During winter months, Sarah is a familiar sight on the roads of Tahoe Donner, tackling her daily run regardless of the weather. I first met Sarah during the 2021 Newbie runs, which led to our regular attendance at weekly social runs. Despite her aversion to evening workouts, Sarah’s energy never wanes, and she is a regular at Tuesday & Thursday DPRM runs, perhaps fueled by her love for coffee. When she first moved to Truckee, Sarah encountered some skepticism from her trail-loving neighbors regarding her dedication to road running. She promptly set out to explore the area’s extensive trail network alongside her faithful four-legged companion, Lucy, and is now the Strava local legend of many of our trails! Sarah’s dedication to trail running led her to sign up for her first ultra, Canyon’s 50k this past Aprill, where she placed 3rd in her age group, earning her a spot at UTMB OCC 2025! Looking for a reason to get to Chamonix in 2025, go cheer Sarah on!
— Leah Cassetta
Lucy and Sarah at Red Mountain
I met Sarah on Strava as we kept stealing each other’s local legend on the Tahoe Donner roads. It took nearly 4 years but we finally got to meet in “real life” and share a few miles. I am excited for all of you to get to learn a bit more about her. I asked her a few questions which I am sure will inspire you to lace up your shoes.
Aude: When did you begin running and/or long-distance running, if that applies? Why?
Sarah: I started distance running in my early 20s and have been running ever since. I’ve always enjoyed it so I have kept at it.
Aude: Do you race? Does racing motivate you? If not racing, what motivates you?
Sarah: “Do you race?”, this is an interesting question for me right now. A year ago the answer was No but I used to. I used to road race at various distances including a few marathons but I’m not sure about another road race in my future.
Fast forward to now and the introduction that I have had to trail running. I’ve done two trail races over the past year and there likely will be more ahead.
Running is a part of my (almost) daily routine that I look forward to. My motivation is press start and go.
Aude: What was the best running advice you’ve received?
Sarah: “Run for fun”. This is why I run.
Aude: Do you have a favorite on-trail food or nutrition strategy and favorite post-run meal or beverage?
Sarah: I have a hydration strategy and almost always carry a handheld water bottle year round on solo efforts. I’ve learned over the years I am not great at sticking to a route / mileage number / minutes so better carry water just in case.
Aude: What was your favorite running experience this past year?
Sarah: Canyons 50k in April. This was my first ultra, first 50k and 2nd trail race. Now, did I have a strategy going into the race? I did. 1. Finish 2. Run just by feel and forget pace 3. Stick to the nutrition game plan 4. Don’t fall. I was successful on 1,2 and 3. And 4, well, not so much. I was so concerned about nutrition and looked down at my watch around the 3 hour mark for a fueling time interval, I wasn’t paying attention and next thing I knew I was on the ground. Ouch. Aside for some scrapes and all the trail dirt- I got back up, took some time to get my heart rate back down and carried on. When I arrived to the mile 23 aid station, I made it a priority to fill up all my water bottles with the hope that I would have enough water to not stop and keep moving forward to the finish. Success! Finished!
A big thank you to the race organizers, volunteers, aid stations, Auburn and so many DPMR friends that made my first 50k a great experience and an awesome day.
Aude: What was your most challenging/ character-building experience this past year?
Sarah: Not the past year but a constant challenge has been dialing into trail surface awareness. Coming from running on the roads where I haven’t had to think about this concept hardly at all; picking up my feet and strategic foot trail placement is a struggle.
Aude: What led you to join DPMR?
Sarah: Meet other runners and learn what trail running is about.
Aude: What has been your favorite DPMR experience so far?
Sarah: The Newbies. My first DPMR run was a Newbies run at the Tahoe Pyramid Trail. Newbie runs have been a great fun series to kick off the season and have provided previews of pieces of the trail system. A lot of the newbie routes are / were new to me at some point and I’ve kept returning to many of those spots.
Aude: Favorite local trail?
Sarah: Whoop it up in the fall when the Aspens turn yellow. Lloyds, Stagecoach in Auburn, Crabtree to Frog Lake.
Lucy and Sarah at Frog Lake
Aude: Do you have a mental training technique, mantra, or similar that you rely on to combat the mentally trying times of a longer run?
Sarah: I don’t have a mantra but I do reflect on various running experiences and pull on those. I’ve had some tough road marathon finishes due to weather conditions and pause on those experiences.
Aude: Do you listen to audio while you run and if so, what have you been enjoying lately?
Sarah: I’ll listen to music on solo runs only. Billy Joel and lots of 80s.
Aude: Recovery technique(s) that you swear by?
Sarah: Sleep
Aude: Do you have a favorite piece of running gear (hydration system, shoe, clothing layer, sock, etc.)?
Sarah: Darn Tough socks, Outdoor Research hat, Patagonia short brim hat, and a handheld water bottle. I have been trying a soft flask handheld this season; so far so good.
Aude: What other outdoor or indoor interests do you have?
Sarah: Reading, bird watching, trail running / walking with my dog Lucy. I’d like to try paddleboarding at some point this year.
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