Leadville Uncovered: Ailsa MacDonald: Prepared, Healthy, and Ready

<p>For Ailsa MacDonald, simply arriving at the Leadville 100 starting line healthy feels like a victory.</p><p>After battling injuries throughout 2025, including hip issues, a bike crash, and persistent Achilles tendinitis, Ailsa was forced to withdraw from last year&#39;s race just one week before the start. At one point, she wasn&#39;t even sure she&#39;d be healthy enough to use her deferred entry in 2026. </p><p>Instead, this year has been the exact opposite.</p><p>The injuries have faded, training has gone exceptionally well, and for the first time in a long time, she&#39;s completed an entire training cycle without significant setbacks. That alone has her feeling optimistic as she prepares for her third attempt at Leadville. </p><p>In this episode of <em>Leadville Uncovered</em>, Ailsa discusses balancing ultrarunning with an incredibly demanding work schedule that includes two weeks of night shifts followed by two weeks off. Rather than fighting against that schedule, she&#39;s learned to use it to her advantage, scheduling her biggest training weeks during her time off and using her work rotations as built-in recovery weeks. </p><p>The conversation also explores why iconic races like UTMB, Western States, and Leadville continue to pull her in. A former top-10 finisher at UTMB and Golden Ticket winner, Ailsa is drawn to the sport&#39;s biggest challenges and isn&#39;t afraid to seek out the races that test every aspect of an athlete. </p><p>She shares the lessons she&#39;s learned from previous Leadville attempts, including the importance of staying on top of nutrition at altitude, managing the heat on Hope Pass, and adopting a more disciplined fueling strategy that relies on eating by the clock rather than by hunger. </p><p>Perhaps the most surprising revelation?</p><p>Ailsa has never used a pacer. Not at Leadville. Not at Western States. Not ever. Instead, she prefers to tackle the challenge alone. </p><p>And despite all of her accomplishments, her goal for this year&#39;s race couldn&#39;t be simpler.</p><p>Finish.</p><p>Because after everything she&#39;s been through over the last two years, crossing that finish line would mean far more than any placing or podium result. </p><p><strong>This episode of </strong><em><strong>Leadville Uncovered</strong></em><strong> is brought to you by </strong><a href="https://openfuel.co/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer"><strong>OpenFuel Nutrition</strong></a><strong>. Whether you&#39;re preparing for your first ultra or chasing a buckle at Leadville, OpenFuel delivers personalized sports nutrition designed specifically for endurance athletes. Corinne and Russell both rely on OpenFuel in training and racing. Use code UU25 to save 25% and support the show.</strong></p>