Welcome to the Roots Trail and Ultra Running podcast! This week's guest, Lila Gaudrault, is a rising star in the New England trail scene. at just 22 years old and fresh out of a rigorous bachelors of nursing from University of New England, Lila opted out of running at a NCAA Division 1 program to focus on her true passion, trail and ultra running. After tying for 2nd place at the Vermont 100 last year (overall) Lila has been on a tear. On this episode we discussed all her favorite NE races, how she approaches training, the east coast trail running scene in general, and her decision not to move to Boulder after graduating and moving to a rural town in Vermont instead. If you enjoyed this episode please drop a review for the show, give us a follow, and share with whoever you think might enjoy the conversation. Big thanks to Lila and good luck on your NCLEX!

Chapters

03:03 Growing Up in Maine and the Running Community

06:00 Transitioning to Ultra Running

11:57 Upcoming Races and Training for Old Dominion

18:01 Iconic New England Races and Future Goals

21:00 Balancing Nursing School and Ultra Running

52:22 Preparing for Cocodona

01:07:46 Why Vermont 100 is Special

01:10:00 Race Experience and Community

01:12:02 Solo Racing vs. Crew Support

01:21:55 Cocodona and Future Aspirations

01:23:49 Navigating Expectations and Decisions

01:27:01 Lila's Substack

New England, Lila Gaudrault, running community, training, races, family support, challenges, experiences, East Coast, mental strength, race preparation, growth, running culture, competition, Vermont 100, ultra running, training, Cocodona, writing,