Hey there! My name is Leah and I am an ultra runner, hiker, and backpacker living in Missoula, Montana. I first developed my love of moving in the mountains while thru-hiking the Pacific Crest Trail in 2016. The PCT was my inaugural extended trip in the woods, and as such it served as a fantastic crash course in backpacking. More importantly, my journey on the PCT ignited a passion to go longer and farther in the mountains.
So, of course, the next logical step was to start running ultramarathons upon my return to Durham, North Carolina. I ran three 50 milers in 2017 as a way of answering the question I frequently asked myself while on the PCT – “what would it be like to run 50 miles in a day?” Training to run mountain ultras from a city that is 3 hours and 35 minutes from the closest mountains and 5 hours from my favorite mountain range (trust me, I know), wasn’t easy. I would head west to the mountains most Fridays to run, and drive home on Saturdays exhausted and full of barbecue.
2018 brought new, unexpected adventures. After a delightful summer of running and backpacking adventures in the beautiful NC mountains, Seth and I moved out to Missoula where I’m now beginning my Doctor of Physical Therapy degree. Our view of mountains from the kitchen window makes me exceedingly happy, as does being able to plan big ol’ weekend adventures in the immediate vicinity. When not studying or moving about in the great outdoors, I am working to perfect my cheesecake recipe, one dinner party at a time.
“The clearest way into the universe is through a forest wilderness.” – John Muir
Photo by: Seth Orme