms. Geller.

“I like to see that a prospective author has done their homework in terms of why they are submitting to me and not just doing a blanket submission to fifty-something agents.”

Having a firm handle on what your book is about is also crucial – and surprisingly rare.

“What I don’t see enough is authors who really know how to encapsulate the main idea of their book in a one- to two-sentence hook,” Ms. Geller explains.  

“If you, as an author, can’t really grab someone’s attention by describing your book in a quick and pithy way, no one else is going to be able to do that for you.”

When approaching her, this short pitch should be right at the top of your email, because agents are busy and don’t want to read a whole page just to understand what you are inquiring about. 

According to Ms. Geller, most also don’t want to open attachments from unknown contacts, to avoid viruses, so don’t attach your proposal in your first email. Rather, just send a short inquiry with that concise, enticing pitch, and hold the full proposal until you receive a response. 

And for those who are ready to get their book out there and want to ensure their proposal does it justice, Anna Geller will be teaching a three-hour intensive workshop on proposal writing at the San Miguel Writers’ Conference on February 16, 2019. 

Produced for the website of the international San Miguel de Allede’s Writers’ Conference & Literary Festival.

For a remote 100-mile race with a 48-hour cut-off that could expose you to extreme weather conditions, you want the right gear. The Hardrock 100 takes runners above 14,000 feet, and the weather in the Rocky Mountains is unpredictable.

Don’t see affiliate links? That’s because I’m not getting paid for recommendations. These items worked for me during the race, but keep in mind that everyone has personal gear preferences. 

1. The Least Sexy Hat for Maximum Sun Protection

There are some great-looking running caps out there, but I went with something distinctly unsexy.

It was sold to me as the ideal fishing hat. The Glacier Glove hat is khaki, with long flaps covering the back of the neck and sides of the face, plus an extra-long bill. I am not into fishing, but it works just as well as a running hat. It protects well against UV rays at altitude, and because of the chin strap, it does not fly off in a gust.

2. A Jacket for Lightweight Rain Protection

Super light but very effective, I found the waterproof Alpine Houdini Jacket the best rain jacket I have ever tried. It folds into one of its own pockets, making it no bigger than my hand.

This jacket kept me completely dry for hours of rain without overheating. I carried it for the entire race. It was far more effective and much lighter than the thicker Gore-Tex jacket I used to run with, which always started to leak after a few hours. 

3. The Lightest Windbreaker 

Patagonia also makes a super-light windbreaker, the Houdini jacket, which is not waterproof but keeps you warm at early-morning race starts or on a mountain top or pass when it is windy. It folds up tiny. 

Together with the rain jacket, it provides a surprising amount of warmth for very little weight. I have used them in both Leadville and Hardrock and love them. Pricey, yes, but I have had both jackets for several years, use them frequently, and they have held up well. For me, they have been a worthwhile investment.

4. The Top Question: Merino over Technical Shirts

I do not like technical running shirts for ultras. They start to smell quickly, and I chafe more easily in them.

Instead, I run in super-thin merino wool shirts, always long-sleeve and snug-fitting. They are usually sold as base layers. I have been running in them for over ten years. I keep the sleeves down when starting on a cold morning and push them up when it gets warmer.

Merino does not stink, even after 48 hours on the trail, and I do not chafe in it either. I also carry a second, slightly looser but still thin merino shirt for layering if it gets cold. They are light and fold up very small.

5. Midweight Merino Hoodie for Temperature Drops

I also carried a midweight merino hoodie. I have been wearing the same midweight Icebreaker merino hoodie for nine years on hikes, races, and training runs when cold is expected. It is a bit frayed at the sleeves now, but it still works perfectly. The hood helps preserve warmth at night.

If I am exhausted and moving through a very cold night, layering a merino base layer and a looser merino shirt with a midweight merino hoodie, then the windbreaker and/or rain jacket keeps me warm no matter the weather or temperature. They all fit over each other, too.

If good weather is expected during the day, I keep it in a drop bag for the night section. But mountain weather can change quickly, so I often keep the midweight jacket tied around my hips.

6. Protect Against Blisters with Toe Socks

I left fresh pairs of socks at various aid stations. I always run in toe socks, as they help prevent blisters for me. My favorites are the Injinji Trail Midweight Mini Crew because they are thicker than standard running socks and last much longer. I have not had a single hole in them, even after years of use.

At Hardrock, I also left a thick pair of long ski socks at aid stations for overnight sections. I pulled them on over my toe socks at night, and they worked beautifully. When I was cold, I pulled them up over my calves. Even though my feet were often wet from river crossings, they were never cold.

7. Trail Running Shoes With Grip

Shoes are completely personal, but you need ones with serious traction for snow, slippery mud, and loose scree.

