Live coverage from the August 24 running race
4:16 a.m. local time: A field of 380 runners has left the start in cold, damp conditions: 37 degrees and fog. The field is moving quickly along the first section of the trail, a relatively easy 13.5-mile drop into the May Queen checkpoint.

Some encouraging news from the course: despite rains in recent days, the dreaded stream crossing is reported to be about knee-deep, much better than last year's chest-deep waters that, combined with bad weather, caused a 60 percent dropout rate.

A three-quarter moon is providing a bit of trail light, despite the fog.

4:53 a.m. local time: The fog is starting to lift.

Commentary from the course has focused on a number of race favorites, including Kirk Apt, the 34-year-old Crested Butte, Colorado man who won last year's race. Other men to watch include Randy Wojno, 36, of Boulder, Colorado, who finished third overall, and Joe Schlereth, 46, of Fresno, California, who is expected to turn in another strong start and likely another top-10 finish.

Among the women, Marge Adelman, 46, of Lawrence, Kansas is a likely top-place finisher. Other top returning women include Theresa Daus-Weber, 41, of Littleton, Colorado who finished 27th overall (third among women), and Diane Ridgway, 47, of Denver who finished sixth among the women last year. And maybe this is the year for Laurel Myers to finish the Leadville race.

5:14 a.m. local time: Reports that some runners are having troubles negotiating the course in the pre-dawn darkness. And it's still a bit foggy higher up.

5:52 a.m. local time: A trio of runners--46-year-old Daniel Dreyer of Boulder, 33-year-old Kevin Taverner of Boulder, and Schlereth--passed through the 13.5-mile checkpoint one hour, 52 minutes into the race.

6:04 a.m. local time: Marge Adelman is leading the women's field, passing 22nd through the aid station two hours, four minutes after the start.

6:07 a.m. local time: Daus-Weber just passed through the 13.5-mile checkpoint.

6:08 a.m. local time: Amy McLean, 27, of Larimore, North Dakota just went through, the third-place female runner.

7:30 a.m. local time: Steve Peterson, 34, of Boulder, was the first runner to reach the Fish Hatchery checkpoint at mile 23.5. His time: 3:30.

7:34 a.m. local time: Kevin Taverner passed through the checkpoint two minutes ago. Schlereth was two minutes behind when he passed by here a couple of seconds ago, rounding out the current top-three men.

Last year, the top finishers were slower in getting to this point, passing the Fish Hatchery between 3:42 and 4:02.

7:48 a.m. local time: Last year's winner, Apt, just passed the checkpoint. He is now in 13th place. He is keeping a slightly slower pace than he set in 1995 (he's six minutes off last year's split).

8:01 a.m. local time: Daus-Weber just passed the 23.5-mile checkpoint, the new leader of the women's field.

8:03 a.m. local time: Marge Adelman has reached the checkpoint and is now the second-place woman. She was leading the women's pack at the last checkpoint.

8:15 a.m. local time: Diane Ridgway just passed through, looking stronger than any of her female predecessors.

8:22 a.m. local time: John Ooley, 41, from Oklahoma City just reached the Fish Hatchery and reported that Sugarloaf Pass (elevation 11,200 feet at mile 19) "is sunny up top. It's a lot nicer than back down here."

Ahead is the Twin Lakes checkpoint just over 16 miles away. The runners now face a rolling course, a relatively easy run before they begin climbing up to Hope Pass at 12,600 feet.

10:09 a.m. local time: Steve Peterson remains in first place, entering the Twin Lakes aid station at mile 39.5 in six hours, nine minutes.

10:11 a.m. local time: Michael Ehrlich, 33, of Steamboat Springs, Colorado looked strong as he took second place from Kevin Taverner, who has now dropped back to 12th place. As he crossed Parry Creek, Ehrlich yelled, "got to love it, man."

10:18 a.m. local time: Joe Schlereth is holding steady in third place. "This isn't bad at all. Last year I thought I'd be swept into the next county," he said as he crossed the river.

10:26 a.m. local time: Last year's winner, Kirk Apt, has moved up to seventh place and is now holding his winning pace from last year.

11:03 a.m. local time: Daus-Weber just passed Twin Lakes, the lead female runner who, like Apt, is hitting her same winning stride from the 1995 race.

11:28 a.m. local time: Marge Adelman remains in second place, but has fallen back significantly from the pace set by Daus-Weber. Martha Swatt, 34, of Sheridan, Wyoming is approaching the Twin Lakes station.

11:40 a.m. local time: The temperatures are rising quickly in the mid-morning sunshine, and Hope Pass is clearly baking in the distance. Runners now face a 3,500-foot elevation gain in the next four-and-a-half miles as they climb from Twin Lakes--the lowest point on the run at 9,200 feet--to Hope Pass at 12,700 feet.

Runners are now required to weigh in at rest stations to ensure they are not losing too much weight and water.

12:43 p.m. local time: Michael Ehrlich continues to lead. He just passed the 50-mile mark at Winfield with a time of 8:40.

12:53 p.m. local time: Steve Peterson has dropped back to second place and just crossed the midpoint.

