- Kate Courtney smashes the women’s record in her race debut
- Melisa Rollins also becomes only the third woman ever to break the seven-hour barrier
- Cecily Decker opens up a two-point lead over Sofía Gómez Villafañe at the top of the women’s Life Time Grand Prix
- Keegan Swenson wins the men’s race for a fifth straight time to extend his lead in the men’s series
- Payson McElveen and Torbjørn Andre Røed sprint it out for fourth place
- McElveen’s result marks a stunning return to the series after a serious crash at the Sea Otter Classic forced him to miss UNBOUND Gravel
Both the men’s and women’s races are screened live in their entirety for the very first time, in partnership with Orange Seal.
Leadville, Colorado (Saturday, August 9th): The 2025 edition of the Leadville Trail 100 MTB presented by Kenetik proved to be one for the history books with Kate Courtney smashing the record time in the women’s race and Keegan Swenson wrapping up his fifth straight win in the men’s competition.
Courtney – who was competing in the event for the very first time – clocked a time of 6hr 48min 55sec which broke the previous best of Annika Langvad, which had stood for 10 years, by 10min 28sec. That performance ensured she beat defending champion Melisa Rollins by 10min 21sec, who also became only the third woman in the race’s history to break the seven-hour barrier.
And in the men’s event, Swenson’s incredible winning run continued after he went solo on the iconic ascent of Columbine and then pressed home his advantage over the remaining 50+ miles to beat the second-placed John Gaston by 15min 16sec, with a time of 5hr 45min 35sec.
Those results ensured Swenson extended his winning margin at the top of the Life Time Grand Prix to seven points, where he leads Simon Pellaud – who finished third in the men’s race – on 87 points. Torbjørn Andre Røed moved up to third place overall courtesy of him outsprinting Payson McElveen for fourth place on the day.
As Kate Courtney isn’t competing in the Life Time Grand Prix, it was Cecily Decker who opened up a two-point gap on Sofía Gómez Villafañe at the top of the women’s series, ending the race one position ahead of the Argentine in third position*. Rollins meanwhile, moved up to third overall.
| It was the men who had got the 31st edition going, with Swenson breaking away with Gaston and Pellaud early on before making his winning move on Columbine. And while the 31 year old came up just short of beating his own record time of 5hr 43min 29sec, which he set in 2023, he proved utterly dominant once again, setting the second-fastest time in the race’s history. Courtney also used the leg-sapping slopes of Columbine to leave her early breakaway accomplices Rollins and Lauren Stephens behind, and continued to grow her lead as she powered her way back into Leadville. Women’s results: 1 – Kate Courtney (6hr 48min 55sec) 2 – Melisa Rollins (6hr 59min 16sec) 3 – Cecily Decker (7hr 09min 48sec) 4 – Sofía Gómez Villafañe (7hr 16min 52sec) 5 – Sarah Lange (7hr 17min 16sec) Men’s results: 1 – Keegan Swenson (5hr 45min 35sec) 2 – John Gaston (6hr 00min 51sec) 3 – Simon Pellaud (6hr 08min 21sec) 4 – Torbjørn Andre Røed (6hr 15min 03sec) 5 – Payson McElveen (6hr 15min 03sec) Click HERE (men) and HERE (women) for the full race results. *Lauren Stephens finished the women’s race third position, but upon an official review, she was later disqualified on account of her taking aid outside of a designated crew location. As a result, every rider who initially finished in fourth place onwards has been moved up one place in the final standings. |