For me, Salomon fits best, and I ran the entire 100 miles in the same pair of Salomon Fellraisers. I buy my shoes slightly larger to accommodate swollen feet, and went with men’s size 11. I had other shoes in drop bags, but found the Fellraisers worked the whole way.

Waterproof shoes are not useful in this race. With so many river crossings, water will get in anyway. Waterproof materials only prevent evaporation, keeping your feet wet for longer.

8. Do You Need Microspikes for the Hardrock 100? 

Some say you need them on Virginius Pass. Some say you do not.

I was very grateful to have Kahtoola microspikes in my Ouray drop bag and use them for Virginius. After more than 24 hours of climbing and descending, my legs were wobbly, and I did not want to risk having to climb that pass twice in case I slipped. 

Most runners do it without spikes, but the stability they gave me removed all concern. I had gone up Virginius during course marking and found it difficult to get traction on the snow wall, so I was happy to carry them from Ouray to Telluride.

9. Gaiters to Keep the Gravel Out

Small rocks and sticks can get into your shoes and cause blisters. Stopping to remove them costs time and breaks rhythm. Gaiters eliminate the hassle. I find the colorful Dirty Girl gaiters both fun and effective.

10. The Right Pants to Warm Below the Waist

I still ran the Hardrock 100 in long compression tights. Combined with knee-high ski socks, I needed nothing else to stay warm at night, even when my legs were constantly wet from river crossings. They were never cold.

I run in 2XU tights. Compression helps reduce pain for me. If you tend to overheat, you may prefer shorts with long pants as backup.

I also carried super-light rain pants in case of extreme weather, but I never had to use them. They gave me peace of mind, though, and because they weigh almost nothing, I did not mind carrying them.

After meeting Pam Reed on Virginius Pass during course marking and bonding over how easily we get cold, she recommended the Outdoor Research Helium pants. She has used them for Hardrock because they are ultra-light and easy to put on and take off. 

11. Do Not Skip the Anti-Chafing Stuff

Do not start the Hardrock 100 without plenty of anti-chafing lube all over you. Roll in it if you must. I am a big fan of Bodyglide. I keep extra in my drop bags just in case. In addition to the usual areas, I apply it to my feet. Not just once, but morning and evening for two days before a big race.

I believe this is why I completed the Bear 100, Leadville 100, and Australia’s C2K 150 Mile without a single blister. I did blister at Hardrock, but I did not feel them during the race and only noticed them in the shower afterward. I had multiple layers of burst blisters on my feet, with two toes looking like they had fused together. I guess it could have been worse? I’ll spare you further details, but swear it worked for all my other ultras. 

12. A Running Vest to Carry Just Enough 

I ran Hardrock in the Ultimate Direction AK 2.0 Race Vest, which is no longer available.

It is small with limited pockets, but it was enough. I use the front holders for gear rather than water. I do not like the Ultimate Direction bladders because they tend to leak. A leaking bladder is not what you need at Hardrock.

I used a two-liter Platypus bladder. It is divided into two chambers, which distribute weight more evenly and reduce sloshing. It is also sturdier in my experience. I carried a handheld bottle for Coke or ginger beer from aid stations.

I kept a larger, pre-packed vest at Ouray in case I wanted more space for spikes. Having ready-packed vests at aid stations saves time if you do not have a crew, which I didn’t. You can switch and keep moving.

In the end, though, I preferred the comfort of the AK 2.0 race vest and used it the whole way.

13. Hiking Poles: Take Two

If you use poles at Hardrock, take two.

I used one at Leadville and liked having one hand free. But Hardrock is a different beast. Using only one pole threw off my gait. When I often forgot to switch which hand I used the pole with, it led to an overuse injury in one leg. I could not run or walk pain-free for nearly three months afterward. The final 20 miles were agony and required painkillers to get through.

If you bring poles, bring two and make sure they are light. I use Black Diamond aluminum poles. Carbon is lighter but more expensive, and I do not use poles often enough to justify the cost.

14. Ziploc Bags to Eat on the Move

I love Ziploc bags for eating on the go. Instead of lingering at aid stations, I fill a bag with food while a volunteer refills my water, and then head out again. Many of my stops were only two or three minutes.

The food may get mixed together, but when you are 50 miles into Hardrock, peach pie mixed with pretzels tastes fantastic.

15. Do Not Forget Gloves

It gets cold. Very cold. At night or during the day.

I keep a super light pair with me at all times and thicker ones in drop bags for nighttime.

16. A Bright Running Skirt

I love the Rypwear running skirts. I wear them at every race, not only because the colors cheer me up but because the shorts underneath have two pockets that are perfect for snacks. One pocket also fits a smartphone, though for safety, I carry my phone in a zippered belt pouch.

Lastly, the race organizers will provide a list of required emergency gear. Take it seriously, even if it adds weight. No personal best is worth risking your safety.

Dozens of local and international volunteers transformed a plaza in the Mexican town of San Miguel de Allende into a festive world of skulls and color, with mojiganga painting, 3D pen crafts, a virtual reality stall, juggling, games, and storytelling.

Many festival goers’ costumes looked delightfully spooky in celebration of Dia de los Muertos.

While the town hosts numerous Day of the Dead events each year, most are geared toward adults. A group of Mexican and international friends wanted to create something just for children: a free festival called “Vivos y Muertos” that allowed young people to celebrate this important cultural tradition in their own way.

One of the organizers, Tina Bueche from the United States, had lived in San Miguel de Allende for nine years.

“Dia de los Muertos is a day to remember your history, a day to honor your ancestors,” she said. “It is a way to build bridges from the past to the present, so you can move forward without sacrificing the important values of this beautiful culture.”

Ms. Bueche paid for much of the equipment, toys, and craft supplies, and said the festival was her way of giving back to the local community she loved.

“It beats shopping for stuff I don’t need,” she said.

Playgrounds and kid-focused activities are limited in the area, and the festival drew many families, with children excited to play, craft, and have their faces painted by volunteers.

***

The Dia de los Muertos festival was held on October 28, 2018. The camera used was a Panasonic G85 with 12-60mm kit lens.

Have you ever been to a literary reading and, despite your best intentions, found yourself in need of a strong coffee just to make it through?

You are not alone.

Reading a book is a private experience. You can stop when you like or stay up late getting lost in another world. It is entirely up to you.

Public readings, on the other hand, can be hit-or-miss. If you are unlucky, the only person getting lost in another world is the author, while everyone else is discreetly glancing at their watches.

Later, you check your email and scroll through Facebook, Twitter, or YouTube for more entertaining and less time-consuming ways to access stories.

With so much competition for our attention, do books and literary readings stand a chance in the long run?

In 2006, that concern prompted Adrian Todd Zuniga, Elizabeth Koch, and Dennis DiClaudio to look for a new way to showcase writers’ work.

They wanted to get audiences excited about literature afgain. But how?

The answer debuted at The Back Room, a speakeasy in New York City.

This was not an exercise in coddling authors or letting them read for as long as they liked. It was a battle of brevity, where only the most succinct and compelling would survive, with just minutes to capture the audience’s attention.

The Literary Death Match was born.

Despite the dramatic name, the event is high energy and playful, says co-organiser and author Adrian Todd Zuniga.

At each Literary Death Match, four handpicked writers read their work for up to seven minutes. Three judges then assess the performances from different angles: literary merit, stage presence, and the somewhat mysterious category of “intangibles.”

The two finalists face off in a light-hearted game to determine the winner.

From the beginning, the idea of turning literary readings into performance gained traction. For the very first event, the team secured musician Moby as a judge. Many other high-profile names followed.

Judges are not limited to authors. They come from a wide range of backgrounds, including acting, comedy, dance, and music.

With a strict seven-minute limit per reader, the total reading time stays under 30 minutes.

Zuniga says the time cap was inspired by watching attention spans fade at conventional readings.

“Within the literary community, there is this idea that we never cut anybody off,” he says.

“We would go to readings and somebody would read for five minutes and be excellent, and then you would see someone read for 25 minutes and everybody wanted to gouge their eyes out.”

Keeping literary readings short sets clear expectations and allows the organisers to build entertainment around the work.

There is also a stand-up element, with Zuniga delivering an opening monologue and judges offering spontaneous commentary. He says this format works even alongside serious or heartbreaking material.

The goal is to introduce audiences to new authors and provoke thought, without taking itself too seriously.

After more than a dozen years and over 480 matches in 37 cities worldwide, Literary Death Match has helped to revive literature readings.

Zuniga recalls some extraordinary audience responses, including 800-seat venues so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

One of his favourite moments took place at the San Antonio Book Festival, when author Antonio Sacre delivered a piece on stripping in relation to writing.

Sacre spoke about stripping away everything until only the essential remained. He turned the metaphor into a physical performance, and the audience erupted.

“People didn’t just give him a standing ovation. They jumped up. Women came and threw dollar bills on the stage,” Zuniga recalls.

“It was amazing to watch that response. People really lost it. I loved that moment.”

Zuniga’s ambitions extend beyond the live stage. He believes that in today’s political climate, when truth and reliable information matter deeply, literature is experiencing a revival and should reach broader platforms.

He is currently working on a documentary and hopes to bring Literary Death Match to the screen. A meeting with Netflix, he says, could be the next step.

