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Three training tips from Canadian Leadville 100 podium finisher Madeline Wighardt

Ancaster, Ont.’s Madeline Wighardt has made the podium of three renowned ultras in the few years she has been competing, and while the 22-year-old’s running career hasn’t been long, she has plenty of valuable training insights to share. Wighardt, a chemical engineering student, chose her first race (the prestigious JFK 50 in Maryland) based on YouTube documentaries, and ended up taking second in the 2021 event. She followed that with a second-place finish at Quebec Mega-Trail’s 110K event in 2022, and ran to third place at Colorado’s Leadville 100 earlier this month.

Wighardt says she was only aiming for a sub-25 hour finish to earn the big belt buckle that Leadville 100 directors give out (runners earn a smaller belt buckle for a sub-30 hour finish), and was in “complete disbelief” that she had landed third. She shared some tips that helped her reach the podium.

1.- Be consistent

“Every run will not be amazing,” says Wighardt. “In fact, many runs will feel horrible, and you will be tired, unmotivated and slow.” She says her biggest tip for new runners is to keep showing up and consistently putting in the work. “It will all pay off on race day.”

2.- Be patient–you are stronger than you think

When racing, Wighardt says it’s important to remember that you are capable of more than you imagine. “Even when it feels like your entire body and mind are giving out, you can keep going,” she said. The mindset that helped her race Leadville 100 successfully involved being extremely patient at the beginning of her race in order to feel good at the end.

“I started out very slow and easy, and was in around 200th place at mile 12, ” she says. “Because I stayed calm, collected and patient while everyone was passing me, I was able to have lots of energy to pass people at the end.”

3.- Keep it fun

Wighardt strives to avoid focusing on distances, times or race results, sharing that she’s noticed when she does get caught up in these things, she performs less well, because she is stressed and hypervigilant about how fast she is going or what place she is in. “I go as far as to never check my pace during easy runs and rarely during interval workouts and races,” she says.”I think decreasing the obsession with data and numbers and focusing on running by feel is a great way to be a better runner, both mentally and physically.”