Articles by Sarah Lavender Smith
L-R: Billy Yang, Naomi Lee, runner Soon-Chul Choi, Jenny Perez Alvarez and Sarah at the Cocodona 250. Naomi Lee We reached the aid station after midnight and a rented deluxe SUV had been prep...
High on my closet shelf sits a couple of gear bags along with some assorted accessories. As I climb a stepping stool to access and organize this ultra gear shelf in advance of a 100-mile race, I ponder what an anthrop...
As I worked with a client to develop a training block for the first four months of this year, she considered a 50k in March and said, “I’m just going to run it for fun.” I hear that phrase all the time, and I underst...
Ultrarunners often talk with excitement about the races they plan to train for in 2021. Western States, Hardrock, UTMB and numerous ultras hold an almost sacred place in our minds, representing hope and faith in a bri...
Almost everyone I know has had a rough year, even cataclysmic for some. Friends were furloughed from their jobs, and many have had to manage work with schooling their kids at home. Some had to evacuate during fast-moving...
They travel internationally from countries around the globe to race together, run with enough food and gear for seven days in lightweight packs on their backs and traverse some 250 kilometers over remote, rugged terrain,...
“Anything can happen in the mountains,” I tell my 19-year-old son, Kyle, as I show him how to use the SOS button on my GPS tracking device. When I hand him a windbreaker, he looks at me as if I’m insane, because we’re li...
I kicked my shoe into a snowy slope to gain traction, planted both trekking poles in front of my body for leverage, then laboriously took a single step and paused to catch my breath. I was on my fifth trek to the summit...
Leaving my house for my first long run in two months, I feel ambivalent about going 25 miles. Part of me senses I’ll cut it short at 20, because isn’t that enough? No, I need to log a solid five-hour run. But why?Recentl...
The start of spring evokes themes of cleaning and regeneration. The longer days and greening of the hillsides traditionally prompt people to get organized and perhaps celebrate rebirth as part of a religious or pagan tra...
I looked at the tall barbedwire fence that blocked the route and thought, “Is this a joke?” I was running past midnight in southern Utah during the 53-mile portion of the week-long Grand to Grand Ultra, a self-supported...
While packing for an upcoming ultra, I’m swapping my regular hydration pack for a 24-liter pack that’s a bit roomier and will enable self-sufficiency. It looks like a daypack and makes me wonder how on earth I’ll fit eve...
When my son, Kyle, proudly grasped his diploma and pumped his fist in triumph during his high school graduation this past June, I cheered loudly while infused with feelings of relief, happiness and love. As odd as it mig...
My husband and I have an ongoing argument about whose car is better. He drives a sleek BMW 4-series convertible, which I honestly don’t like to drive because it’s too low to the ground and attracts attention. My vehicle...
Lying in bed unable to sleep one night, I thought about running goals for the upcoming year and struggled with feelings of self-doubt and ambivalence. I’d blown my long-run plan for the weekend but didn’t really want to...
During the final miles of the challenging Telluride Mountain Run, while descending a rain-slicked ski slope and trying to prevent wiping out in the mud, I reveled in the prospect of finishing this extreme course when sev...
The sound of a helicopter circling over our property near Telluride, Colorado, filled my ears for several days straight. The sight of teams of volunteers dressed in hiking gear, fanning out in the aspen groves and bushwh...
Recently I shared advice online about how mothers can and should fit running into their stretched-thin lives. The message resonated with runner-mom Amy Kline of Indianapolis, Indiana, who works as a registered nurse whil...
A woman contacted me in early January seeking advice for her first 50k in April. She had already registered for it and brimmed with excitement about going the distance and crossing the finish. She had about 14 weeks to t...