The Ultra Performance Musician: Lessons from Leadville 100 champion ultrarunner Adrian Macdonald
- Stephanie Zelnick
- 7 days ago
- 5 min read
Photo credit: Mentz Germishuis
Adrian Macdonald, a two-time winner of the formidable Leadville 100 trail run, spoke to me by phone from his home in Fort Collins, Colorado. Unassuming and kind, he offered a window into the life of an extreme distance runner. Over the course of our conversation, I learned lessons about the indomitable human spirit and our capacity to persevere in the face of immense challenges.
The Leadville 100 is known as “The Race Across the Sky.” Since 1983, it has taken runners over rugged terrain at extreme altitudes, ascending mountain passes that reach over 12,000 feet. It is a legendary test of endurance, famous for its volatile conditions. Traversing some of the most beautiful landscapes in central Colorado, the race is a symbol of the potential of human endeavor.
Making training enjoyable
Preparing to become an elite musician is notoriously time-intensive. Macdonald emphasizes the necessity of integrating training into an equitable life-work balance. "No matter what, you just have to put in the hours," he notes, but he suggests that the way we put in those hours determines our longevity. Practicing is more enjoyable when combined with friendships, travel, and other activities that bring us happiness outside of music.
Photo credit: Mentz Germishuis
In a 2023 interview with the Fort Collins Running Club, Macdonald shared a philosophy that every musician should adopt:
The past two summers (my first two of mountain running) have been two of the most enjoyable summers of my life. I’ve explored mountains all over the country and made a lot of new friends. My goal is to make the training so enjoyable that even if the race goes poorly, I still have lots of good memories and friendships to fall back on. I think if someone trains hard, but also focuses on doing so with interesting people in interesting places, then the race performances will fall into place.
The types of races that Macdonald runs involve a daunting amount of distance, especially considering that most people will never even run a 5K. To cope, he practices mental compartmentalization. "You have to find a way to make the distance less overwhelming," he explains. When I ask Adrian about why he continues to run such Herculean distances, he says, “Running for self-improvement is really important.” Intrinsic over extrinsic motivation has been a key factor for all of the athletes that I spoke with for The Ultra Performance Musician. This also ties back into the idea of doing something that you love and that brings you pleasure. Macdonald keeps the fun in his training:
So the first summer that I was training for Leadville, I kept thinking throughout the summer that I had never done so much running. I just enjoyed it so much. I kept thinking, 'I don't care how the race goes.' I had so much fun being able to explore what my body could do. When people ask me about my running, one of my answers is that I can’t believe that my body just did that. There is such a sense of discovery about it all.
This sense of discovery, the "I can't believe my body just did that" moment, is similar to the breakthrough a musician feels when a difficult passage finally clicks after weeks of struggle.
Staying in the zone
Like many of the athletes that I spoke with for The Ultra Performance Musician, Macdonald talks about the “moment of intent.” After all the training, there will be a race day and a final moment when it needs to all come seamlessly together. For musicians, this moment (hopefully) happens before a big performance or audition. You may have paid a lot of money to get there and there's a lot riding on it. Sometimes your reputation is involved and then there's a lot of mental noise and expectation in the experience. The best, like Macdonald, learn to tune out the noise and execute on race day.
I ask him about how to excel when it matters. He stresses the importance of keeping it all in perspective. There is a strong correlation here with the beginning of our conversation, when he talks about integrating running into all aspects of his life, much like what we do with music. If it all hinges on the race or audition, and things go wrong, it can feel like we wasted three months of our lives. But if music is part of what brings us pleasure and purpose, then it’s not so much pressure on the big moment.
Photo credit: Mentz Germishuis
Acclimatization/Preparation
By removing as many unknowns as possible, we can avoid the surprises that often derail a performance or audition day. For Macdonald, one of the most daunting variables is the high altitude of the Rockies; for a musician, it might be the acoustics of a new hall or the pressure of a live audience. Macdonald's solution is simple:
I just try and spend time throughout the months and weeks leading up to the race at the altitude, just to sort of see how it feels and how I react to it. It's good to know how much water I need to drink at that altitude. I wouldn't say I have anything specific like breathing exercises or anything that I do. I just practice at that altitude.
In the musical world, this can translate to performing in low-stakes environments or mock auditions to see how the mind reacts to adrenaline before the real event. This can serve as our “acclimatization” to all of the variables that we will face on the big day.
Injury Avoidance
I ask Macdonald how he keeps himself injury free and if he does a lot of stretching and warmups ahead of time. He talks about the importance of preventative care:
For the last year and a half, I've gone to physical therapy even if I don't have anything that is bothering me. Get physical therapy when you are healthy! It’s always good to have those appointments on the calendar too because they're hard to get. So it forces me to go. Sometimes you have a little issue that you don't think is worth it for an appointment. But preventative care is key. I also try to get massages for the same reason.
Musicians often ignore small aches until they become career-threatening injuries. Preventative maintenance and a “prehab" approach to regular bodywork and healthcare are essential for a sustainable career.
Photo credit: Tessa Machmer
Lifelong coaching and goals
Macdonald also talks about the importance of working with a coach to set goals:
Keep a coach of some sort on board with you. There were maybe five years when I was coaching myself. I really enjoyed having a coach and just sort of being a robot just doing exercise. And they help you to set important goals that you may or may not be able to achieve. That's like the hardest thing to do, but stick with it.
The secret to a long musical career is adopting a mindset of growth and improvement. Having teachers, coaches, or even friends that can help you grow is essential to excellence.
Conclusion
I leave my conversation with Macdonald feeling inspired and motivated. His insights remind us that whether we are running 100 miles or performing an opera, the formula for excellence and satisfaction is the same: prioritize the process, keep the body healthy, and never lose the sense of wonder in what we can achieve.
Photo credit: Tessa Machmer
