February 17, 2024 • 28 mins
Hot off the Arizona trails is Becca Windell, celebrating not only her podium finish at Black Canyon 100k but capturing one of the elusive golden tickets to Western States 100K.
Her passion for wildlife led her down the path to her career as a biologist, studying diseases threatening the fauna in the American west.
We also chat about her experience at The Bear 100 in 2021; her only 100 miler to date and what she learned at The Canyons in 2021 that helped her to succeed at this year's Black Canyons.
She also shares her dreams of racing in the new World Trail Majors series and her answers to rapid-fire questions about her life, career, and interests add a fun twist to the episode.
Here is Becca Windell...
You can follow Becca on Instagram here - https://www.instagram.com/beccawindell/
Looking for a running coach? Becca's website here - https://www.beccawindell.com/
About Home Range wildlife research here - https://www.homerange.org/home
If you enjoyed our show please leave a rating and review. We would really appreciate it.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Hi everyone, this is Michele Graglia. This is Marianne Hogan.
Hi, I'm Adrian McDonald.
I'm Katie Asmund. Hi, this is Anthony Gasols. Hi, my name is Meg Morgan.
Hey, it's Jordan Trofe. This is John Ray. This is Ryan Van Duser,
and you are listening to the Gotta Run Racing Podcast.
Hello, hello. Hey, how you doing? We're back with another Gotta Run Racing Podcast.
(00:22):
Yeah, it's been a minute. Yeah. Not quite sure how we're in the middle of February
already, but yet here we are. I guess we've been busy, for one thing.
We have been busy with our new website.
Yes, just launched today, as a matter of fact. So go check it out.
We're pretty pleased with it.
See what you think, guys. A little bit more information there for you.
(00:44):
In addition to, three of our races have launched for registration.
So we've got Lost Treasure coming up in May, Rainbow Trail Run in July.
And Island Lake Classic in September. So they're all available to register for now.
All right, check it out. And who is on the podcast today?
(01:04):
Well, as you know, the Black Canyons took place last weekend out in Arizona.
So today we have second place winner Becca Wendell.
She's a 37-year-old wildlife biologist, ultra runner, and coach living in Washington State.
She's racked up some pretty impressive races in her career, coming in fifth
at Canyons in 2022. and she won the Bear 100 miler that same year and just recently
(01:30):
earning her ticket to the big show at Western States.
So we're going to dive deep into that race and see how she's going to attack Western this summer.
When not running, Becca is the development director of a wildlife conservation
nonprofit organization called Home Range and we'd like to learn a bit more about that too.
Sounds like we have a lot to talk about. Sure do. And here's Becca coming up.
(01:53):
Music.
Welcome to the podcast, Becca, and congratulations on earning your golden ticket
just this past weekend at Black Canyon.
Woohoo! Thanks. I'm so excited.
(02:16):
You must still be riding that high.
Yeah, I mean, riding high, and I think now I just got a little bit tired,
too. So, yeah, some combination of both, but it feels good.
Well, before we dig into Black Canyon, of course, when we were researching you,
we came across the fact that you have a really cool career because you get to
(02:37):
study some fantastic animals out where you live,
including coyotes, bobcats, bears, etc.
So why don't you tell us just a little bit about what it is that you do in your
spare time when you're not running? Sure.
Yeah, so I'm a wildlife biologist and actually a coach as well.
But on the wildlife side of things, I just started a PhD program this past August.
(03:01):
So right now I'm studying chronic wasting disease, which is this wild disease
that affects the deer family here in North America.
Mule deer, whitetail, elk, moose. Yeah, all of those critters.
And it's this disease that's called a prion disease. And there's basically a
misfolded protein that goes crazy in their brains and turns the animals into zombies.
(03:28):
So it's, yeah, pretty fascinating disease and one that is starting to have bigger
and bigger implications, especially for mule deer populations.
So studying that right now, but it just in general, I love studying critters
and how they move and behave on the landscape and have done,
yeah, a certain amount of different projects.
(03:49):
Amazing. Now, tell us about your mission with HomeRange.
So prior to coming to start this research project here at Colorado State,
I co-founded an organization called HomeRange Wildlife Research with two dear
friends and colleagues up in Washington's
Met Howe Valley and still fully involved with the organization.
(04:10):
But yeah, our goal there, we had all met on a previous project,
a predator prey project going on up in Washington called the Washington Predator Prey Project.
Project and that yeah we all
met there and coming out of
that it was pretty cool to just align on a few things that we all together wanted
(04:31):
to do and how we wanted to take take the field and maybe advance and grow it
a bit where continuing to conduct high quality research in our our local community
in the met how valley was first and foremost one of our goals and then in addition to that.
Wanted to develop training programs so that we could provide opportunities to
(04:52):
aspiring biologists to gain all of the necessary skills to do field-based research
for wildlife conservation.
Yeah, we'd just seen a lot of amazing, talented younger folks coming out of
their undergrads with lots of book knowledge,
but also just really desiring opportunities to gain those hands-on field skills
(05:12):
and be able to learn those in a supportive environment.
So, training courses alongside our research, and they all kind of go hand in hand.
And then the third pillar of our organization is community outreach and engagement.
So, just making sure that all the science that we're doing in our valley is
both involving our local community and well communicated to our community so
(05:33):
that the science is best understood. That's fantastic.
Well, the fact that you study wildlife, is that the reason why your first 100-miler was the bear? bear?
I mean, to be perfectly honest, yes.
If there's like a wildlife themed race, I get infinitely more excited about it.
