Tune in here to this episode of Grits, Guts, and Determination, The Leadville Race Series Podcast, a leading authority for all things Leadville! Host Cole Chlouber, son of race founder Ken Chlouber, takes us on a story-telling journey of the 38-year rich history of this race. We learn all the tips, tricks, and stories from the Leadville community members! Joining us today is the bubbly Becky Lynn Bauer.

To kick off the conversation, Cole asks Becky to share the story of how Leadville found her. In 2012, she stumbled upon the book Born To Run while she was in Japan for a marathon. She was asked to pace a mutual friend in the Leadville 100, and the rest is history. She ran her very first marathon in Hawaii and won 2nd place in the female division. Realizing she was good at competing, she committed to coming back the next year, placed 1st female and was sent to Japan to compete in their sister race. Her first Leadville race was in 2013. Listen as she recounts the experience of her very first Leadville and the hardest lesson she learned along the way. Becky recalls her one DNF and her frustration about it to this day. However, to this day she has 3 Leadville finishes. In 2014, her time was 24:16:31 and in 2015, it was 23:56:35. For Becky and her husband, coming to Leadville is like a coming home party.

In 2021, Becky took on an even higher mileage challenge of the Cocodona 250. She knew that all 2020 registrations were rolling over to the next year, so she decided to take a chance with the 250 miler. Her coach developed a master training plan and she began training on May 3rd. Her initial goal going into the race was to simply reach the finish line, then began inspiring herself to make it into the top 10. She finished 7th female overall! Though she lived the 200 experience, she likely will stick with the 100, which is her ultimate favorite distance.

Finally, Becky touches on her life outside of running. She has worked in the pharmaceutical industry in benefits for 22 years. Her boss recognizes that Becky’s real passion is running, and encourages her to pursue it. Before wrapping up, she shares her favorite local training spots. Beyond race day, Leadville has taught Becky that she is stronger than she thinks she is and that she can always dig deep. For the Leadville family going into upcoming races, Becky advises that now is the best time to address even the smallest injuries and shortcomings.

Thanks for tuning in! Don’t forget to like, share, and subscribe, and we hope to see you on the line in August!