201. Ultrarunner Clare Gallagher on Racing 100 Miles, Low-Mileage Training, and Her Meteoric Career

Clare Gallagher burst onto the ultrarunning scene with her first attempt at a 100-mile race, the Leadville 100, which she won despite being brand new to the distance. She followed up with wins of the grueling Western States 100 Mile Endurance Run and the CCC 101K. She also has the Fastest Known Times on the Zion Traverse and Joshua Tree Traverse. As an outstanding athlete, Clare has a platform that she uses to amplify voices, causes, and efforts that she feels passionate about. Clare is an environmental activist, helping preserve public lands across the country and bringing much needed attention to environmental issues that threaten the very lands our sport depends on. In this conversation, we talk about: Clare's rise in the sport How she won Leadville 100 with no prior experience and no coach - as well as the value of having a coach Low-mileage training and how it works for her Clare's (lack of) willingness to run a 200-miler in the future Her approach to balancing training and racing with the rest of her life Currently, Clare is training again for Western States 100, while continuing with her environmental activism. Links & Resources from the Show: Follow Clare on Instagram and Strava Check out her blog and updates Our prior interview with Clare Follow Alex Falconer on Instagram Take action with Save the Boundary Waters  Thank you Elemental Labs! A big thanks to Elemental Labs for their support of this episode! They make electrolyte drinks for athletes and low-carb folks with no sugar, artificial ingredients, or colors. Elemental Labs' products have some of the highest sodium concentrations that you can find. Anybody who runs a lot knows that sodium, as well as other electrolytes like magnesium and potassium, are essential to our performance and how we feel throughout the day. The citrus flavor has quickly become my favorite. I’m drinking one a day now to help me get enough fluids in our dry Colorado air. It’s tasty and delicious and I find that I’m not peeing every 45 minutes throughout the day, which might be an indication I wasn’t eating enough sodium. There’s now mounting evidence that higher sodium intake levels are not unhealthy – and athletes need substantially more than your typical sedentary person. Of course, ask your doctor if you’re worried. But for those athletes running outside in the heat, an electrolyte replacement makes a lot of sense. They just released their first new flavor of 2021, their most requested flavor, watermelon salt. So check out Elemental Labs to try their new flavor and get your hydration optimized.