No matter what I read about tackling a high-altitude race, I wasn鈥檛 convinced that minor training tweaks could actually affect my result. And as a fact checker for 黑料吃瓜网 magazine, I couldn鈥檛 resist the chance to test our online team鈥檚 fitness advice when I ran a 26.2-mile race in Leadville, Colorado, last month.
Maybe it was an altruistic pursuit, but it鈥檚 more likely that I needed an outlet for my growing nerves. Because Leadville is high (in at least one way I could confirm). The town is wedged between Rocky Mountain 14ers at 10,152 feet, and the course starts climbing right away.
Us mere mortals were resigned to hiking the inclines as the trail weaved toward the halfway point at Mosquito Pass (13,185 feet) where wind speeds hovered around 30 mph. To put it in perspective, climbers launch most Mount Rainier (14,409 feet) summit bids from Camp Muir, which sits at 10,080 feet. You know, the same height at which pilots used to tell you it was okay to turn on approved electronic devices. High.
So how does 黑料吃瓜网 recommend tackling the highest marathon in the United States? And more importantly, does our advice work?
鈥淎void racing between 24 to 72 hours at altitude and instead head up the night or morning before.鈥
To avoid the ill effects of altitude on race day, we recommend heading up one to three weeks ahead of time to get acclimated. If that鈥檚 not doable, then avoid the window where symptoms typically set in: between 24-72 hours of exposure.
Since hanging out in Colorado for a week wasn鈥檛 something I could pull off, I got to Leadville 12 hours before the gun. Surprisingly, I felt no effects of the altitude (trust me, I was looking for it), but it definitely took a mental toll because I couldn鈥檛 stop thinking about it.
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鈥淎im to spend four or more hours at 5,000-plus feet a few times in the month leading up to the race.鈥
Having experience training at altitude helps. When I moved to Santa Fe (7,000 feet), I was aware of the thin air the second I got out of the car. But three months of training here gave me a huge advantage over my fellow Midwestern competitors. On the course I met a guy from Oklahoma (as we were walking one of the ascents), and he mentioned that the tallest 鈥渕ountain鈥 he could find topped out at 1,400 feet. He鈥檇 never breathed air so thin, much less tried to run in it.
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鈥淏e sure to prepare mentally, as your race pace will be slower and dehydration sets in quicker.鈥
I鈥檓 pretty good at drinking water. I even nixed my usual night-before beer because 黑料吃瓜网 (for once) doesn鈥檛 recommend drinking booze. Starting the race hydrated is easy enough, but staying that way is a bit tougher. I took a few sips of water every 10 minutes or so, but it wasn鈥檛 sufficient to keep headaches at bay. As pressure built at the nape of my neck and temples, however, a quick chug of water reversed the advancing pain and allowed me to keep trudging on.
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鈥淩ather than trying to maintain your typical pace, consciously slow yourself down to avoid blowing up.鈥澛
Unlike a sea-level marathon where a wall is expected late in the race (if ever), at altitude you might not know you鈥檙e bonking until you鈥檙e delirious and puking in the trees. For many, myself included, a finish at high altitude is as good as a win. I overheard the following advice on the course:
1. Don't do anything stupid.聽
2. Just finish.聽
One guy said this to another shortly after we passed a runner dry heaving around the two-mile mark. The altitude combined with the gnarly terrain (think snow, loose rock, mud) was responsible for a few bloody knees and faces as runners navigated the steep slopes. No need to do anything crazy, just keep it moving.聽
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And if all else fails?
鈥淚f you still end up feeling like crap the whole race, don鈥檛 sweat it. It鈥檚 not you鈥攊t鈥檚 genetics.鈥
I managed to finish on two feet, arms sticky with electrolyte water and a new tan line resembling a capped-sleeved wrestler's singlet. But I finished. I was waiting for symptoms of altitude to hit, but they never did.
The Bottom Line:
So after completing this 6.5-hour investigation, my fact check found that we鈥檝e offered sage advice on executing a high-altitude jaunt, sans hypoxia and with enough stamina left to 聽post-race. No noses growing here: it turns out (surprise!) that 黑料吃瓜网's experts know their stuff.