One hundred miles of mountainous terrain didn’t stop Matt Harvey from finishing the race in Leadville through the Colorado Rockies.
Harvey finished the course in 28:54:23 with an average mile time of 17:21, good for 229th out of 713 runners. He finished 197th of 575 male participants, and 21st of 53 in the 20-29 male age group.
“The course was unlike anything I’ve run on before,” said Harvey, who lives in Rockport, Ind., but often trains in Owensboro at Legends and PRoject Rise. “Rocks, roots and huge climbs made it extremely difficult to navigate.”
Harvey began in Leadville, the highest city in the U.S., and climbed as high as 12,600 feet after going through Hope Pass. Runners make the ascent twice, once going out and once coming in, and it’s near the midway point of the race. (Click here to see a full map.)
“The first climb up Hope Pass was very difficult,” Harvey said. “By the time I had completed the downhill, my legs were trashed and I was moving slow. As far as persevering from that point, I had one thing on my mind — it is maybe a little cheesy to some but the commitment Ken Chlouber made us take was ‘I commit to not quit.’ I like it because it is simple, and during a 100-mile event simple is best.”
Harvey kept going, and despite the conditions, never once thought of quitting. The community of runners also helped him keep a positive attitude.
“After working so hard to get there and all the great support I’ve had from friends and family, finishing was really the only option,” he said. “To finish was amazing. It really shows how great the ultra community is. Everyone was very positive and supportive to help runners cross the line. Getting to that point showed me that if you really want something it can be achieved with work and dedication.”
Harvey said it was ultimately his crew and pacers that got him through his race. Now that he’s finished, he’s going to take a short break, but he’ll slowly build his mileage back up and potentially run another 100-miler when he’s ready.
