Leadville Lee

It is not an everyday occurrence you find somebody that has done multiple ultra-marathons. Somebody that is willing to lead their body through some of the toughest endurance training possible.

            Lee Betty from Broomfield Colorado, is looking forward to his second ultra-marathon of his career. He will be running the Leadville 100 in August of 2022 for the second time.  Lee is not a stranger to these grueling challenges, also completing Ironman Triathlon in 2012.

            The Leadville 100 is a 100-mile run going from elevations of 9,200 to 12,600 feet which is why it is deemed the “race across the sky”.  Now of course this is something only few people may overcome, something that debatably rivals the Ironman. The Ironman Triathlon is a race that involves a 2.4-mile swim, a 112-mile bicycle ride and a marathon otherwise known as a  26.22-mile run.

While training for both The Leadville 100 and Ironman are tasks in it of  themselves, Lee thinks one is more difficult than the other, Lee said, “I have always been a good runner, I love the training for it compared to biking and swimming.” His wife Tabetha Betty who is at all of his events said, “When we were watching him swim we thought he was drowning, getting passed by even the old ladies in the lake.”

Lee after his 2012 Ironman in which he got a time of 12:10:40. Photo by: Tabetha Betty

            Now something many people fathom is how do these runners have the mindset to do such a difficult task, something where you are pushing your body for 12 hours… When asking Lee how this feat was accomplished he said this, “Growing up around the military you learn to put mind over matter, being in the military I learned no matter what the challenge your body can do a lot more than you think.”

            Lee was in the air force with his Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) program where he served during and after college. Learning a lot along the way, he shares the same veteran status as his mother in-law.'

            Through out Lee’s military training he learned the true meaning of pushing yourself even without his loved ones, as he did when running these challenging events, “ I referred back to my military experience when running these races alone, I wasn’t in contact with my family through either, left alone with my challenges I always figure out how to overcome them, ” he said.

Lee when he was first inducted into the air force in 1991. Photo Credit: Tabetha Betty

            During these hardships of doubt and confusion Lee figured out how to get the better of his most difficult challenges while keeping his values and morals in check. Tabetha attested to his drive by saying, “ No matter what, he would always put his family first, whether it be late nights at work or driving himself to be an example for his children he would always do the noble and correct thing.”

            This is apparent due to their children’s excellence, Heath (20) has followed a similar path into the ROTC program at Colorado State University. Their older son Garret has completed his teachers degree this December at the University of Northern Colorado while playing college football all four years. The dedication of both Lee and Tabetha are apparent in the success of their children.

            With Lee providing himself as an example for his family he continues to do so with pushing himself at the age of 50 and we all look forward to his perseverance through his upcoming training for his second Leadville 100.