Oh, we should have had you come to our one of our actually our very first race
(05:57):
that we ever directed was called Chase the Coyote.
Oh, that's awesome. They're one of my favorite critters too. So yeah.
So tell us about your experience with the bear. That was my my first and only 100 miler to this date.
And yeah, it was just a magical experience.
I mean, the course, so it's up in, it's in Northern Utah and you end up,
(06:21):
it's a point to point race and you traverse this really cool mountain range at peak fall colors.
So just everything about it is pretty phenomenal and had a great day with lots
of good friends out on course with me.
It's really neat that that race, you can start having pacers
like they get mile 36 so that's nice
(06:43):
my husband and two of my best friends pace me
for different sections and i don't know it's just
like a really wonderful day i felt
really grateful to be able to to live live a
day in the life that's not an easy race
for your first hundred miler certainly yeah i
think it fit well and it just i don't
know it really spoke to me like you guys said the the whole bear side of
(07:06):
things and chasing like a wolverine belt buckle pretty it made it a fun challenge
i assume you know the history behind why it's called the bear i think we've
talked about this on a previous podcast that there was a famous grizzly bear
named old ephraim who once roamed the area and now there's a statue.
Yeah, I heard a little bit about that. I think also that sub-mountain range
(07:30):
is the Bear Mountains, too.
So it's like a double whammy. But I remember the Akram story now.
I'm going to have to look into it a little bit more again.
Well, they erected a bear statue 10 feet tall near the course. Did you happen to see it?
I didn't. Okay, I missed that part. So I'm going to have to go back to Logan and check that out.
(07:50):
It's the bear's gravesite. That's where they actually... Yeah.
Well, that's interesting.
I'm going to pace a friend there this fall. I will go visit Ephraim.
Well, please send us an Instagram photo. Yeah, for sure. You there.
So have either of you done the bear then?
No. No, we chat to people who have done the bear, but it's on our list of a
(08:13):
big, long list of races we have to do. Great.
I have a simple one. We love races with a theme.
We always try to put a theme behind our events and anything with a theme really
attracts our attention.
Just makes it a little extra fun, right? Absolutely. Absolutely.
Now, another big race that you competed in was the Canyons in 2021, which you placed fifth.
(08:39):
Were you actually going after a ticket at that point?
You know, maybe kept that in your back pocket or were you actively seeking it?
Yeah, I think I had just gotten back into
running the previous year year and was generally like really excited
about i don't know i guess i just really like
races where you can go and race with
(09:02):
other amazing people who are going to bring the best out of you so and obviously
western states has such a such a great history and allure to i think anybody
in the ultra running community that hard to not want to go after that i think
that was the one of the The first 100K I ever finished, though,
so also didn't have any huge expectations.
(09:24):
Well, that was a tough year because that's the year that Beth Pascal won the
Canyons and then ended up winning Western States.
Yeah, she was amazing. It was really inspiring to watch her.
So what did you take away from the Canyons that you brought into Black Canyon?
I remember taking away a lot of Poison Ivy, but I didn't take away Black Canyon.
(09:45):
And I think just that course was so powerful.
Tough and i remember i mean well actually
now i think about it probably the biggest thing has just been like fueling
and really not missing the boat there because i
i think that race was the first time where it's so
long that you just you can't afford to make any mistakes and skip any fuel i
(10:07):
think it was something as small as during canyons we we ran out of the drink
mix that i normally use which has in it and my husband popped like a noon tablet
into another bottle and we were were like,
okay, it's electrolytes, but you know, those calories then missed from not having anything.
Yeah. I can just really put the brakes on quickly. So that was probably my biggest
(10:27):
takeaway. It's just really making sure you don't miss any calories.
And dialing it in for sure. Yeah. Yeah. That makes sense.
All right. Like let's now jump into Black Canyon.
So a little bit of a shaky start with the snow,
which may not have been a big issue for you, but I'm
sure the the delay kind of plays with you mentally how did
(10:48):
you feel about that delay two hours I believe it was honestly
it's kind of funny because we I don't know I
got up that morning and I like
didn't look at my phone at all and I was journaling a little bit while I ate
breakfast and just felt like super relaxed and good and in hindsight probably
should have looked at my phone so we and I arrived at the start and I like was
(11:10):
all warming up but as I was running around the start areas like this is very
Very strange that I don't see anybody else.
Like a flurry of other people like doing weird neighborhood laps or whatnot.
Anyways, I guess I didn't think about it too much and then realized we got word
that the start had been pushed back.
It wasn't too bad. We just went back to where we were staying and slept for
(11:32):
another hour, which was great. Oh, wow.
And then hit reset again. Well, that must speak to the fact that you were pretty
relaxed if you were actually able to go back to sleep. I would say pre-race
nerves would have me just jumping around, figuring out how to spend my time.
Yeah. I don't know. Maybe it's like a fortunate thing that just life is quite
(11:53):
busy right now. So any minute to sleep is just gold.
I'm going to take it where I can.
Now you've raced this course before, so you know what to expect.
And in a race like this, for some reason, everyone takes off like it's a 5k race.
Did you get caught up in the hype or did you hold yourself back?