Get a taste of how a Literary Death Match works (video courtesy of LDM):

You can experience your own death match at the San Miguel Writers’ Conference & Literary Festival in February 2019. 

Produced for the San Miguel Writers’ Conference & Literary Festival, held annually in Mexico.

Pictures from several days of course marking the Hardrock 100 Mile Endurance Run in the Rocky Mountains, Colorado.

The photos show sections of Green Mountain/Buffalo Boy Ridge, Handies Peak, Oh! Point to Ouray, the climb to Virginius Pass, Grant-Swamp Pass and Island Lake.

Hardrock is held every year in July, starting from the town of Silverton. The average elevation of the course is 11,000 feet, and runners ascent and descent some 66,000 feet in total. The maximum time allowed to complete the race is 48 hours.

The race is only officially done when a finisher kisses the Hardrock, a rock with the picture of a mountain ram.

Braving raging rivers, thunder storms and giant snow lopes, Robert Manning is thru hiking his way home from the Mexican border to Canada on the Continental Divide Trail – a journey of 3,100 miles (nearly 5,000 km) through the states of New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming, Idaho and Montana.

Some mornings are so cold that he wakes up to frozen socks and has to warm them up with a brisk hike.

“You’re sitting on a rock on a ridge top and looking back over this huge vista and realising you just walked across the whole thing, how grandiose it is. But the main memory stickers are the terrifying moments that you just somehow managed to get through,” says the adventurer.

The general mantra for thru hiking the CDT is to embrace the brutality.

“I’m starting to understand what they mean.”

Robert says that for about eight hours a day he feels nice and warm in his tent, another eight hours a day he is somewhere fun, and the remaining eight hours are spent stuck in a situation he’s trying to get out of.

“Hip deep in a snow bank, or thunderstorms chasing you around, but it all passes and it’s a fun story to tell.”

Being so far away from the daily bustle and focused solely on the weather, trail safety, the next river crossing  or ascent brings things down to the essentials for him.

“It’s kind of like an analogy to packing. First you pack all this stuff and a month in you realise 90 per cent of it you don’t need […], so the mind set it similar and you realise what matters and doesn’t really matter.”

“Also your mind just wanders and you think all these crazy thoughts as you’re tracking through the bush and you get the universe all figured out, and the next day you forget what you thought,” he laughs.

Having been a forest fire fighter for 17 years and holding a commercial pilot license, Robert has solid outdoors and map reading skills and knows how to deal with dicey situations.

However, he doesn’t carry an emergency beacon and his family only knows he’s made it through the next stretch when he gets to a town and can update his facebook page with pictures and stories of the days past.

Despite the remoteness of the trail, though, hikers do meet each other frequently as there’s only a limited time corridor this trail can be done in.

“There’s only been a few days where I’ve been hiking entirely on my own.”

As he comes through Leadville, CO, he has completed about 1,300 miles of his epic adventure and is down to one set of clothes with various layers.

“I just wear the same thing everyday, which is great freedom. I don’t have to choose anything.”

The one set includes his cycling shorts that co-function as underwear.

Robert reckons river crossings double up as underwear washing days when thru hiking.

I think he made that part up because I don’t remember a wall of funk greeting me when we met, but then again, he had probably already showered and washed his clothes by then – wearing only his rain coat so that everything else could go in the washer.

Having only one set of clothes helps keep the weight down. Starting out with a big pack and gear for all sorts of eventualities, Robert says he soon sent parcels to his sister, realising he had completely overpacked.

“I had a knee brace in there, which, if I needed a knee brace, I wouldn’t be able to be on the trail.”

Gaining experience as he went, he improved his planning skills to the degree that he can now largely avoid emergencies.

“Instead of packing for emergencies, you just preplan and avoid emergencies, which is probably one of the best things to keep the weight down.”

His pack is now down to 20 pounds, excluding food and water.

And despite all the challenges, Robert is keen to extend his time on the trail. Having bought an orchard in Canada, he has time to hike while the trees grow and is moving faster than planned, giving him extra room to play.

The CDT runs to the Glacier National Park on the US border with Canada, but his true goal is a Canadian mountain his parents used to take him to as a kid.

“They are both teachers, so they had the summers off and they’d stick us all in a van […] and bring us out to the mountains for a month.”

Mt. Assiniboine is another few hundred miles of thru hiking along the Canadian Great Divide Trail, and trekking out to that mountain means more to Robert than just ending his journey at the Canadian border.

“I can’t wait to get there and see it again. Even in the crappy times, that’s what I think about is getting back there.”

“There is a neat little waterfall that comes off one of the adjacent mountains into a pool and there are always these little trout in the pool and I can always catch them. So that’s where I’m going, to catch those little trout.”

