On Saturday, June 23rd 2018 Kaytlyn Gerbin will be testing her mettle at the prestigious Western States 100 Mile Endurance Run for the second time. Last year she dramatically charged her way into the entry list by winning the Rainshadow Running Gorge Waterfalls 100k and claiming the Altra Golden Ticket invitation that was up for grabs. She then ran a smart race, steadily climbing up through the field to finally finish in an impressive fourth place for the women, and earning herself the right to an automatic invitation to toe the line again in 2018. This year she gets to sport the well earned “F4” bib and have another run for the podium. It’s exciting to see her name feature highly in irunfar.com’s run down of women to watch in their WSER 100 Women’s Preview.
A regular at our group runs and events, Kaytlyn is sponsored by La Sportiva and VFuel as well as being a #Team7Hills sponsored runner. We took a moment to ask her 7 questions about her upcoming big weekend:
1) How has your training differed from last year?
This year’s training and preparation feels less frantic and more strategic. Knowing this was on my calendar all year was great, because I could plan my training accordingly. Last year, I was training hard for a Golden Ticket at Gorge Waterfalls, and after getting into Western States, I didn’t have a lot of time!
2) What shoes are you toeing the line with? Do you plan on changing shoes or socks at any point?
I’ll be running in the La Sportiva Lycans. I’ll bring shoes/socks to change just in case, but hope I won’t need to make any switches.
3) What hydration vest and/or strategies will you bring to your day?
I’ll alternate between two different packs (both Ultimate Direction race vestas), and will use handheld bottles for a few short sections. Using two packs means I can quickly swap my empty pack for a new, filled pack at a crew stop instead of repacking every time.
4) Have you done any “heat training” for this year’s race?
Absolutely — I’ve been hitting up the sauna at Banya 5! It’s also a great place for recovery and escaping from the outside world. 🙂
5) During last year’s race, you came from out of the top10 prior to Forest Hill to finish 4th overall. Will you have a similar strategy? This year?
I hope to run smart and pace myself for a strong second half again this year.
6) Who will your pacer and crew be?
Mostly the same as last year! Ely (my husband) will be pacing me from Foresthill (62) to Greengate (80), and Ladia Albertson-Junkans will pace me from there to the finish. My all-star crew consists of: Ian Burton, Leah Kangas, Adam Frye, and Melissa Hendershott. I am grateful for all of their support, and also to have my family joining me down in Squaw again this year.
7) As you pin on F4 before the race, what will you remember most from 2017’s race?
Too many things to choose just one! The whole experience last year was amazing, and I’ll be remembering how damn lucky I am to get to do it all over again.
Thanks Kaytlyn! Seven Hills Running Shop will be following along with the live coverage on irunfar.com and cheering you on from Seattle!
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