David Roche is a long-established short-distance path runner and mountain runner. That definition was turned on its head in 2024, nevertheless, when he broke the 19-year-old Leadville 100 Mile course document, set by the legendary Matt Carpenter, in his 100-mile debut. He then doubled down by profitable the 2024 Javelina 100 Mile, incomes a coveted Golden Ticket into the 2025 Western States 100.
However who’s David Roche when he’s at house? A operating coach, husband, dad of two, and a multitasker. Once I spoke with him, he shared: “At the moment, I’m feeding Ollie, our six-week-old, a bottle. So, if any of my solutions are off, simply blame it on that!” We delved into his path into the game, his coaching philosophies, and his inquisitive thoughts — which frames coaching and racing as an train in problem-solving and a endless studying course of.
David Roche taking the win on the 2024 Leadville 100 Mile in course document time. Picture: Cody Naked
Early Years
David Roche grew up on the Jap shore of Maryland. An unlikely place to begin for somebody who would go on to signify the U.S. in mountain operating, he stated, “It’s actually identified for cornfields so far as the attention can see, and never a hill in sight. Or the most important hill arising out of a river can be about 50 toes.” In his rural homestead — he lived a 25-minute drive from his highschool — he sought and located human connection by way of the language of sports activities.
He stated: “I grew up taking part in sports activities, that was the social forex. Baseball was my old flame, after which soccer turned what I actually pursued closely in highschool.”
Roche attended school in New York Metropolis to play soccer, however his profession was to not final. He stated, “I used to be a medium-sized fish in a really small pond the place I grew up. After which I went to school in New York Metropolis, which was a giant tradition shock, and I used to be on the soccer workforce for simply a short while as a result of I spotted it was not for me.”
His time taking part in soccer was nonetheless a worthwhile studying curve for Roche and helped him to grasp his strengths and weaknesses, as he mirrored: “I used to be excellent at coaching. I believe what made me good at soccer in highschool was I liked the method of attempting to resolve these scientific issues, like, How can I be the most effective sprinter attainable? And so, after I stop, I nonetheless wished to resolve different athletic issues. I wished to be an athlete for all times.”
In search of one other sport to which he might apply his love of coaching, Roche turned to biking. Biking had performed an necessary function in his youth, as his father competed as a bike owner, and he had fond recollections of watching the each day recaps of phases of the Tour de France throughout summers at house.
He stated, “I used to be all the time the sort to shoot massive photographs, so I assumed, I’m going to develop into an expert bike owner. Though Roche did present some means within the sport and rapidly skilled as much as an affordable stage, he admitted: “I didn’t have good bike dealing with abilities. I bought in sufficient crashes early on in bike racing to suppose, This isn’t the reply both.”
David Roche getting in some bike miles, which he nonetheless makes use of for cross coaching. Picture: David Roche
Discovering Working
When Roche found operating in his sophomore 12 months of school, he felt he might lastly name off the search. He shared: “That turned my new love … I favored that this was one thing I might enhance at … simply beginning the method of placing down some bricks.” Working rapidly turned his main sport, however Roche saved up some biking alongside it for a time and competed in duathlons.
As he was nonetheless residing in New York Metropolis, path operating was but to search out Roche, and he competed first on the roads. He recollects that he first discovered about path operating by studying blogs by Anton Krupicka and different outstanding path runners of the time, however it will be some years earlier than he would strive it for himself.
When finally he dipped his toe in path operating — signing up for a path race in Pennsylvania on a whim along with his dad — he was instantly offered on this new self-discipline of operating. He stated: “[Road racing] was so onerous. Typically, I might get sick after, my abdomen would get actually dangerous, I even needed to go to the hospital as soon as. However then I did a path race and was like, That is true play.” He added, “I’d all the time liked coaching, however I didn’t love the competing half, and this was the primary time I liked the competing half. So, I used to be like, Path operating is the place it’s at.”
