08/17/2026
Leadville FAMILY. It’s more than just a saying. Racers and crew feel the embrace from the pre-race meeting past the finish line. I am so proud of this moment for all that are pictured and those that aren’t. My family and crew were so incredible. Hailey supported my training and even let me ride 100 miles on our 8th anniversary ;) Hatcher is growing so quickly and is a hilarious asset to the team. Jasper is embracing this ultra world as we try to teach him lessons that will endure. This last year has been challenging in many ways for my family and the greater Leadville family. Our community has been shaken by the Willow Fire, but has dug deep to keep moving forward. This race and the lead up exceeded all of my expectations. Spring of 2025 I placed close to last at a local MTB ride and wanting to become better, somehow led to signing up for the Lead Challenge. I was blessed enough to ride some of the course (Powerline and Hagerman pass sections) before the fire. That was thrilling and terrifying to me at the time, especially considering there would be 1000+ other riders on course with me. Even alone, I had to get off my bike and walk several sections up and down the first time. I kept practicing and training and was starting to believe it was possible. And then the fire started and no one knew what to expect. To be honest, I went through periods of doubt and tried to talk myself out of completing the challenge for various reasons (life is busy with a newborn, various injuries, the list could go on). However, these types of circumstances where we have keep going in the face of uncertainty are exactly the types of lessons that we want to teach our kids. These are the reasons why we do these type of things. I had no idea if I could finish this race within cut offs and I am very proud to have earned a buckle. When the kids say something is hard and they want to quit, they need to know we can do hard things with a smile on our face.