(12:15):
Yeah i had a great conversation with my coach
beforehand to just like explicitly try to
temper that excitement which is really
hard because actually like as i was starting i looked
over and jenna bensko was right next to me and we had had a similar
we'd run together at grindstone this
past fall a little bit but also just kind of
(12:35):
going out the bat yeah out together a little bit fast and
we did just both it was
fun to share to talk with I think Jenna's
coached by David too and had gotten similar advice and both
of us just lamenting that we like what we love is racing
and say going out hard is just sort of
in your DNA a little bit and takes a
(12:57):
little bit of control but it was fun to have a yeah
to have somebody else to do that
yeah just take try to take a little bit slower out with someone
else that was given the same advice anyway yeah exactly
like don't tell yourself it's a long ways to
go all right so if you
could just take us through the first part of the race up to
(13:18):
let's say 19 mile 30ks were you
were you trying to settle in with a nice pace what was happening was there a
lot of jostling there it was really muddy the first probably 10 to 12 miles
i can't remember somewhere in that range it was kind of just comical because
you really also remember jen and i just be like it is so So hard to get momentum going.
(13:39):
You just, you know, like when you're running through mud, feel like you're.
Trying to move forward but going a half step
backwards at the same time yeah i guess it was just slow
but also that i think that took some pressure off you're like well we're
just sort of this is like is what it is you know and
have to get through it but had heard that after
we got through that top section that the soils changed quite
(14:02):
a bit and things keep draining better so i also
just kind of knew it wasn't going to be forever and that
there was some fast fun lowy single track
ahead and then once we hit that i was it
was great and jenna's an incredible downhill runner so
i got to follow her down down into
the bumblebee aid nice i can just picture if it was muddy for you guys imagine
(14:26):
what the middle to back of the packers were dealing with in that section yeah
it was slop and then i don't envy to the 60k runners the next day yeah my friend
And Brittany was saying that just it was frozen,
muddy footsteps the following day, too, in the 60K. So, yeah.
Ankle breakers. Yeah, for sure.
(14:48):
And that's also kind of a horse track as well. Or not a horse,
but cows go through there.
Yeah, it's like double track through a lot of there. And it looks like it's
open range throughout there. Yeah.
I didn't see any cattle. How were you at mile 50, Tibba Mesa?
So what position were you in then going, getting up to that area?
(15:09):
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(15:31):
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Registration is now open. For more info, go to gottaronracing.com.
Now back to Jodi and Norm. arm so mile
50 i guess after that bumblebee aid
(15:53):
station started to ramp things up a bit
and yeah that was it was like i guess that section through table mesa was really
fun because i just was moving up a little bit and able to to run alongside a
whole bunch of different awesome ladies before i finally caught up with rachel
drake and then we had just an amazing time running.
(16:16):
For yeah at least i think
10 miles or so together less than that
but it was just a great like super fun especially to watch her race so i don't
know just awesomely and tactically but yeah so coming into the table mesa station
she had just made a great move and was watching that happen.
(16:41):
Yeah well since you mentioned race rachel
it was a good time to say that i was i was
reading after the race a quote in inside meg that rather than working against
each other you guys were working with each other which she claims was instrumental
to her success and she says especially when she teamed up with you over the
(17:02):
second half of the race she said we're hammering together for a a really long time.
You're just in it together in those moments and you feel it really strongly.
It felt really collaborative.
I was running harder than I wanted to, but it didn't feel antagonistic when
Del was forcing me to get the most out of myself. And I'm really grateful for that.
And I just love hearing that because you're lifting each other up.
(17:25):
You're happy for each other, but yet at the same time, yeah,
of course you're trying to get to the line first.
So So I think that's in such a competitive field.
I think it's awesome that you guys were working together and may the best person win, right?
Yeah. I mean, even just hearing that again, it's just like makes my heart flutter a little bit.
(17:47):
It's the fun part, right? I don't know.
When you get to share that experience so intimately with somebody,
that's really, I think, where so much of the...
The fun of the experience comes from. I'm sure it would have been a fun day
if I were alone in no man's land racing as hard as I could too,
but just the being able to share those miles on the trail.
(18:09):
And like Rachel said, trying to get the best out of each other.
That's really just, I think where the magic of, of ultra racing is.
Absolutely. Well, that's what our sport is all about, right? Totally.
Yep. And when you cross the finish line finally, and
they gave you the golden ticket to western what was going through your
mind yeah i think
(18:30):
first and foremost just seeing rachel and like celebrating that
time together was like the very first thing
that crossed my mind that and then looking for my husband who
got to to pace me the last 10 miles because we also had a really fun last little
section of rallying together but yeah then when craig handed me the golden ticket
it was just it was pretty cool totally surreal because while i I went into the
(18:54):
race hoping and believing that that could happen on the day.
It's something I've been dreaming about for a while now and it doesn't ever
seem real, you know, in those first full months. Where's the ticket?
It's in my garage right now. Okay. As long as you have it, that's all that matters.
Yeah. I got to make the awkward airport security trip.
(19:15):
It was good, actually. I wasn't really sure if I was going to be able to bring it home,
but I ran into Adam and Mary in the airport and he
had gotten one in a previous year and assured me that it would be no problem
so yeah did it fit in the overhead cabin no we had to squeeze it behind some
seats at the back of the plane oh that makes sense that makes sense oh man i'd love to be on that flight,
(19:40):
i'd love to be on a flight just with a golden ticket.
It's pretty funny the responses you get. People are either like,
oh, that's so cool, or you are totally insane.
Like you just raced 100K to the privilege to run 100 miles. Who are you?
Well, coming up in June, you're going to be toying the line with an incredible
(20:01):
field of women like Ida Nielsen, Ragna DeBott, Esther Sillig.
And of course, we have to throw in our Canadian, Percy Forgy, who will be there too.
So how does it feel to be in this
amazing field of incredible women racing for
western oh i just i can't wait i
(20:21):
really hope that can be as fun
of a day as as it was last this past
weekend at black canyon and just looking forward to meeting
a whole bunch of new people because that's another just big takeaways that every
time you show up and do one of these races your community either gets a a little
stronger or a little bit wider and yeah that's just the the most special part
(20:43):
of of these races so yeah looking forward to meeting all those ladies and hopefully
all racing hard together,
nice well i will tell you this at the beginning of western states if you show
five minutes before the race you're the only one there nobody else is there
until a minute before the race.
It's gonna feel like black canyon all over again yeah perfect
(21:04):
where is everybody buddy which is
kind of funny it is funny yeah so how
many people have you had already putting their hand up for pacing duties oh
quite a few and just that's that's actually also what i'm like really excited
about starting to think i haven't quite had time to plan anything yet just catching
(21:26):
up on like homework this week but i'm so excited to share that experience not
only not only with the broader community,
but with some of my closest friends too.
Yeah. Well, we'll be watching. We'll be watching. That's for sure.
We're always going to be watching. The world.
No pressure. Hopefully we'll put on another good show. Yes. Oh,
I'm confident that you will.
(21:47):
It was a woman's year last year, so it's pretty stacked again,
the women field. Yeah, for sure it is.
Now, Black Canyon is part of the new World Trail Majors. will you be competing
in other World Trail Majors events,
Perhaps something here in Canada,
like the Megatrail. I haven't planned anything past Western right now.
(22:08):
However, one of the big reasons I signed up for Black Canyon was because of the World Trail Majors.
Yeah, just when I heard about the ethos of what all the group is trying to do.
It just really resonated with me.
And I'm just very excited about the new series.
(22:29):
Series there was a woman from the mount
fuji japan japanese live broadcast
going on at black canyons and just neat to see that intersections
of the community there so yeah anywho i i
hope i could do another one of those races this
year that will definitely be a goal for sure is.
(22:49):
There any international races that regardless of
whether it's racing or just bucket list that are
on your radar that you want to complete one day that mount
fuji japan race would love to do one day this year
like maybe the cape town race would be fun yeah in
the fall and then i would love to come race up
in canada too yeah i i
(23:11):
have canada is very near and dear to my heart i
grew up in chicago so i was telling you all before we got going
and spent all my summers in high school
up in Quetico Provincial Park canoeing around yeah
just north of the Boundary Waters and I just especially
that area I really love and would would be
super fun to explore anywhere from BC out
(23:32):
to the east coast so yeah maybe I'll see you guys
at a race up that way one of these days well we're here so let us know when
you're coming up Ontario it takes over 24 hours to drive drive across it but
we haven't explored much on that end of the province so we'd love to do that
for sure yeah if you ever want a canoe trip oh it's just stunning.
(23:55):
Yeah balloons calling and moose and yeah
wolves it's pretty neat very cool well whatever
you decide we know that your trusty training
partners josie and riley will be up for the challenge your your canine friends
yeah oh yep josie's laying right down beside me and riley's on the couch and
(24:17):
they the best pals aren't they though the best training partners you could ever ask for,
Yeah, I mean, to be perfectly honest, Josie, she's 14 now,
so she's starting to slow down a little bit, but that dog, like she's the one
who got me into trail running and I feel forever grateful that we got to share
those beginning explorations of trails.
(24:40):
That's so special. And 14 just starting to slow down. That's a great. I know.
He's a champ. am well becca
thank you so much for taking the time out
with us today again we apologize for our technical difficulties
you were a superstar no worries it's really nice to meet you jody and norman
(25:00):
and of course we wish you all the best in june at western states and beyonce
really appreciate it yeah and hope to run into you somewhere down the line so
we do like to end And with some rapid fire,
it's just some fun questions that you just answer quickly to get to know you a little better. Okay?
Okay. All right. Let's do it. Do you have any tattoos?
(25:22):
I do. I have one. Just one. Okay. Yep. I have a star on my wrist from when I
was 18. All right. Very good.
If you had to choose between a long run on the treadmill or outside at minus
a million, what would you choose? Oh, outside at minus a million. Italian.
I think I knew the answer to that before I even asked it.
(25:45):
What's a TV show that you're embarrassed to say you watch? Embarrassed? I don't know.
I mean, the first thing that came to mind is I am like the biggest New Girl
fan in the whole entire world. Okay. Not embarrassed.
Yeah, not embarrassed to watch it, but I love that show.
How about this? I've watched that show an embarrassing number of times.
Okay, that's a good answer. Good answer.
(26:07):
Would you rather be a professional writer, painter, or musician?
Writer. Writer. What's the last rock concert you've been to? Last rock concert?
I do not get out into the concert world very often.
I genuinely can't remember. It was a long time ago. How about that?
(26:27):
All right. What's another sport you'd like to excel in? I don't know.
Hmm. It's hard to think of anything beyond running. I've tried a lot of things.
I do. I really like climbing as well. So I'll dabble there every now and again.
It'd be fun. I really admire people who excel there. Oh, for sure.
And you're in the right part of the world to do it. My goodness.
(26:50):
Okay, Norm. Pick a superpower you like to have. Oh, I would want teleport.
Oh, yeah. Yeah, that's a popular one. From the start to the finish? Just anywhere. Yeah.
I'm so ready to be home immediately.
Absolutely. All right, Becca. Thank you so much. Thank you so much.
(27:10):
You bet. Have a wonderful rest of your day. Yeah, you too. All the best. Thanks. Take care. Bye.
There you have it. That was Becca Windell. Fresh off her second place at Black Canyon.
Super exciting. She's still riding that high.
Absolutely. She can't wait to tow the line to Western States.
It's just around the corner, you know.
(27:31):
February, March, April, May, June. Four months of training for a 100-miler.
Yeah, that's about right.
She can do it. Very good, very good. I love her career, though.
Biologist. Wildlife biologist. Yeah, it sounds like she's doing something that
she really loves, and it obviously gets her to be outdoors most of the time. So what's not to love?
(27:55):
Yeah. And I hope she continues to run the new World Trail Majors and get to
Canada. You betcha. Come to Canada. Come to Quebec.
All right. Until next time. Cheers. Bye.
Hi everyone, this is Michele Graglia. This is Marianne Hogan.
Hi, I'm Adrian McDonald.
I'm Katie Asmund. Hi, this is Anthony Gasols. Hi, my name is Meg Morgan.
Hey, it's Jordan Trofe. This is John Ray. This is Ryan Van Duser,
and you are listening to the Gotta Run Racing Podcast.
Hello, hello. Hey, how you doing? We're back with another Gotta Run Racing Podcast.
(00:22):
Yeah, it's been a minute. Yeah. Not quite sure how we're in the middle of February
already, but yet here we are. I guess we've been busy, for one thing.
We have been busy with our new website.
Yes, just launched today, as a matter of fact. So go check it out.
We're pretty pleased with it.
See what you think, guys. A little bit more information there for you.
(00:44):
In addition to, three of our races have launched for registration.
So we've got Lost Treasure coming up in May, Rainbow Trail Run in July.
And Island Lake Classic in September. So they're all available to register for now.
All right, check it out. And who is on the podcast today?
(01:04):
Well, as you know, the Black Canyons took place last weekend out in Arizona.
So today we have second place winner Becca Wendell.
She's a 37-year-old wildlife biologist, ultra runner, and coach living in Washington State.
She's racked up some pretty impressive races in her career, coming in fifth
at Canyons in 2022. and she won the Bear 100 miler that same year and just recently
(01:30):
earning her ticket to the big show at Western States.
So we're going to dive deep into that race and see how she's going to attack Western this summer.
When not running, Becca is the development director of a wildlife conservation
nonprofit organization called Home Range and we'd like to learn a bit more about that too.
Sounds like we have a lot to talk about. Sure do. And here's Becca coming up.
(01:53):
Music.
Welcome to the podcast, Becca, and congratulations on earning your golden ticket
just this past weekend at Black Canyon.
Woohoo! Thanks. I'm so excited.
(02:16):
You must still be riding that high.
Yeah, I mean, riding high, and I think now I just got a little bit tired,
too. So, yeah, some combination of both, but it feels good.
Well, before we dig into Black Canyon, of course, when we were researching you,
we came across the fact that you have a really cool career because you get to
(02:37):
study some fantastic animals out where you live,
including coyotes, bobcats, bears, etc.
So why don't you tell us just a little bit about what it is that you do in your
spare time when you're not running? Sure.
Yeah, so I'm a wildlife biologist and actually a coach as well.
But on the wildlife side of things, I just started a PhD program this past August.
(03:01):
So right now I'm studying chronic wasting disease, which is this wild disease
that affects the deer family here in North America.
Mule deer, whitetail, elk, moose. Yeah, all of those critters.
And it's this disease that's called a prion disease. And there's basically a
misfolded protein that goes crazy in their brains and turns the animals into zombies.
(03:28):
So it's, yeah, pretty fascinating disease and one that is starting to have bigger
and bigger implications, especially for mule deer populations.
So studying that right now, but it just in general, I love studying critters
and how they move and behave on the landscape and have done,
yeah, a certain amount of different projects.
(03:49):
Amazing. Now, tell us about your mission with HomeRange.
So prior to coming to start this research project here at Colorado State,
I co-founded an organization called HomeRange Wildlife Research with two dear
friends and colleagues up in Washington's
Met Howe Valley and still fully involved with the organization.
(04:10):
But yeah, our goal there, we had all met on a previous project,
a predator prey project going on up in Washington called the Washington Predator Prey Project.
Project and that yeah we all
met there and coming out of
that it was pretty cool to just align on a few things that we all together wanted
(04:31):
to do and how we wanted to take take the field and maybe advance and grow it
a bit where continuing to conduct high quality research in our our local community
in the met how valley was first and foremost one of our goals and then in addition to that.
Wanted to develop training programs so that we could provide opportunities to
(04:52):
aspiring biologists to gain all of the necessary skills to do field-based research
for wildlife conservation.
Yeah, we'd just seen a lot of amazing, talented younger folks coming out of
their undergrads with lots of book knowledge,
but also just really desiring opportunities to gain those hands-on field skills
(05:12):
and be able to learn those in a supportive environment.
So, training courses alongside our research, and they all kind of go hand in hand.
And then the third pillar of our organization is community outreach and engagement.
So, just making sure that all the science that we're doing in our valley is
both involving our local community and well communicated to our community so
(05:33):
that the science is best understood. That's fantastic.
Well, the fact that you study wildlife, is that the reason why your first 100-miler was the bear? bear?
I mean, to be perfectly honest, yes.
If there's like a wildlife themed race, I get infinitely more excited about it.
Oh, we should have had you come to our one of our actually our very first race
(05:57):
that we ever directed was called Chase the Coyote.
Oh, that's awesome. They're one of my favorite critters too. So yeah.
So tell us about your experience with the bear. That was my my first and only 100 miler to this date.
And yeah, it was just a magical experience.
I mean, the course, so it's up in, it's in Northern Utah and you end up,
(06:21):
it's a point to point race and you traverse this really cool mountain range at peak fall colors.
So just everything about it is pretty phenomenal and had a great day with lots
of good friends out on course with me.
It's really neat that that race, you can start having pacers
like they get mile 36 so that's nice
(06:43):
my husband and two of my best friends pace me
for different sections and i don't know it's just
like a really wonderful day i felt
really grateful to be able to to live live a
day in the life that's not an easy race
for your first hundred miler certainly yeah i
think it fit well and it just i don't
know it really spoke to me like you guys said the the whole bear side of
(07:06):
things and chasing like a wolverine belt buckle pretty it made it a fun challenge
i assume you know the history behind why it's called the bear i think we've
talked about this on a previous podcast that there was a famous grizzly bear
named old ephraim who once roamed the area and now there's a statue.
Yeah, I heard a little bit about that. I think also that sub-mountain range
(07:30):
is the Bear Mountains, too.
So it's like a double whammy. But I remember the Akram story now.
I'm going to have to look into it a little bit more again.
Well, they erected a bear statue 10 feet tall near the course. Did you happen to see it?
I didn't. Okay, I missed that part. So I'm going to have to go back to Logan and check that out.
(07:50):
It's the bear's gravesite. That's where they actually... Yeah.
Well, that's interesting.
I'm going to pace a friend there this fall. I will go visit Ephraim.
Well, please send us an Instagram photo. Yeah, for sure. You there.
So have either of you done the bear then?
No. No, we chat to people who have done the bear, but it's on our list of a
(08:13):
big, long list of races we have to do. Great.
I have a simple one. We love races with a theme.
We always try to put a theme behind our events and anything with a theme really
attracts our attention.
Just makes it a little extra fun, right? Absolutely. Absolutely.
Now, another big race that you competed in was the Canyons in 2021, which you placed fifth.
(08:39):
Were you actually going after a ticket at that point?
You know, maybe kept that in your back pocket or were you actively seeking it?
Yeah, I think I had just gotten back into
running the previous year year and was generally like really excited
about i don't know i guess i just really like
races where you can go and race with
(09:02):
other amazing people who are going to bring the best out of you so and obviously
western states has such a such a great history and allure to i think anybody
in the ultra running community that hard to not want to go after that i think
that was the one of the The first 100K I ever finished, though,
so also didn't have any huge expectations.
(09:24):
Well, that was a tough year because that's the year that Beth Pascal won the
Canyons and then ended up winning Western States.
Yeah, she was amazing. It was really inspiring to watch her.
So what did you take away from the Canyons that you brought into Black Canyon?
I remember taking away a lot of Poison Ivy, but I didn't take away Black Canyon.
(09:45):
And I think just that course was so powerful.
Tough and i remember i mean well actually
now i think about it probably the biggest thing has just been like fueling
and really not missing the boat there because i
i think that race was the first time where it's so
long that you just you can't afford to make any mistakes and skip any fuel i
(10:07):
think it was something as small as during canyons we we ran out of the drink
mix that i normally use which has in it and my husband popped like a noon tablet
into another bottle and we were were like,
okay, it's electrolytes, but you know, those calories then missed from not having anything.
Yeah. I can just really put the brakes on quickly. So that was probably my biggest
(10:27):
takeaway. It's just really making sure you don't miss any calories.
And dialing it in for sure. Yeah. Yeah. That makes sense.
All right. Like let's now jump into Black Canyon.
So a little bit of a shaky start with the snow,
which may not have been a big issue for you, but I'm
sure the the delay kind of plays with you mentally how did
(10:48):
you feel about that delay two hours I believe it was honestly
it's kind of funny because we I don't know I
got up that morning and I like
didn't look at my phone at all and I was journaling a little bit while I ate
breakfast and just felt like super relaxed and good and in hindsight probably
should have looked at my phone so we and I arrived at the start and I like was
(11:10):
all warming up but as I was running around the start areas like this is very
Very strange that I don't see anybody else.
Like a flurry of other people like doing weird neighborhood laps or whatnot.
Anyways, I guess I didn't think about it too much and then realized we got word
that the start had been pushed back.
It wasn't too bad. We just went back to where we were staying and slept for
(11:32):
another hour, which was great. Oh, wow.
And then hit reset again. Well, that must speak to the fact that you were pretty
relaxed if you were actually able to go back to sleep. I would say pre-race
nerves would have me just jumping around, figuring out how to spend my time.
Yeah. I don't know. Maybe it's like a fortunate thing that just life is quite
(11:53):
busy right now. So any minute to sleep is just gold.
I'm going to take it where I can.
Now you've raced this course before, so you know what to expect.
And in a race like this, for some reason, everyone takes off like it's a 5k race.
Did you get caught up in the hype or did you hold yourself back?
(12:15):
Yeah i had a great conversation with my coach
beforehand to just like explicitly try to
temper that excitement which is really
hard because actually like as i was starting i looked
over and jenna bensko was right next to me and we had had a similar
we'd run together at grindstone this
past fall a little bit but also just kind of
(12:35):
going out the bat yeah out together a little bit fast and
we did just both it was
fun to share to talk with I think Jenna's
coached by David too and had gotten similar advice and both
of us just lamenting that we like what we love is racing
and say going out hard is just sort of
in your DNA a little bit and takes a
(12:57):
little bit of control but it was fun to have a yeah
to have somebody else to do that
yeah just take try to take a little bit slower out with someone
else that was given the same advice anyway yeah exactly
like don't tell yourself it's a long ways to
go all right so if you
could just take us through the first part of the race up to
(13:18):
let's say 19 mile 30ks were you
were you trying to settle in with a nice pace what was happening was there a
lot of jostling there it was really muddy the first probably 10 to 12 miles
i can't remember somewhere in that range it was kind of just comical because
you really also remember jen and i just be like it is so So hard to get momentum going.