Fixing the Puzzle of Ultrarunning
Together with discovering the paths, Roche factors to assembly his spouse Megan Roche in 2010 as a significant turning level in his operating life. He recalled, “From there, it took off. I believe it was having somebody who greenlit these loopy ambitions that appeared so unrealistic.” Roche raced prolifically and continued to analysis and experiment with coaching strategies with a purpose to study and develop as an athlete. His work paid off, and in 2012, he received the USATF 10k Path Nationwide Championships and was awarded the 2014 USATF Path Runner of the 12 months sub-ultramarathon distance award.
In 2014, each he and Megan — who had simply been married — have been chosen to signify Workforce USA on the 2014 Mountain Working World Championships, however a disappointing race for every of them prompted them to strive one thing totally different. He recalled: “We each had had days we weren’t tremendous thrilled with, and the USATF 50k Path Nationwide Championships have been on the Flagline 50k in Oregon, and we have been in California, and we stated, ‘Why don’t we simply drive up there?’ Megan had barely gone over 16 miles at that time.” Roche completed simply off the rostrum in fourth and shocked himself with how a lot he loved going longer.
David and Megan Roche on Workforce USA on the 2014 Mountain Working World Championships. Picture courtesy of David Roche.
He confessed to having been responsible of pigeon-holing himself as a short-distance runner and shared: “I all the time thought that I used to be a sooner twitch athlete who would all the time undergo the longer the race bought … Breaking down that assumption was one thing that will take me a decade.”
A serious shift that helped him grasp longer distances was attending to grips with high-carb fueling. He stated: “With hindsight, what I’d felt in all my earlier races was bonking — glycogen depletion. I’ve fairly a excessive burn price, simply due to my physiology, and it took the science progressing about that to comprehend that each one these coaching rules have to work together with fueling rules.”
In 2014, Roche additionally started teaching, which he described as “my calling, much more than being an athlete.” Along with spouse Megan, the couple has since expanded their teaching enterprise, which is now referred to as SWAP Working — the acronym which means “Some work, all play.”
Roche continued to rack up wins at sub-ultra distances however now peppered his racing seasons with a number of aggressive 50ks. In 2016, he received the Manner Too Cool 50k, and the next 12 months, he was again representing Workforce USA over the 50k distance on the 2017 Path World Championships in Italy.
As his perspective on the type of athlete he might be slowly shifted, Roche started to push the distances out additional in 2023, profitable the McDowell Mountain Frenzy 50 Mile and inserting fifth on the Canyons 100k, the place gastrointestinal points made him notice he wanted to focus much more on fixing the fueling puzzle. However one main ultrarunning right-of-passage remained — 100 miles.
He shared, “I all the time wished to [try 100 miles] as a result of teaching helps you to see simply how fulfilling that course of could be. Then, I began to comprehend in my coaching that I had solved a little bit of my private puzzle. I understood that possibly I hadn’t put the outcomes on paper but to again it up; I used to be able to take some massive swings at one thing completely totally different.”
Roche on a coaching run with Addie Canine. Picture courtesy of David Roche.
The 2024 Leadville 100 Mile
And so, the seed was sown for the 2024 Leadville 100 Mile, and from early on, Roche set his sights on Matt Carpenter’s course document, which had stood since 2005.
To safe an entry to the 100 miler, Roche first signed up for the 2024 Silver Rush 50 Mile in Leadville, Colorado, which he received, and his sights have been now totally set on the lengthy distance. Roche, who nonetheless breaks down coaching and racing to fixing a sequence of issues, stated: “This 100 miler at altitude presents such attention-grabbing scientific conundrums. A whole lot of the race is quick and clean operating, however then a number of the race — 25 miles of it — is without doubt one of the nastier mountain races within the nation. It goes up and over Hope Move, which is as onerous because it will get. And in addition, altitude presents a fueling conundrum. It’s robust to do high-carb fueling up there. It’s onerous to hydrate in the identical approach.”