As I stepped out of the bus on the town’s wide main road, lined by old-time Saloons, I could hardly breathe. I had flown in from sea level Australia, and Leadville at over 10,000 feet (3,000 meters) altitude knocked the air right out of me as I dragged my suitcase to the Leadville Hostel on 7th Street. 

Learn more about the Leadville 100 and how to prepare for it from race director Josh Colley (Interview Aug. ’16):

A usually rather sleepy place with a population of some 2,700 people, Leadville is hub of activity leading up to the 100 Mile MTB and footrace in August each year. Cyclists with limited leave from work are frantically trying to acclimatize in just a few days. Runners are doing speed training, checking their GPS watches and chatting with their coaches online.

Others are in Leadville to do altitude training for other races. You might even run into celebrity athletes like Rob Krar. The popular hangout, City on a Hill Coffee & Espresso, is always packed.

I had done what I could in the months leading up to the Leadville 100 and saw little point in training hard in the last two weeks. The first three days I rested up and drank a lot of fluids, and then started hiking to help my body get used to the altitude.  

A great resource for hiking routes in the area is www.14ers.com.

First up was Mosquito Pass, followed by Mt. Massive at 4,400 m and finally, some five days before the race, four connected peaks in one long day – the Mt. Democrat, Bross, Lincoln and Cameron route. Five of us from the hostel started out long before sunrise and only just made the last peak before ominous rumbling and a blackening sky chased us off the mountain as one of the usual afternoon thunderstorms moved in. None of us wanted to get stuck in lightening above tree line.

Quietly I prayed to the weather gods for clear skies on race day. Hunkering down below tree line for an hour or two as a storm passes overhead can cost you your finish at Leadville. 

At the hostel, packed with endurance athletes, we discussed splits. I cannot run a race when I think of having to do 100 Miles in one go. But if I break it into many little goals, my mind can handle it. 

However, guessing expected completion times for an unfamiliar course is hard. How would I know how long a particular uphill section will take me? While researching online, I hit gold – a website called climbers.net  combines past finisher times, averages them out and calculates likely splits depending on the overall target time you enter.

I printed and laminated three versions – the unlikely super awesome splits if I found energy I never knew I had, the likely medium splits I was aiming at, and the risky last ass splits that should get me across the finish line just before cut-off.

Then on the night before the race, I popped two sleeping pills and headed to bed at 6pm. A lack of sleep before a big race can affect the mind in unpredictable ways. Before my first 100 miler, the Bear, I had been so nervous that I only slept one hour the night before. On the second race day after some 30 hours on my feet without sleep or rest, I kept thinking about frog liver pâté and desperately wanted to know whether my pacer had ever ridden on a deer. I had learned from that.

Leadville Hostel owner Cathy Hacking put on a huge breakfast from 2 am and the hostel was bustling with activity as nervous runners frantically searched for misplaced items while their supporters tried to soothe them with calm voices. I for the heck of it couldn’t find my favorite socks. Somebody else thought his shoes had been stolen. All turned up in the end. 

At 4 am we were finally toeing the start line in the cold morning air – 100 miles with more than 15,000 feet in total elevation gain were ahead of us. Just about anything could happen in the next 30 hours, and only half of us would make it back here in time. I hoped I would be one of them.

The sky was still dark, a drone was whirring overhead. I knew I needed to go out faster than usual to make the 22k to May Queen in 2h20 in line with my splits and, more importantly, to make the first 100k by quarter past eight that night. The 100k mark is Twin Lakes inbound on this out-and-back course, and I’d been told repeatedly that runners who get to the lakes after nightfall don’t tend to finish. 

The next moment, the countdown started and we were off, a sea of bright lights in the dark as crowds of people cheered us on. Then the voices ebbed away, subsiding in the distance, and all that was left was the sound of feet hitting the dirt road leading out of Leadville. This was it, too late to change my mind, the only way was forward now.

Reaching Turquoise Lake, the darkness slowly changed to light as we ran along the water’s edge on single track, over roots and bouncy forest floor. It was magical, this time of the morning, with strips of color stretching over the dawning sky above calm and deep blue waters. Listening to my own breath and the soft, rhythmical drumming of countless feet, I felt like I was part of an ancient tribe, moving in wordless unison, celebrating life in its purest form. 

Adrenalin and excitement made running easy and I reached May Queen in good time. I had arrived in Leadville without crew or pacers, but had found supporters among the wonderful people who gather year after year in this mountain town. Retired pharmacist Michael Hester, who spends every summer in Leadville, had agreed to crew me and I had also found three pacers to share the entire inbound half of the course. Big smiles greeted us as we dropped our now useless headlamps to save on weight and filled up on water.

