Whereas for a lot of, competing on the highest degree in 50-kilometer to 100-mile path races doesn’t sound like one thing that may be completed alongside working 12-hour shifts as an intensive care nurse, Taylor Nowlin has mastered the artwork of moonlighting. After her second consecutive top-10 end on the Western States 100, I caught up together with her to search out out what drives her, and the way she manages to steadiness two such demanding careers concurrently.
Taylor Nowlin grew up exterior Portland, Oregon. The kid of operating mother and father, she was influenced from a younger age to partake within the sport, and has been operating since center college. She had an lively childhood, and mentioned: “We did loads of backpacking and snowshoeing as children so I believe I simply naturally gravitated towards operating. However I used to be additionally tremendous into soccer. So, I might all the time be bouncing between the 2.”
In school, Nowlin took up steeplechasing, which she competed at for 5 years, saying: “I beloved that, it broke up the monotony of operating in circles across the observe. I really like the impediment course side of it.”
Taylor Nowlin (middle) steeplechasing throughout school. All photographs courtesy of Taylor Nowlin until in any other case famous.
After school, she moved to Crested Butte, Colorado, the place she first grew to become conscious of path operating as a aggressive self-discipline. She additionally took inspiration from a well known Crested Butte resident on the time, saying: “Stevie Kremer lived there, and I did a few native races and I noticed her at them. She was an incredible ski mountaineer and runner, and I believe she was the primary individual I actually idolized within the path operating world.”
As soon as Nowlin had gotten a style for path operating and turn into embedded in the neighborhood, she began to push out the distances. In 2016, she took on her first extremely, the Golden Gate Soiled 30 Mile, inserting third. She ran a handful extra ultras that yr, however was additionally drawn to extra technical operating and, the next yr, took on the U.S. Skyrunner Sequence, and gained.
By 2017, whereas Nowlin had constructed as much as the 100k distance, inserting third at Sean O’Brien 100k, she hadn’t but thought-about going additional — when she unintentionally secured a Golden Ticket to the Western States 100 by way of a second-place end on the 2018 Lake Sonoma 50 Mile. The now two-time Western States 100 finisher laughed, and mentioned, “On the time I had zero intention of operating 100 miles ever. That simply appeared like a extremely lengthy method to go.” Nowlin turned down the ticket at the moment, however continued to develop in confidence within the 50k to 100k distance vary.
Taylor Nowlin climbing her method to second place within the 2018 Lake Sonoma 50 Mile. Picture: iRunFar/Bryon Powell
In 2018, she moved to Flagstaff, Arizona, to check nursing at Northern Arizona College. On this common path operating hub, Nowlin discovered herself proper at residence, and destiny (or forest fires) led to her setting a quickest recognized time (FKT) on one of the crucial iconic routes on the earth — the Grand Canyon Rim-to-Rim-to-Rim — breaking a report set by Sweden’s Ida Nilsson only one week prior.
Nowlin mentioned: “I used to be truly coaching for The North Face 50 Mile Championships and simply specializing in that, however then the yr that I used to be planning on doing it, California had actually unhealthy fires. So, I wanted one thing else to do with all that health, in order that was after I ended up doing the Rim-to-Rim-to-Rim FKT. Different individuals clearly had the identical concept!”
Having certified as a nurse simply at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Nowlin took up work in an intensive care unit, concurrently being signed to adidas Terrex as a sponsored athlete. “So, it was my first yr as a nurse, my first yr with adidas, and a pandemic, all on the identical time.” Mentioned Nowlin, who to today juggles her blossoming operating profession alongside full time work as a nurse. Within the early days, the COVID-19 race cancellations have been a blessing in disguise for Nowlin, who mentioned:
“I mainly took a yr off operating. I skilled slightly bit however nothing severe. After which the yr after that, I began bringing aggressive operating again into the image. And I believe that [time away from racing] actually helped me steadiness the 2. It made it slightly extra gradual.”
Nonetheless being self-coached, Nowlin struggled initially with balancing her coaching in an affordable method alongside the bodily and psychological calls for of her work, saying: “I used to be undoubtedly adjusting to the brand new schedule. Nursing was 12-hour shift work and I, on the time, was working days and nights alternating, which is so laborious on the sleep schedule. I used to be coaching in a method that didn’t actually take that under consideration.”
In later years, as she has gained expertise and likewise began working with a coach, Nowlin has tailored by scaling again the amount of her operating, and factoring in 12-hour days on her ft as a part of her coaching. She mentioned, “Some days [alongside working a long shift] I’ll do a brief straightforward run, like two or three miles max. Some days I’ll elevate, or simply do some yoga within the morning. A number of the times I simply don’t work out in any respect. It type of took a coach telling me to really feel pleased with doing that.”
Nowlin coaching in Spokane, Washington, which she now calls residence.
By 2021, Nowlin was very a lot in her consolation zone at shorter ultras, inserting second within the Speedgoat 50k that yr, in addition to prime 10 within the OCC — however a curiosity was rising for longer distances. She mentioned: “I’ve loads of adidas teammates who’re into these longer distances. I simply needed to see how I might deal with it and the way it could really feel. So, it was principally curiosity. And I believe I used to be simply able to strive one thing new and problem myself in that method.”
