The Dreamchasers

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Teachers rarely get credit for teaching kids, let alone going above and beyond. What does this have to do with mountain biking?, you might be asking. Well, back in 1982, in the mining town of Leadville, Colorado, the town’s main employer, Climax Mine, shut down, leaving over 3000 miners unemployed, devastating the town and region financially - suddenly, Lake County had the highest unemployment rate in the nation. Looking for ways to bring money into the county, in 1983 they came up with the Leadville 100 - a 100-mile running race (and now, also a mountain bike race.) The races are thought to bring $15 million into the county annually. Which brings us to Dreamchasers. Dreamchasers is a program by the Leadville Trail 100 Legacy Foundation. Every year, the Dreamchaser starts the run or ride in dead last, with the sole goal of passing as many people as possible. Donors and sponsors pledge (or donate a flat amount) money for each runner or rider passed. Which brings us to today’s Leadville 100 mountain bike race. Jeff Spencer is a Leadville-based Lake County High School Math teacher, and today’s race was his second year as the Dreamchaser. In 2025, Jeff passed 1,585 riders, raising $142,000. Every Lake County senior received a $2,000 college scholarship thanks to Jeff’s efforts. (I don’t know how many racers Jeff passed today. I only know who won the men’s and women’s races.) In 10 years, the Dreamchasers program has raised $1,200,000 for the community. The original Dreamchaser, Ty Hall, raced the first nine, passing a total of 12,660 riders, raising just over $609,000. While I love seeing cyclists win and celebrate, it’s quite refreshing to see someone racing not for individual glory, but for their community. Go Jeff! Link is to a short video about the Dreamchaser program: