Leadville 100 Legacy Foundation

The Leadville Trail 100 Legacy Foundation is the original charity partner of the LT100 and Leadville Race Series. The sole purpose behind the Leadville Trail 100 was to bring visitors to Leadville and reignite the economy, after the closure of the Climax mine devastated the town in 1982. No one could have imagined the extent to which that would be achieved!

Even more unexpected is how many lives have been changed by The Race Across the Sky. From the 1000’s of athletes who have discovered how to DIG DEEP on their quest for the elusive finishers buckle - to the local students who have seen the doors of opportunity blast open in ways they never could have imagined!

When Ken Chlouber & Merilee Maupin created the Leadville Trail 100 Legacy Foundation in 2002, they saw one single need, had one single purpose - to provide a way for athletes to give back. As the Leadville Trail 100 races grew in popularity so did the Leadville Trail 100 ‘Family’. Athletes and their supporters wanted to contribute back to Leadville, because Leadville has played such a big part in what makes these races so special.

Initially it was small contributions and donations from long time Leadville racers that went to support some of the basics for those in need. But today the Legacy Foundation hosts a series of robust programs, with the goal to make Leadville a better place to live, work and raise a family.

Legacy Scholarships - A $2000 scholarship to every graduating Lake County High School senior who wants to further their education. Since 2009 the Legacy Foundation has awarded over $500,000 in Legacy Scholarships.

Legacy Early College Program - A partnership with the Leadville campus of Colorado Mountain College is giving students a chance to graduate high school with an Associate’s Degree or Career Ready Certificate (in electrical, welding or culinary). The Legacy Foundation covers the cost of their textbooks and class fees (a financial barrier for many students when considering college) and tuition is covered by the state. These students get a real leg up by graduating from the program completely debt free!

Legacy Grants Program – The Foundation provides grant funding to local programs and initiatives that are focused on building a better, brighter future for Leadville and Lake Co. Since the program started in 2016 over $93,000 in grant funds have been awarded.