The next goal was Outward Bound, with the big climb up Sugarloaf Pass at 11,000 feet in between. After rooty forest trails, we came up a long, paved road that slowly snaked its way up the mountainside. Rather than running and spending too much energy too early, I power walked at a steady pace.

On the other side was a steep, wide dirt track beneath power lines, hence the name. The section must be hell when muddy and slippery, and I thanked the weather gods for firm ground. But as I jogged into Outward Bound, I realized that this leg had still taken me 15 minutes longer than planned. I had to make up time. 

By the time I reached Twin Lakes I was all wrapped up in my own race and only focused on getting in and out as quickly as possible. 

With Hope Pass towering ahead of me, I was glad that nothing but blue skies greeted me ahead. I wouldn’t be fried by lightening at the top, or miss my cut-off cowering below treeline.

All I had to do now was climb up to 3,850 m after 40 miles of going hard. My legs were tired and it would only get worse. The trail up Hope Pass is brutal. Leading up through through thick forest, you can never gauge when it will end, and every hope gets dashed by yet another steep section.

But there was no time for rest or catching my breath. I was only just keeping up with my medium splits. Falling behind could endanger my finish. Spending months of training, money on airfares, gear and entry fees, and then running a very long way only to miss a cutoff and being pulled is the last thing I was willing to endure. I ignored the exhaustion and pushed on, pumping all the air into my lungs that I could.

As the trees got sparser and finally made way for a green meadow, I saw what I had been looking forward to for weeks – the famous llamas.  These animals are long-term supporters of the Leadville 100 race, together with Vicky Foster and many other wonderful volunteers. Every year they carry water and food for over a thousand runners and pacers up this otherwise inaccessible pass. Leisurely, they now grazed on the lush grass, eyeing each struggling runner with renewed interest. 

I didn’t have much time to enjoy the sight. I was more than 10 minutes behind my splits and had to work on my downhill running skills heading toward Winfield, the 50 mile turnaround point. Fortunately I love downhill sections. Sliding on rubble and jumping over rocks on the steep trail leading down into the valley, I made up a decent bit of time. I even came running into Windfield aid station slightly ahead of my target, completing the first 50 miles in just under 12 hours.

Jen Kraxner, the best pacer you could ever wish for, was waiting at Winfield, shouldering my pack as well as her own to make the return climb easier for me. Leadville is one of the few races that allows muling i.e. for pacers to carry their runner’s running vests. 

I had met Jen and her husband Joe at the hostel. Both are past finishers of the Leadman/Leadwoman challenge. This superhuman feat involves the completion of all races in the Leadville series in one summer: the marathon, the 50 mile Silver Rush running or MTB race, then the 100 Mile MTB race, followed by a 10k run right the next day and finally the 100 Mile footrace less than a week later.

Jen and Joe had done the MTB 100 miler on a tandem mountain bike and finished the 100 Mile trail run hand in hand. They have been coming to Leadville summer after summer for many years, racing, supporting and soaking up the mountain air. There are no better two people out there to help you with your first Leadville 100.

Joe had even lent me a small portable charger to make the battery of my Garmin watch last for the entire distance. The little charger was tucked into my running vest, and a cable fed through the sleeve of my shirt to connect it to my watch with a clip. Now Jen was to help me over the hardest climb in this race.

I had been pumped arriving at Winfield, but those 50 miles in my legs started to show as soon as we began climbing again. The second time going up Hope Pass was far more agonizing that the first climb.

Jen made me march up that mountain, waving food at me on a regular basis, and told me how great I was doing even though I felt like I was going to collapse toward the top. Her ceaseless encouragement and the camaraderie among all the runners, whether they were still on the downhill toward Windfield or coming up again like me, gave me the energy I needed.

No face flew past without a “good job”, “great work”, or “well done” being exchanged. There were smiles everywhere. And then there were the views. Seeing those majestic mountains stretch out to the horizon puts pain into perspective. I couldn’t help but feel awed and utterly fortunate to be part of it all. I was doing Leadville!

As we reached Hopeless aid station the second time, more than 15 minutes behind schedule, Jen ran ahead to get me soup while I sat down to eat and look at llamas. After some food in my stomach and faced with another long downhill to make up time I started running again. It hurt, but I needed to get to Twin Lakes before nightfall. I was wedded to the idea that if I could just get there by 20:15, I would finish.

Once we had waded through Lake Creek, Jen ran ahead again to get my drop bag ready. Everything was laid out as I came into the aid station right on time. A big group from the hostel was there, cheering and helping out. I was so glad to see them all. With that much help, changing out of my wet shoes and putting on warmer night gear took no time at all.