(13:39):
You just, you know, like when you're running through mud, feel like you're.
Trying to move forward but going a half step
backwards at the same time yeah i guess it was just slow
but also that i think that took some pressure off you're like well we're
just sort of this is like is what it is you know and
have to get through it but had heard that after
we got through that top section that the soils changed quite
(14:02):
a bit and things keep draining better so i also
just kind of knew it wasn't going to be forever and that
there was some fast fun lowy single track
ahead and then once we hit that i was it
was great and jenna's an incredible downhill runner so
i got to follow her down down into
the bumblebee aid nice i can just picture if it was muddy for you guys imagine
(14:26):
what the middle to back of the packers were dealing with in that section yeah
it was slop and then i don't envy to the 60k runners the next day yeah my friend
And Brittany was saying that just it was frozen,
muddy footsteps the following day, too, in the 60K. So, yeah.
Ankle breakers. Yeah, for sure.
(14:48):
And that's also kind of a horse track as well. Or not a horse,
but cows go through there.
Yeah, it's like double track through a lot of there. And it looks like it's
open range throughout there. Yeah.
I didn't see any cattle. How were you at mile 50, Tibba Mesa?
So what position were you in then going, getting up to that area?
(15:09):
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(15:31):
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Now back to Jodi and Norm. arm so mile
50 i guess after that bumblebee aid
(15:53):
station started to ramp things up a bit
and yeah that was it was like i guess that section through table mesa was really
fun because i just was moving up a little bit and able to to run alongside a
whole bunch of different awesome ladies before i finally caught up with rachel
drake and then we had just an amazing time running.
(16:16):
For yeah at least i think
10 miles or so together less than that
but it was just a great like super fun especially to watch her race so i don't
know just awesomely and tactically but yeah so coming into the table mesa station
she had just made a great move and was watching that happen.
(16:41):
Yeah well since you mentioned race rachel
it was a good time to say that i was i was
reading after the race a quote in inside meg that rather than working against
each other you guys were working with each other which she claims was instrumental
to her success and she says especially when she teamed up with you over the
(17:02):
second half of the race she said we're hammering together for a a really long time.
You're just in it together in those moments and you feel it really strongly.
It felt really collaborative.
I was running harder than I wanted to, but it didn't feel antagonistic when
Del was forcing me to get the most out of myself. And I'm really grateful for that.
And I just love hearing that because you're lifting each other up.
(17:25):
You're happy for each other, but yet at the same time, yeah,
of course you're trying to get to the line first.
So So I think that's in such a competitive field.
I think it's awesome that you guys were working together and may the best person win, right?
Yeah. I mean, even just hearing that again, it's just like makes my heart flutter a little bit.
(17:47):
It's the fun part, right? I don't know.
When you get to share that experience so intimately with somebody,
that's really, I think, where so much of the...
The fun of the experience comes from. I'm sure it would have been a fun day
if I were alone in no man's land racing as hard as I could too,
but just the being able to share those miles on the trail.
(18:09):
And like Rachel said, trying to get the best out of each other.
That's really just, I think where the magic of, of ultra racing is.
Absolutely. Well, that's what our sport is all about, right? Totally.
Yep. And when you cross the finish line finally, and
they gave you the golden ticket to western what was going through your
mind yeah i think
(18:30):
first and foremost just seeing rachel and like celebrating that
time together was like the very first thing
that crossed my mind that and then looking for my husband who
got to to pace me the last 10 miles because we also had a really fun last little
section of rallying together but yeah then when craig handed me the golden ticket
it was just it was pretty cool totally surreal because while i I went into the
(18:54):
race hoping and believing that that could happen on the day.
It's something I've been dreaming about for a while now and it doesn't ever
seem real, you know, in those first full months. Where's the ticket?
It's in my garage right now. Okay. As long as you have it, that's all that matters.
Yeah. I got to make the awkward airport security trip.
(19:15):
It was good, actually. I wasn't really sure if I was going to be able to bring it home,
but I ran into Adam and Mary in the airport and he
had gotten one in a previous year and assured me that it would be no problem
so yeah did it fit in the overhead cabin no we had to squeeze it behind some
seats at the back of the plane oh that makes sense that makes sense oh man i'd love to be on that flight,
(19:40):
i'd love to be on a flight just with a golden ticket.
It's pretty funny the responses you get. People are either like,
oh, that's so cool, or you are totally insane.
Like you just raced 100K to the privilege to run 100 miles. Who are you?
Well, coming up in June, you're going to be toying the line with an incredible
(20:01):
field of women like Ida Nielsen, Ragna DeBott, Esther Sillig.
And of course, we have to throw in our Canadian, Percy Forgy, who will be there too.
So how does it feel to be in this
amazing field of incredible women racing for
western oh i just i can't wait i
(20:21):
really hope that can be as fun
of a day as as it was last this past
weekend at black canyon and just looking forward to meeting
a whole bunch of new people because that's another just big takeaways that every
time you show up and do one of these races your community either gets a a little
stronger or a little bit wider and yeah that's just the the most special part
(20:43):
of of these races so yeah looking forward to meeting all those ladies and hopefully
all racing hard together,
nice well i will tell you this at the beginning of western states if you show
five minutes before the race you're the only one there nobody else is there
until a minute before the race.