After coaching on the course, Roche ready an in depth tempo chart, which allowed him to precisely predict his end time to inside 30 seconds. He shared: “In case you view it as a little bit of a math equation — for me, I perceive how my physiology works at totally different coronary heart charges very nicely, so I do know I ought to be capable to maintain this coronary heart price for this lengthy. And if I can do this, what it turns into is a fueling competitors greater than something. As a result of once you’re going that tough, you’re burning by way of so lots of your energy, and the one method to make it attainable is by taking in a ton of gasoline.”
Roche put away 120 to 140 grams of carbohydrates per hour at some point of the race, which he credit with permitting him to take care of an intense effort for longer than he had ever run earlier than.
David Roche at Twin Lakes, through the 2024 Leadville 100 Mile. Picture: Cody Naked
By managing his effort and fueling in accordance with the plan, the day went as easily as a 100-mile race can, with Roche getting 80 miles in earlier than hitting any main low factors. He recalled, “There’s a climb at mile 80 referred to as Powerline. It’s a really steep climb, and it goes again as much as altitude. I used to be beginning to move out on the high of that climb … My pacer Teddy stated, ‘Simply get down in altitude.’ Then every little thing was fairly wonderful.”
Roche cruised to the end in 15 hours, 26 minutes, and 34 seconds — to rapturous applause — taking 16 minutes off a seemingly untouchable course document. However greater than the consequence, he recollects: “I actually bought to have enjoyable throughout it; that’s the half I look again on so fondly, and attending to see Megan at assist stations. And the cool factor about this course is it’s an out-and-back, so I bought to see each single athlete doing the race.”
Checking in with son, Leo, at a checkpoint. Picture: Cody Naked
The 2024 Javelina 100 Mile
Regardless of the large stir that Roche’s achievement prompted within the ultrarunning world, internally, he struggled with imposter syndrome. He wanted to show to himself that it was not a “fluke,” and he was looking for one other purpose earlier than lengthy. And that’s when the 2024 Javelina 100 Mile offered itself as a sexy choice.
He shared his reasoning: “Javelina is a Golden Ticket race to the Western States 100. And I really like Aravaipa Working, and Jamil Coury and Jubilee Web page, the race director. They’re a number of the finest individuals in the neighborhood. So, I assumed, What higher place to problem myself.”
In Javelina, Roche noticed a totally totally different type of drawback to resolve to Leadville — a area with higher aggressive depth and a flat, quick, sizzling race with out the altitude element. He proved his versatility and took a commanding win in 12 hours and 45 minutes, incomes a Golden Ticket to the 2025 Western States 100.
David Roche proudly accepting the Western States 100 Golden Ticket for his win on the 2024 Javelina 100 Mile. Picture: Cody Naked
Trying Forward
Up to now, coaching for the Western States 100 goes nicely. At all times one to put on his ambitions on his sleeve, Roche shared, “Similar to at Leadville, I used to be not shy about saying, ‘I need to take the course document.’ At Western States, I’m not shy about saying I need to win.” Nonetheless, he isn’t underestimating the competitors and added: “The factor about Western States is the most effective athletes that ever lived shall be operating it. Realistically, I might need lower than a 1% probability. However I believe sports activities are all about taking massive photographs.”
Roche credit the help of his spouse Megan along with his success. He stated, “Megan is the neatest, kindest, warmest particular person I’ve ever met. And so, residing along with her and having her as a coach and each day help makes every little thing really feel attainable.” The 2 share parenting duties but in addition prioritize each other’s coaching, and he stated: “We inform the opposite person who, ‘No matter you want for coaching, you get. And we’re by no means going to make you are feeling responsible about it.’”
The Roche household having fun with a day on the seaside. Picture courtesy of David Roche.
Roche may be very open about sharing his coaching publicly, within the hope that others can study one thing from his strategies and contribute ultimately to the rising physique of data on endurance coaching. He stated, “I need to see not simply what I can do; I need to see what people can do.” Within the build-up to the race, he’s publishing a sequence on his YouTube channel referred to as “Highway to Western States 100.”
As soon as June 2025 rolls round, we shall be very to see what this explicit human can do on his Western States 100 debut.
Name for Feedback
- Have you ever adopted David Roche’s profession?
- What are your highlights?