Putting within the high 10 at each the Western States 100 and UTMB in a single season is a lofty objective for anybody, however much more so for somebody juggling a full-time job with frequent work journey alongside coaching and racing. That’s precisely what Leah Yingling had in her sights for 2023, and she or he hit the goal on each counts. I caught up along with her to learn how her restoration goes, and to study extra in regards to the course she’s traveled to turn out to be one of many high 100-mile racers within the U.S.
Leah Yingling grew up in Johnstown Pennsylvania, an hour outdoors of Pittsburgh. Collectively along with her three sisters, she had an energetic upbringing, taking part in soccer and basketball as a toddler, till her freshman yr in highschool the place she added operating to the combination. She stated, “My sisters and I, all of us ran on the cross-country group collectively, which to this present day continues to be amongst my fondest operating recollections. We ended up making it to the Pennsylvania cross-country state championships collectively, which was actually particular.”
Leah Yingling (second from the left) on the 2005 Pennsylvania cross-country state championships along with her three sisters. Photograph courtesy of Leah Yingling.
Yingling continued operating, alongside basketball, all through highschool, however left feeling a bit jaded from the aggressive side of the game. She stated: “I ended up going to highschool in Carnegie Mellon College, Pittsburgh. It was extremely intensive, actually difficult. I began operating once more extra as a psychological reset throughout my freshman yr there.”
Then Yingling’s relationship with operating was massively altered, when on the finish of her freshman yr, she was a sufferer of a sexual assault whereas out operating. After this life altering occasion, operating turned extra significant and an act of defiance for Yingling, who stated, “Up till that time, I used to be simply operating casually for enjoyable. However after that, I took a bit little bit of day off and once I returned to operating, I began searching for out the longer distances. Simply because I felt that operating was one thing that was nearly taken away from me at that second, and I actually wished to take it again for myself, and simply discover a bit bit extra of what I may do, and simply see the place the lengthy distances may take me.”
She turned concerned in advocacy in opposition to sexual assault, and thru an area charity, helped to lift cash and consciousness to assist others affected by the difficulty. Of this advocacy work, Yingling says: “To this present day, that was nonetheless one in all my huge ardour initiatives.” Concurrently, she was coaching for her first marathon, the 2013 Pittsburgh Marathon, which was made tougher by the sensation of being unsafe operating on the streets, and she or he stated, “I ended up doing in all probability 75% of my operating on a treadmill.”
Leah after her first marathon, the 2013 Pittsburgh Marathon. Photograph courtesy of Leah Yingling.
Already rising in consolation with longer distances, it was when she moved to the Washington D.C. space for work in 2014 that Yingling first found path operating. She stated, “I used to be actually in search of neighborhood there … I had heard in regards to the Virginia Completely satisfied Trails Working Membership, and I knew that they did a weekly group run out at Nice Falls Park. So, I began becoming a member of them each Wednesday, or as many Wednesdays as I may make it, and that was actually my first introduction to path operating.”
Right here Yingling discovered the connection she was in search of, with a welcoming and skilled bunch of path runners, who have been already planting the seeds in her thoughts to delve into ultrarunning. She added, “Conveniently too, that was proper across the time I met my now husband [Mike McMonagle.] Once I met him, I feel he had in all probability 50-plus ultramarathons to his identify. So, our first summer season collectively — we have been courting lengthy distance between Washington D.C. and Virginia Seaside — most of our weekends have been spent assembly midway, or someplace on the East Coast, or operating a race. He would do the 50k or 50 miler, and I’d usually do the 25k or the path marathon.”
The next yr, in 2015, Yingling stepped as much as her first 50k, on the Belmead Path Fest, outdoors of Richmond, Virginia. Her first foray into the space went off nicely, and she or he stated: “After that I set my thoughts to finishing one other 50k, after which a while sooner or later, with eyes on the 50-mile distance,” however added, “I keep in mind vividly at the moment — my husband Mike had carried out a couple of 100 milers, he’d carried out the Burning River 100 Mile and Western States 100, and informed me his horror tales. And I used to be like ‘There’s no method I wish to do a 100 miler,’ and but right here we’re!”
Leah Yingling racing her first 50k, on the Belmead Path Fest in 2015. Photograph: Mike McMonagle
In 2016, Yingling moved to Salt Lake Metropolis, Utah, for graduate college. Constructing on her earlier training, and her work as a researcher on the Nationwide Institutes of Well being in D.C., she pursued additional research within the discipline of biomedical informatics. She stated, “I’d say that’s actually when my ultramarathon operating began to take off. In Salt Lake Metropolis, our proximity to the mountains is basically unmatched for being a bigger metropolis. Now we have the Wasatch Mountains simply outdoors our again door, and it’s actually laborious to do a run that doesn’t go straight up.”
Yingling rapidly found a robust neighborhood of runners referred to as the Wasatch Mountain Wranglers, who helped her to seek out her toes within the mountains, and to study and hone the talents she wanted for lengthy days of autonomous exploration and longer distance racing.
Leah Yingling smiling her method by means of her first 50 miler, the 2016 Useless Horse 50 Mile, along with her husband Mike. Photograph: Mad Moose Occasions
Then in 2018, she stepped up the space to her first 100 miler, the Bear 100 Mile in Utah. She recollects, “It was a improbable day. I keep in mind crossing the end line and pondering, That was my finest race ever, which is basically cool to say about your first 100 miles. I went in actually humbled by the space.” Though all of it labored out on the day, Yingling had a nerve-racking lead-in to the race and stated: “My coaching for that race was fairly nice, however then I stepped on a nail 10 days earlier than the race. That’s really a race reminiscence I replicate on usually, as a result of I ended up having to take 10 days off earlier than operating that 100 miler. So, any time I’m in coaching and must take per week off as a result of I’ve a bit niggle, I remind myself of that.”
Yingling positioned second on the Bear 100 Milr and continued to rack up wins at across the 50k distance. Rising in confidence, she stated: “I keep in mind having a dialog with my husband on the finish of 2019, and I used to be like, ‘Subsequent yr, 2020, I’m going to place myself in it a bit extra.’ That was the primary yr that I felt I might be aggressive with the opposite girls within the sport. However then 2020 hit, and I needed to put these objectives on maintain for a bit.” She went on, “Chasing a Golden Ticket [into the Western States 100] was undoubtedly on my thoughts, and I signed up for the Canyons 100k in 2021. That was the primary time I actually stood on a begin line and believed that I might be a part of the entrance girls. I feel simply having that perception in myself actually flipped a change in my thoughts and in my racing.”
On the day, Yingling carried out nicely however fell wanting competition for the Golden Ticket, putting sixth in a aggressive girls’s discipline — amongst huge names akin to Beth Pascall, Audrey Tanguy, and Emily Hawgood. She stated, “I feel that race actually instilled lots of confidence in me. I raced it conservatively after which moved my method up, however I simply felt so sturdy on the end line and thought I may undoubtedly take a couple of extra dangers sooner or later.”
A coaching run in Moab, Utah. Photograph: Mike McMonagle
Early the next yr, Yingling lined up on the Bandera 100k, nonetheless in pursuit of the elusive Golden Ticket. She once more ran a robust race, however was handed with 4 miles to go, slipping into third place and out of the required putting for the Golden Ticket. Undeterred, she signed up for one more try on the 2022 Canyons 100k later that spring. