Tools For When We Toe The Line

There are some facts that seem much harder to believe whenever you are uneducated on the matter. Like a recent technological advancement or something you might read in a history book. It’s cool, but your lack of prior knowledge makes this new info amazing. 

Then there are feats that you understand much more profoundly with some experience. That’s exactly what I felt when I read the headline in mid-August: 

“David Roche sets new Leadville 100 record by 16 minutes.” 

What? I had been on that course, albeit at a much shorter distance. But I knew how dynamic and dangerous this area of the Rockies is. There is no way that a man, particularly THIS man, ran THAT 100 mile race in 15 hours and 26 minutes. 

For those who enjoy a little context, the city of Leadville sits at 10,152 feet above sea level and is nestled between Mt. Elbert and Mt. Massive: Colorado’s two tallest peaks. It was once a mining town that grew in fame for the silver rush of the 1870’s and for being home of Wyatt Earp's saloon. (Yes, I oblige every chance for a Tombstone reference)

Leadville is now most famous for being the highest incorporated city in North America and for the legendary trail race series that departs from its quaint downtown out into the unforgiving mountain ranges that surround it. 

To put it simply: these are not your normal foot races and many claim the 100 miler is the hardest race on the continent. 

Which is why David Roache’s record setting pace made no sense to anyone in the trail running community. Sure, he’s famous in the running world as a coach, but primarily with track athletes. He is known for being fast, but speed carries little water in the mountains where grit is king. And then there was his training methodology, it was basically backwards from what conventional wisdom would dictate. 

But he did it. He set the record. And as unbelievable as it was, there is actually a lot to learn from his approach for any man who intends to do anything challenging. 

There is nothing revolutionary about using a race as an efficient parallel for the Christian life. See 1 Corinthians 9:24-27. But there are many parallels and they became even more clear to me as I researched Roaches ' amazing race.  

I doubt that many hangarmen have given much thought to tackling a race longer than their local turkey trot (except Brennan Herrman, our resident marathoner) but ultra running, like modern masculinity, comes with a generally accepted template.

Running 100+ mile weeks in preparation for an event like this is as widely accepted as Joe Rogan and your Traeger grill. But Roache decided to focus on speed rather than distance training. 

Many widely accepted rules in the trail running community revolve around fuel and nutrition - particularly pertaining to the amount of carbohydrates our bodies can efficiently process when pushed to such extremes. But rather than adhere to running forums online, Roache instead studied competitive eaters and modeled his training after their process. 

I could go on for hours about his approach to the goal of beating this record but at the end of the day he chose a different path than most men would to try and do something amazing. This spoke to me as a christian and as a hangarman. 

There were three parts of his journey to Leadville that stood out to me as inspiration as we chase not just physical, but emotional and spiritual growth.

First, he stated an audacious goal. Completing the Leadville 100 is a lofty objective in itself, let alone winning the race. Any given year only about 44% of the participants make it to the finish line. But Roach didn’t settle for completing  or even winning. It is well documented that he was gunning for the record. 

If you are reading this article, if you’ve sat in the circle on a Tuesday or at a coaching weekend, then you are not dissimilar to David Roache in this way. The Hangar leaves no room for margin when it comes to what we as a group of men are after: we want to be the best. 

The best husbands. The best fathers. The best friends. The best employers. The best Jesus followers. The best. 

It isn’t arrogant, but it is audacious. We aren't claiming that we are the best, but we are not shy about that being the goal either. 

For I know the plans I have for you”—this is the Lord’s declaration—“plans for your well-being, not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. You will call to me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you search for me with all your heart.

Jeremiah 29:11-13(CSB)

We are simply believing that Jeremiah 29:11 is true by following the instructions of Jeremiah 29:13. There is nothing passive about this passion and we as broken men choose to say it out loud. 

Second, he was willing to increase intake and reduce output in preparation. 

The biggest trap of stating a crazy goal is the tendency to manipulate input and output incorrectly. So often when preparing for a race people ramp up their training mileage and don’t eat enough food to fuel the uptick exertion. In reality, they should do the opposite allowing their output to follow a consistent increase of input. 

The Christian life is often the same. We decide to get serious in a given season and really hone in on the ways in which our output can be increased. We volunteer at church, we ask to teach at the next Hangar Coaching Weekend, join another committee or board, ect. But rarely do we acknowledge that we are not taking in any more fuel than we were last year at this time. 

Perhaps consider the ways in which you are spiritually energized before our commitment list grows. As cliche as it sounds, that Sunday school lesson you are toiling over will have little effect if your solitude schedule is lacking. 

It’s also worth pointing out that the way you are fueled may be different than the people in the pew next to you. David Roache won because he embraced a different approach to fueling. Maybe supplement that sermon with some counseling or a weekend with your SEAL team - just a thought. 

Third, he accepted the vulnerability that comes with testing. 

My favorite interview of David Roache, and I’ve taken in a lot since August, was his recent appearance on The Rich Roll Podcast. Rich is an amazing inquirer and I appreciate his curiosity. 

It was here that I heard David equate to toeing the start line before the sun rose that day as the greatest vulnerability exercise he had ever taken part in. The time had come to excitedly see if all the work would manifest into the realization of the goal. Man, what a beautiful way to view the most challenging day of his life. 

When I heard this, I was so envious of his awareness at that moment. If I’m honest, 2024 may have brought my most challenging days as well. Honestly, was a real shit show. I wish I was able to see them as testing ground for the things that I say I believe. 

It’s ironic that we often forget this because the reality is that the starting line of our spiritual journey requires an abundance of vulnerability: 

This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile,  for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,  and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.

Romans 3:22-24(NIV)

Hangarman, as we go into 2025 don’t forget that you have prepared for hard days. May we take a note from Roaches book and accept those hard days for what they are - a testing ground for our faith, our will, and our community.  Struggle well, but don’t hide from the fact that it’s hard. 

Hard days build great men. 

As I close, it’s worth mentioning that the most interesting part of David Roache is something that I find in most of the men I naturally feel compelled to: neither his humility nor his capability outweigh one another. 

He was as shocked at the result as he was sure he could do it.

It reminded me that the men who achieve are typically well acquainted with their strengths,  their shortcomings, and the external influences that make a difference. 

Roache knew he was fast, he knew he lacked endurance, and he trusted the data as a corrective measure to ensure his reaching the goal on race day. 

You and I have been given gifts and talents. We also undoubtedly have downfalls that wreak havoc when unaddressed. Strengths and weaknesses.

May we all be wise enough to rely on God as the external force that pulls us across the finish line when the time comes.