B.C.’ s Emilie Mann smashed the ladies’s course file on the Run Rabbit Run 100-miler in Steamboat Springs, Colo., on September fifteenth, ending in 19 hours, 48 minutes, and 5 seconds. Mann shattered the earlier file of 20:16:54 (set by Colorado’s Michele Yates in 2013) by almost half-hour—and he or she credit extra than simply logging miles for her success. The race, infamous for its punishing altitude (it begins at over 2,000 metres and contains 6,000 metres of climbing) pushes athletes to their limits; right here’s what Mann instructed Canadian Working helped her dominate RRR.
It was a powerful 100-mile debut for Mann, who, in 2023, received the Golden Extremely 60K distance, the Sinister 7 50K and the Squamish 50-Mile (working the third-fastest ladies’s time within the race’s historical past). Again in 2019, she received the Canadian Lengthy Distance Mountain Working Championship and went on to compete on the World Mountain Working Championships in Argentina, the place she completed 57th within the lengthy distance (41.5-km) class. Mann, who’s sponsored by Merrell, presently makes her house in Kelowna, B.C.
Working with legends
From the beginning, Mann discovered herself working alongside by a few of the greatest names within the ultra-trail world. Relatively than being intimidated, Mann felt lifted up by the highest ladies rivals. “It was so enjoyable to satisfy them in individual,” she mentioned, of working alongside U.S. runners Leah Yingling (who finally completed second in 20:19:25), Emily Caldwell (third within the 2021 version of RRR) and Clare Gallagher (2022 Leadville 100 champ) amongst different elite ladies. “After I handed every of them, it was like passing your greatest fan; even once they had been in a low, they had been so supportive.” These trail-running “celebs” turned a part of Mann’s motivation to push by way of, including a particular spark to her 100-mile journey.
A group effort
Mann had her companion, Tim Ropchan, crewing for her each step of the way in which, and he or she credit their teamwork as a major a part of her success. Their first support station transition didn’t go as deliberate—Mann by chance left sporting two totally different sneakers! “Tim sprinted after me with the proper shoe,” she says. “We nailed all the opposite support stations, although.” His regular assist was vital in maintaining her grounded because the miles piled up.
A coach who set the bar excessive
Mann credit her coach, Dave Stevens of Nelson, B.C. (Stevens additionally received RRR in 2019), with giving her the technique that in the end led to her victory. “He instructed me to respect the space however set a lofty purpose,” she explains. She fought the urge to start out too quick and held again her pace within the early phases. “It actually paid off. I had no main lows except for an upset abdomen for possibly 15km.” This cautious pacing, so difficult to do in an extended race, helped her keep momentum and set her up for a powerful end.
Inspiration from the most effective
Mann, who grew up in Fernie, B.C., additionally carried private inspiration together with her within the type of a reputation written on her thigh—that of beloved Fernie race director Abi Moore, who was killed in a automotive accident in July. “I wrote Abi Moore’s identify with a coronary heart beside it,” she shared, paying tribute to a fellow runner who continues to be an enormous inspiration. Abi’s husband, Mike, instructed Mann that RRR was one of many races Abi had all the time needed to do. “I’d have liked to race together with her,” Mann mentioned. Abi’s identify was a strong connection that helped Mann energy ahead.
The kindness of fellow runners and volunteers was one other key factor that lifted Mann all through the race. Whether or not competing within the elite class or as common runners, “everybody was so type and joyful to talk—even at 3 a.m.,” she mentioned. The path working group’s camaraderie gave her the psychological increase she wanted through the hardest components of the race. Mann’s unimaginable race-day efficiency was not solely because of her health and quick toes, but additionally credited to the assist, technique and inspiration that carried her throughout the end line.