With this in thoughts, she set about pursuing one other Golden Ticket for the Western States 100, beginning with the Canyons 100k in 2021, the place she completed eighth. Early the next yr, she focused the Bandera 100k, however it was not meant to be. She mentioned: “I bought a extremely unhealthy abdomen bug however determined to begin anyway, which possibly with hindsight was not the wisest alternative.” She didn’t end that day, however was able to go once more the next month on the Black Canyon 100k, the place fourth place on the day was sufficient to safe her Golden Ticket.
In preparation for her 100-mile debut, Nowlin’s easy technique was to run as many miles as her busy schedule allowed. She mentioned, “I didn’t actually do loads of speedwork, simply centered solely on quantity. And I’m proud of the way it turned out. I keep in mind feeling like I had loads of endurance, however possibly I wasn’t as quick as I was with that model of coaching.” Nowlin stormed her debut, ending in seventh place in a time of 18 hours, 46 minutes — incomes her automated qualification to the next yr’s race.
However she wasn’t completed but for 2022, and had one other huge aim for the top of the summer time — the 100k CCC. She discovered the restoration from her first 100 miler to be considerably more durable than anticipated, saying: “At that time having by no means completed one other 100 miler, I truthfully anticipated to have the ability to take every week off after the Western States 100 after which bounce again into my coaching the place I left off — and to have the ability to create an epic, extra mountain-specific construct between that and CCC. It was fairly stunning for me to search out out that I used to be not feeling prepared or succesful.” She shifted her focus to restoration, incorporating easier runs and mountain climbing into her coaching all through the summer time, and solely actually felt recovered when she arrived in Chamonix, France, in late August.
A coaching run in Chamonix, France, earlier than the 2022 CCC.
The 2022 CCC girls’s race was exceptionally aggressive, and Nowlin discovered herself having to regulate expectations mid-race. She remembers: “I had memorized a few of Abby Corridor’s splits from the yr prior when she completely crushed it. I roughly knew primarily based on the form I used to be in, and the way she had run that race, that I might be roughly there in that ballpark. I had assumed too that if I may run one thing near that point that I may possibly get on the rostrum. I keep in mind coming into Champex-Lac [halfway], and I used to be operating slightly bit forward of her splits. I used to be shocked after I discovered the place I used to be truly in. I believe I used to be nonetheless someplace within the teenagers.”
She continued, “I keep in mind having to reset my expectations. As a result of for me, I used to be operating a fantastic race, however in comparison with the sphere I wasn’t in podium rivalry. That was an fascinating psychological hurdle to recover from.” Nowlin crept up the sphere within the second half, finally ending ninth, and mentioned: “I believe it was a great run, I’m nonetheless actually pleased with it.”
When the calendar flipped to 2023, Nowlin’s consideration was once more turned to the Western States 100. This yr, with slightly extra confidence in her capacity to cowl the gap, and the assistance of a coach, her coaching regarded very totally different to the earlier yr. She mentioned, “I ran loads much less miles, however I had much more depth in my coaching. I used to be a lot happier additionally in my private life, as a result of I had extra free time to do issues that weren’t operating.” The brand new strategy labored properly, and Nowlin completed in sixth place, taking greater than an hour off of her earlier ending time.
Taylor Nowlin is greeted by her husband, Chris, on the end line of the 2023 Western States 100.
Though it hadn’t been a part of her unique plan, when after the Western States 100 Nowlin had a chance to race UTMB, she discovered it too tempting to show down, saying: “I simply figured I’d give it a shot.” She discovered herself to be not sufficiently recovered although and didn’t end, saying, “I believe I used to be nonetheless fairly bodily fatigued and likewise possibly emotionally not prepared to point out up once more and dig deep. I believe for one thing like UTMB that occasion deserves much more respect than I may possibly give it.”
Wanting ahead, though having confirmed that aggressive 100-mile racing is one thing properly inside her scope of expertise, Nowlin feels extra drawn to shorter distance ultras. She mentioned: “I’m undoubtedly fascinated about dropping again down in distance, to someplace between the 50k and 100k distance, and specializing in that. I believe this yr particularly, working with a coach who actually values extra speedwork, I remembered how a lot I take pleasure in feeling quick and getting some extra leg turnover.”
When it comes to her twin profession, she has no intention of sacrificing one for the opposite, and mentioned: “I really feel fairly strongly that I don’t need to run full time. I get loads of satisfaction out of my work as a nurse. It brings me a lot success in life. I’m all the time looking for the right steadiness between the 2 and I believe there’s loads to be mentioned for taking longer intervals off from nursing so I can deal with operating, however I don’t need to give it up.” She additionally has longer phrases plans to advance her profession by learning anesthesia.
So, whereas her operating profession continues to go from power to power, it is going to nonetheless solely make up one facet of Taylor Nowlin’s wealthy life story.
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