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Cody Bare

Welcome to the Wild World of Trail Running ! We're diving deep on the races, training tips, and gear you need to know to get outside off paved roads to run a whole new way. Click here for more stories about the trail explosion.

This story was originally published on July 17, 2025.

IN THE SUMMER of 2024, runner and coach David Roche made a stunning announcement. He’d won a slot in the Leadville Trail 100 Mile, one of the oldest and most iconic races in the sport of Ultramarathon, which includes any race over 26.2 miles.

Not only is Leadville one of the most storied races, but it also had one of the oldest course records, which many people believe was unbeatable. But Roche was not one of them.…