Jeff Spencer, a high school teacher and Nordic ski coach in Leadville, Colorado, started dead last among more than 1,400 racers at the Leadville 100 last Saturday - and finished having passed 1,390 of them.
For the second year in a row, Spencer ran as the event's official "Dream Chaser," with every runner he overtook triggering a donation toward student scholarships, Singletracks Mountain Bike News reported.
Over the past two years, Spencer has raised nearly $300,000 by passing roughly 3,000 racers combined across both efforts. The money flows through the Leadville Trail 100 Legacy Foundation, which funds scholarships for every graduating senior at Lake County High School - not just those headed to a four-year college, but students pursuing trades like welding, construction, and cosmetology. "As long as they have a plan, they get those dollars raised by the foundation and Dream Chaser effort," Spencer told Singletracks.
The foundation has also helped fund equipment for Spencer's own programs, including balance bikes for the elementary PE curriculum and repairs for the Nordic ski team's gear.
Spencer's effort is a reminder that sacrifice on behalf of others - sometimes literal, physical sacrifice - remains one of the clearest ways to love a community.