12:56 p.m. local time: Joe Schlereth is holding strong in third. Of the three frontrunners, Peterson is showing the greatest signs of fatigue.

1:04 p.m. local time: Kirk Apt has moved into fourth and is now on his way back home, over Hope Pass. The climb on the return is thought to be the hardest part of the race, between mile-50 and mile-56.

1:31 p.m. local time: Laurel Myers just cleared the Twin Lakes checkpoint under the mandatory cutoff time that was threatening to knock her from the race.

1:36 p.m. local time: Ed Williams just left the Twin Lakes checkpoint at mile-39.5, also avoiding the cutoff.

2:04 p.m. local time: Carl Yates, 68, has passed the 40.5-mile checkpoint with 26 minutes to spare on the cutoff time. He needs to cover the next 9.5 miles in less than four hours, which will be difficult. Yates completed the bike race last Saturday, which he said sapped him of much needed energy.

2:25 p.m. local time: Daus-Weber remains in first among the women, followed very closely by Swatt, at the midpoint of the race.

3:18 p.m. local time: Ehrlich continues to set the pace at the front, having just passed the 60.5-mile checkpoint back down at Twin Lakes checkpoint. He's shaved three hours off his time from last year, when harsh weather slowed runners and knocked many off the course.

3:26 p.m. local time: Peterson continues to hold second place. He's still looking a little rough. He's no longer responding to the cheering crowd.

3:32 p.m. local time: Schlereth just passed through the checkpoint with his economical stride. He's 56 minutes ahead of his pace from last year.

3:43 p.m. local time: Apt remains in fourth, 23 minutes under his pace from last year.

5:17 p.m. local time: The women are still being led by Daus-Weber, who just passed through Twin Lakes with 39.5 miles to go. She looks pretty tired, but is moving up in the overall field to 13th place.

5:22 p.m. local time: Martha Swatt is still in second among the women (20th overall) at the Twin Lakes checkpoint.

5:30 p.m. local time: Carl Yates has given up his effort to complete both the bike and run in this year's Leadville race. As well, his son is getting married today, so he may have additional issues on his mind.

5:37 p.m. local time: Laurel Myers is still keeping ahead of the cutoff time. She just passed through here, the Winfield checkpoint at the 50-mile mark, with 23 minutes to spare.

5:40 p.m. local time: Myers has given up.

6:29 p.m. local time: Steve Peterson turned in a strong downhill run to the Fish Hatchery checkpoint to take the lead with 23.5 miles to go. Michael Ehrlich is now five minutes back, approaching the checkpoint in the last of a 1,000-foot descent that clearly benefited the lanky Peterson.

Ahead is Sugarloaf Pass, a significant climb and probably the last chance for Peterson to regain the lead.

6:49 p.m. local time: Schlereth is fading a bit, passing through the Fish Hatchery some 20 minutes behind the new leader. Still no sign of Kirk Apt.

7:32 p.m. local time: At Half Moon aid station (69.5 miles) Theresa Daus-Weber continues to lead the women, and is in 13th place overall. However, it looks like Martha Swatt is closing the gap, now just seven minutes behind and in 15th place overall.

8:54 p.m. local time: Steve Peterson has just passed the May Queen checkpoint with 13.5 miles to go. He ran right through the tent without taking additional food or liquids.

9:17 p.m. local time: Michael Ehrlich has cleared the final checkpoint at May Queen. He's running a little tight and was taking pain relievers.

9:25 p.m. local time: Joe Schlereth has just passed the last checkpoint.

9:32 p.m. local time: It is now pitch black out. Visibility is an issue for the weary runners.

10:27 p.m. local time: The weather is still very nice, around 50 degrees.

11:29 p.m. local time: Steve Peterson just won the Leadville 100 in 19 hours 29 minutes and 58 seconds. This was his first 100-mile race. He stopped only once during the race, to change shoes at the 60-mile point at Twin Lakes. Peterson said he had trouble getting much food down, and lost more than six pounds along the trail.

Peterson took the lead at the Half Moon aid station with 30.5 miles to go, striving to stick to his strategy: remain relaxed.

"There's a lot to learn from this. Lots to find out about yourself," he said after the race, adding that he'll, certainly be back next year with other members of Boulder's Divine Madness Ultraclub. Three of his teammates are still heading for the finish, all in the top-20, and none with previous 100-mile experience.

12:22 a.m. local time: Michael Ehrlich, the second-place man, has just finished with a time of 20 hours, 22 minutes, and 46 seconds. He came in 26th last year, and improved his time this year by five hours. After the race he said his time was a very big surprise.

"I don't have a watch on," he said. "I'm not really concerned with time. I just try to do my own race and not really beat anyone."

Ehrlich also plans to run the Wasatch 100 in September.

12:50 a.m. local time: Joe Schlereth crossed the finish line a few minutes ago, making him the third-place man and the first-place master runner. Joe's time of 20 hours, 38 minutes, and 37 seconds is his best ever in seven Leadville showings.

Jason Hickman, a writer from Bellingham, Washington, is filing live reports from the trail.