Ultra runner David Roche got back on the course this weekend to prove that his Leadville 100 win was no fluke. The runner snatched victory at The Javelina Jundred yesterday, just two months after smashing the long-running Leadville 100 race by more than 15 minutes in August.
The Boulder-based runner took gold in the 100-mile trail race in Arizona's McDowell Mountain Regional Park despite record temperatures – the forecast saw highs of 99°F on Saturday – finishing in just 12:45:04.
"This dude is an absolute machine. His cadence never wavered the entire last 20 miles," writes crew member Joe Shea on Instagram, who is part of the Aravaipa Rides race team.
The Javelina Jundred attracts some 850 runners each year and the 100-mile race sees participants complete five desert loops. Roche came in nine minutes ahead of second-placed Jeff Mogavero, and just two minutes shy of the course record set by Jonathan Rea last year. Over in the women's race, veteran competitor and non-binary runner Riley Brady took the win in 14:09:01.
Roche's wife, ultra runner Megan Roche, revealed on Instagram yesterday that her husband had previously had "no interest in running 100-mile races." That tide has clearly definitively turned for Roche, who came back from a serious accident this spring when he was hit by a car while riding his bike to break a 19-year record at the Leadville 100.
At the time, he attributed his success largely to fueling, revealing he had consumed more than 40 running gels during the race. He also praised his Adidas Terrex Agravic Speed Ultra trail running shoes, which he handed in to Adidas Boulder for display after the race, but video from this weekend reveals he's got himself a new pair and clearly they're still working for him.
Roche's win at the Javelina means we can expect to see him compete in next year's Western States 100, if he wants to.