My new pacer Juliette Schmidt was ready to go, so off we went back into the forest, for the long hours through the night. Reflective trail markets flashed ahead, and the rustling of small animals making their way through the undergrowth accompanied us. The air was fresh now and a little damp, as the shine of our headlamps led us through the woods. 

Juliette was planning to run the Leadville 100 next year and wanted to get experience on the course. She had been volunteering for the race when another hostel guest matched us up.  

Having someone to share the journey with cheered me up a great deal, but I had been on my feet for some 17 hours now and physical exhaustion was threatening to settle in. Even my stomach was tired and eating wasn’t easy.  I sucked on hard candy and TUMS when my body no longer wanted the calories I needed. We walked some, and ran some, and walked some and ran some.

Energy levels rose and fell, but overall we were moving well. At Half Pipe I was 10 minutes ahead of schedule, and by the time we reached Outward Bound, I was half an hour faster than my medium splits. Even so late in the night, a big group from the hostel was waiting for us, cheering, updating how the other hostel runners were doing, and sharing hugs and smiles. 

Now came the climb up Powerline and I remembered another runner’s advice: It’s much longer than you think – beware the false summits. So I kept my head down, didn’t look for any summits in the dark and just marched on until music and flashy lights greeted us at the unofficial aid station at the top.

I had been told this aid station offered hard liquor and a naked guy. Wondering how the naked guy would survive the freezing cold at night and admiring is dedication, I had been looking forward to meeting him. No naked guy could be found, though, so I only filled up water and marched on, leaving Juliette to investigate the situation more closely and catch up with me later.

I started running again on the downhill, and by the time we arrived in May Queen at quarter past four in the morning, I was still more than half an hour ahead of my splits.

There was a problem though. My next pacer, Megan Finnesy, couldn’t be found. Jen Kraxner had recruited Megan for me, badgering her until she agreed to pace me from May Queen to the finish. But now she wasn’t there and I didn’t want to lose precious time waiting. 

Juliette had to go, so I set out on my own. Had I been sick or disorientated this would have been bad, but I felt alert. I was awake and had been warm all night under my various layers of merino wool. I was good to go.

As I left the aid station I even felt a sudden boost of energy and started running on the flat toward the lake, overtaking Chris Calimano and his pacer.

Chris is a very nice and very accomplished athlete who completed the 4 Deserts series in one year. The series involves running 250k each in the Sahara in Namibia, Gobi in China, Atacama in Chile and in Antarctica. Overtaking him made me feel pretty good and I had no desire to relinquish this hard-won lead over someone who is a much better athlete than me.

Of course, unlike me, Chris was actually doing Leadman and had completed the 100 Mile bike race just a week earlier. But I was ready to take every confidence boost I could get and “chased” further ahead into the forest along the lake.

I was going fast! 

Then a young man came lightly jogging up behind me, easily catching up. What bastard runner was this, looking so fresh at close to Mile 90??

He turned out to be a volunteer kindly offering to pace me after learning that Megan hadn’t shown. May Queen aid station staff had been alerted that I didn’t have a pacer and sent someone after me to help.

Together we continued when, suddenly, we heard rustling ahead and saw someone running towards us through the woods. It was Megan! After realizing she had missed me at May Queen, Megan had driven around the lake to catch me from the other side.

Now I had two pacers, which can get you disqualified, so one had to go.  

Too tired for decisions I let them sort it out amongst each other, and ultimately headed on with Megan. As the sky turned from dark to light for the second time during my Leadville 100, I could hardly believe the experiences that lay behind. All this time felt more like a dream that may have spanned weeks rather than just a bit more than a day.

Around me I recognized the same path I had run so easily the day before. Now the going was slow and my legs were stiff and wobbly, but every step also brought excitement. This was the final stretch, the final leg before the finish. I was going to finish Leadville!

Already years ago, I had read about this race in Born to Run, marveled at Ann Trason’s course record, the mind-blowing achievements of the Tarahumaras, and soaked up the stories and legends spun around the Race Across the Sky.

After winning the lottery, I had spent endless hours pushing myself, training in difficult terrain, doing sprint sessions on hills, still always fretting that it wouldn’t be enough. And here I was, just a few last miles from the finish, feeling indescribably happy.

Leadville. I couldn’t believe I had nearly made it.

One more hill, a few more steps, and ahead was the Leadville 100 finish line. As we drew close at eight o’clock in the morning, I ran the last meters uphill and made it in 28:03 as the 165^th finisher out of some 650 starters. As usual for this high altitude event, only about half of us finished that year. 

There were hugs from my wonderful pacers and new friends from the hostel, and a finisher medal, necklace and red rose from race founders Ken Chlouber and Merilee Maupin.

