Keegan Swenson Dominates at the 2023 Stages Cycling Leadville Trail 100 MTB Produced by Life Time, Smashing the Course Record by More Than 15 Minutes

August 14, 2023

Leadville, Colo./ENDURANCE SPORTSWIRE/ –  The 2023 Stages Cycling Leadville Trail 100 MTB race, owned and produced by Life Time (NYSE: LTH), witnessed history with defending champion Keegan Swenson’s dominating performance, in which he broke the course record by 15 minutes and four seconds. The new official course record time is 5:43:31 for the famed ‘Race Across the Sky’. Sofia Gomez Villafane finished in first place in the women’s race, leading most of the day in a close battle with second place finisher Ruth Winder and third place Alexis Skarda.

On Saturday, a field of more than 1,750 riders descended on Leadville, with cyclists pedaling 105 miles and 12,000 feet of elevation gain, including tackling the challenging Columbine Pass, the high point of the race at 12,500 feet above sea level. Riders ranged in age from 18 to 80 years old, representing all 50 states and 25 countries, 59 of which were Leadville citizens proudly representing their hometown. Additionally, 70 Lead Challenge athletes toed the start line on Saturday.

“I was so short of the record (last year), so this year I just went all in, and if I blew up in the end, I blew up,” said Swenson.“I didn’t want to just get the record by a few seconds, I wanted to make it mine. I just put my head down and gave it everything I had on my way back from Columbine. The conditions were good, the course was fast and tacky, there was a little bit of wind and some rain, but the boys were rolling and everyone was down to ride.”

When asked about when he broke open his lead, which resulted in a solo finish 21-minutes faster than his nearest competitor, Swenson recalls, “About a third of the way up Columbine, I knew the pace I had to ride and that was it.”

Women’s Stages Cycling Leadville Trail 100 MTB Race Results

Men’s Stages Cycling Leadville Trail 100 MTB Race Results

Non-Binary Stages Cycling Leadville Trail 100 MTB Race Results

Women’s Para-Division Stages Cycling Leadville Trail 100 MTB Race Results

Men’s Para-Division Stages Cycling Leadville Trail 100 MTB Race Results

To view all race results from the Stages Cycling Leadville Trail 100 MTB, visit: Athlinks. To see how the race day unfolded check out the women’s race on the Leadville Race Series Instagram and Twitter and the men’s race on the Life Time Grand Prix Instagram and Twitter.

“​​It was a truly phenomenal day, from every possible angle. Our entire field not only committed, but brought their very best to the game. Not only was the course record broken…significantly, but we saw record setting times across all paces and riders, including the most sub-nine hour riders to-date,” said Tamira Jenlink, Race Director. “From the winner to the very last finisher, everyone dug deep and finished in Leadville Strong style!”

New for this year, the team released a 17-minute same-day recap video of how the race day unfolded on the Life Time Grand Prix YouTube channel. This video includes live footage shot from a helicopter combined with on the ground footage from Cold Collaborative, the same team behind the Call of a Life Time series. The video provides a true, long form, live video update with commentators discussing how the race day unfolded with front-of-the-pack race day action.

Next up on the Life Time off-road athletic events calendar is the fifth event in the Life Time Grand Prix presented by Mazda series, the Life Time Chequamegon MTB Festival presented by Trek on Sept. 16, followed by the sixth Grand Prix race, the Life Time The Rad Dirt Fest presented by Wahoo Fitness on Sept. 30 in Trinidad, Colo. The newest event in the Life Time portfolio, the Life Time Little Sugar MTB presented by Mazda, will take place in Bentonville, Ark. on Oct. 15 followed by the Life Time Big Sugar Gravel presented by Mazda the following weekend, Oct. 22, the finale of the Life Time Grand Prix series. The final bike event on the Leadville Race Series calendar is the Stages Cycling Austin Rattler MTB, which will take place on Nov. 4 in Texas.

Celebrating its fortieth anniversary, the legendary Leadville Trail 100 Run presented by La Sportiva will take place next weekend, Aug. 19-20, which is where it all started back in 1983. This year, 90 total Foundation Athletes will be raising money for the Life Time Foundation during these two 100-mile races. All donations go towards a general fund to support grants and programming delivered nationally and locally in Leadville.

To view all Life Time athletic events, including off-road cycling events, please visit: https://my.lifetime.life/athletic-events.html.

The Stages Cycling Leadville Trail 100 MTB is owned and produced by Life Time, the premier healthy lifestyle brand. It is among more than 30 premier athletic events owned by the company, including Garmin UNBOUND Gravel, Verizon New York City Triathlon, Chicago Triathlon, and Miami Marathon.

About the Leadville Race Series

Started with only 45 runners as the Leadville Trail 100 Run in 1983, the Leadville Race Series now consists of seven running events and four mountain biking events, plus six events in the Leadville Qualifying Series. The Race Series stretches across three months, and hosts thousands of racers on foot and on mountain bikes in some of the world’s most iconic events. Endurance athletes worldwide now make the pilgrimage to Leadville, Colo., with the single goal of competing in “The Race Across the Sky.” Visit www.leadvilleraceseries.com for more information.

About Life Time^®

Life Time (NYSE: LTH) empowers people to live healthy, happy lives through its portfolio of nearly 160 athletic country clubs across the United States and Canada. The company’s healthy way of life communities and ecosystem address all aspects of healthy living, healthy aging, and healthy entertainment for people 90 days to 90+ years old. Supported by a team of more than 30,000 dedicated professionals, Life Time is committed to providing the best programs and experiences through its clubs, iconic athletic events and comprehensive digital platform.

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