It was an 100 mile track with steep hills and rocky pathways. But that didn’t stop Dr. Stuart Nelson from walking away with a medal to merit his accomplishment.

Nelson, an associate professor of math at Iowa State, won the Leadville 100 in his age category in Leadville, Colo., on August 24.”It was a 100 mile race that you had to finish in 30 hours. There were eight stations along the way where people could resupply food and water,” Nelson said.

He said he ran at least 30 miles during the race.”We definitely walk more of the race. It was difficult to run during the night because you had to look out for falling rocks and tree roots. We run with flashlights at night.”

“If some runners were behind the 30-hour schedule when they stopped at the station, they pulled them out of the race,” Nelson said. He finished the race in 23 hours and 27 minutes-behind the overall winning time of 19 hours and 30 minutes. Nelson competed in the 50-59 age category.

He began running in 1987, when a friend competed in the Leadville Race and Nelson traveled to Colorado to visit him.”I got to know some of the other runners and decided to try this race,” he said.

Nelson said he trains all year, but he trains more intensely during the summer. “One day I will hike and run for seven miles and the next day I might run about two to four miles. Every two weeks, I’ll go on a 40 mile run,” he said.

He said the race started at 4 a.m. on August 24, and runners had to complete the race by 10 a.m. on August 25. This was the third time Nelson competed in the Leadville Race. He has also ran in the Pikes Peak Marathon in Colorado.