For a while I sat and cheered on the other finishers, including Chris, who wasn’t far behind and successfully completed his Leadman challenge. I drank some hot chocolate, but was unable to eat. Walking was also out of the question, so some lovely hostel buddies picked me up by car and brought me back.

I couldn’t eat all day. Sitting with Chris at the finisher’s ceremony, we were laughing at our nauseousness, hoping we wouldn’t suddenly puke when receiving our treasured belt buckles. Luckily, both of us managed to hang on to our stomach contents, and by evening food started to look good again.

After dinner we all rested up on the giant couch in front of the TV, eating ice cream out of the tub, and dozed off happily spoon in hand.

Finishing my Leadville 100 race, video by Joe Kraxner:

Leadville 100 quick facts  (latest information on the race website):

Course records:
Matt Carpenter 15:42:59 (2005)
Ann Trason 18:06:24 (1994)

Course type: Out and back

Cut-off: 30 hours

Elevation gain: 15,600 feet (4,800 meters)

Highest point: 12,600 feet (3,850 m)

Surface: Mostly forest trails, dirt roads and short stretches of asphalt

Did you do the Ultra-Trail Australia this year and are wondering how the champions manage to run all those stairs even late in the race? Perhaps you need an Ultra Trail Australia training plan.

Lithuanian elite runner Andrius Ramonas, who has been living in New Zealand for the past year and a half, is a sports and exercise medicine physician who is currently doing his PhD in Auckland. He has won and set course records for the Ultra-Trail Australia 50k, and the The Hillary 80k and Tarawera 50k races in New Zealand.

Andrius has frequently placed in the top ten in many other ultras and came 5^th this year at the Ultra-Trail Australia 100k. His best marathon time was 02:32 in London in 2009. Here he shares how he prepared for running in the Blue Mountains where the UTA 100k distance features accumulated climbs of over 4,500 metres and many, many stairs.

What is your Ultra Trail Australia Training Plan?

The UTA is not that technically difficult, it’s really runnable and has the specific element of stairs. What I did to prepare was that last month, I changed from doing lots of off-road and complicated trail running to more road running and even introduced track running sessions just to increase my speed and improve my stride.

I also concentrated more on core stability and gluteus muscle strength as well as leg muscles to avoid excessive fatigue on those stairs.

Racing in the lead pack usually means you don’t have that time to tackle those stairs slowly, sometimes you really have to push hard, and if you have good running biomechanics and core stability, sometimes you can even when you’re really tired run those stairs.

As I remember from last year, I was still able to run the Furber stairs at the end of the race. As we saw today, two runners were just 20 seconds apart, meaning they were fighting on those stairs. So if you can run them, you have a huge advantage.

I also looked at my gear, because the list of mandatory gear is really extensive, so making good choices makes gear more lightweight and compact. Sometimes it’s easy to stick to the same items, but there are a lot of new things coming out on the market.

With a race that has to many stairs, do you have to train on stairs or are there another ways you can prepare?

That’s an individual choice I think. One way of training for stairs is to think about what elements in your body support running uphill and up stairs.

If you think about it, it’s core stability, it’s glute muscle strength, and nice running biomechanics. If you focus on those elements it’s possible to avoid excessive training on stairs. You can use just some resistance exercises and weights to strengthen those muscles.

Which exercises were part of your Ultra Trail Australia Training Plan?

If I think about glute muscles, there are a few standard exercises that bodybuilders do, like squats, and single-leg squats which could be done using a box where you step up. That focuses also on core stability.

I also do exercises with weights, such as a hip thrust where I do a bridge lying on the ground with elevated shoulders so that there is greater range of motion when I push up my hips. I use really heavy weights for that, because the idea is to not just build pure endurance but power and strength.

What is your nutrition strategy?

I still base my race nutrition on carbs, but what I did in recent years is that I reduced my carb consumption due to gastrointestinal symptoms. With that reduction I haven’t been getting that problem.

I like energy gels for carbs, because it’s easy to know the amount of sugar you are getting. Sometimes in longer races, I prefer some solid food, which is usually just banana and raisins.

I like to be simple and not think too much about other food choices, so I just stick to my plan. If the race was much longer, I would probably mix in some savoury foods, but in races up to 10 hours, I usually just stick with sugar.

Also, I am careful not to overload too much in the days ahead of the race. It’s really easy to underestimate how much athletes eat, especially in the last week when the training load is much lower and it’s very easy to gain fat. So I just try to be sensible and not eat complicated foods and only eat what I’ve tried before.

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So if you are registered and need an Ultra Trail Australia training plan, integrate some of Andrius Ramonas’ ideas, and book your accommodation in Katoomba or Leura early – it gets full in the mountains in May!