Back in August, I wrote a column that asked if the Leadville 100 Mountain Bike Race was becoming the next Ironman phenomena. It looks like that story is one step closer to reality.

Traditionally a lottery pick, with the entry deadline coming up on Monday, January 31, race organizers have added three qualifying events to help riders enter by performance rather than luck. The currently unnamed qualifying events will be held in California, Colorado and a Northeast location. Each event will have 100 qualifying slots, totaling 300 riders out of a 1500-rider field. (website paste below)

Singletrack.com notes that “The three qualifying races will expand to an eight-race series by 2013 with additional races added in Texas, the Southwest, Midwest, Southeast and an additional California event.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

From the Leadville Trail 100 race website FAQ section:

Is there a limit on the number of participants in the race?

Yes, here are the caps for each race:

The Leadville Trail 100 Mountain Bike Race has a limit of 1,500 cyclists.

The Leadville Trail 100 Run has a limit of 750 runners.

The Leadville Trail Marathon has a limit of 1,000 runners.

The Leadville Trail Heavy Half Marathon has a limit of 500 runners.

The Silver Rush 50 Mountain Bike Race has a limit of 1,000 cyclists.

The Silver Rush 50 Trail Run has a limit of 750 runners.

The Leadville Trail 10K Run will have a limit of 500 runners.