It's gonna feel like black canyon all over again yeah perfect
(21:04):
where is everybody buddy which is
kind of funny it is funny yeah so how
many people have you had already putting their hand up for pacing duties oh
quite a few and just that's that's actually also what i'm like really excited
about starting to think i haven't quite had time to plan anything yet just catching
(21:26):
up on like homework this week but i'm so excited to share that experience not
only not only with the broader community,
but with some of my closest friends too.
Yeah. Well, we'll be watching. We'll be watching. That's for sure.
We're always going to be watching. The world.
No pressure. Hopefully we'll put on another good show. Yes. Oh,
I'm confident that you will.
(21:47):
It was a woman's year last year, so it's pretty stacked again,
the women field. Yeah, for sure it is.
Now, Black Canyon is part of the new World Trail Majors. will you be competing
in other World Trail Majors events,
Perhaps something here in Canada,
like the Megatrail. I haven't planned anything past Western right now.
(22:08):
However, one of the big reasons I signed up for Black Canyon was because of the World Trail Majors.
Yeah, just when I heard about the ethos of what all the group is trying to do.
It just really resonated with me.
And I'm just very excited about the new series.
(22:29):
Series there was a woman from the mount
fuji japan japanese live broadcast
going on at black canyons and just neat to see that intersections
of the community there so yeah anywho i i
hope i could do another one of those races this
year that will definitely be a goal for sure is.
(22:49):
There any international races that regardless of
whether it's racing or just bucket list that are
on your radar that you want to complete one day that mount
fuji japan race would love to do one day this year
like maybe the cape town race would be fun yeah in
the fall and then i would love to come race up
in canada too yeah i i
(23:11):
have canada is very near and dear to my heart i
grew up in chicago so i was telling you all before we got going
and spent all my summers in high school
up in Quetico Provincial Park canoeing around yeah
just north of the Boundary Waters and I just especially
that area I really love and would would be
super fun to explore anywhere from BC out
(23:32):
to the east coast so yeah maybe I'll see you guys
at a race up that way one of these days well we're here so let us know when
you're coming up Ontario it takes over 24 hours to drive drive across it but
we haven't explored much on that end of the province so we'd love to do that
for sure yeah if you ever want a canoe trip oh it's just stunning.
(23:55):
Yeah balloons calling and moose and yeah
wolves it's pretty neat very cool well whatever
you decide we know that your trusty training
partners josie and riley will be up for the challenge your your canine friends
yeah oh yep josie's laying right down beside me and riley's on the couch and
(24:17):
they the best pals aren't they though the best training partners you could ever ask for,
Yeah, I mean, to be perfectly honest, Josie, she's 14 now,
so she's starting to slow down a little bit, but that dog, like she's the one
who got me into trail running and I feel forever grateful that we got to share
those beginning explorations of trails.
(24:40):
That's so special. And 14 just starting to slow down. That's a great. I know.
He's a champ. am well becca
thank you so much for taking the time out
with us today again we apologize for our technical difficulties
you were a superstar no worries it's really nice to meet you jody and norman
(25:00):
and of course we wish you all the best in june at western states and beyonce
really appreciate it yeah and hope to run into you somewhere down the line so
we do like to end And with some rapid fire,
it's just some fun questions that you just answer quickly to get to know you a little better. Okay?
Okay. All right. Let's do it. Do you have any tattoos?
(25:22):
I do. I have one. Just one. Okay. Yep. I have a star on my wrist from when I
was 18. All right. Very good.
If you had to choose between a long run on the treadmill or outside at minus
a million, what would you choose? Oh, outside at minus a million. Italian.
I think I knew the answer to that before I even asked it.
(25:45):
What's a TV show that you're embarrassed to say you watch? Embarrassed? I don't know.
I mean, the first thing that came to mind is I am like the biggest New Girl
fan in the whole entire world. Okay. Not embarrassed.
Yeah, not embarrassed to watch it, but I love that show.
How about this? I've watched that show an embarrassing number of times.
Okay, that's a good answer. Good answer.
(26:07):
Would you rather be a professional writer, painter, or musician?
Writer. Writer. What's the last rock concert you've been to? Last rock concert?
I do not get out into the concert world very often.
I genuinely can't remember. It was a long time ago. How about that?
(26:27):
All right. What's another sport you'd like to excel in? I don't know.
Hmm. It's hard to think of anything beyond running. I've tried a lot of things.
I do. I really like climbing as well. So I'll dabble there every now and again.
It'd be fun. I really admire people who excel there. Oh, for sure.
And you're in the right part of the world to do it. My goodness.
(26:50):
Okay, Norm. Pick a superpower you like to have. Oh, I would want teleport.
Oh, yeah. Yeah, that's a popular one. From the start to the finish? Just anywhere. Yeah.
I'm so ready to be home immediately.
Absolutely. All right, Becca. Thank you so much. Thank you so much.
(27:10):
You bet. Have a wonderful rest of your day. Yeah, you too. All the best. Thanks. Take care. Bye.
There you have it. That was Becca Windell. Fresh off her second place at Black Canyon.
Super exciting. She's still riding that high.
Absolutely. She can't wait to tow the line to Western States.
It's just around the corner, you know.
(27:31):
February, March, April, May, June. Four months of training for a 100-miler.
Yeah, that's about right.
She can do it. Very good, very good. I love her career, though.
Biologist. Wildlife biologist. Yeah, it sounds like she's doing something that
she really loves, and it obviously gets her to be outdoors most of the time. So what's not to love?
(27:55):
Yeah. And I hope she continues to run the new World Trail Majors and get to
Canada. You betcha. Come to Canada. Come to Quebec.
All right. Until next time. Cheers. Bye.
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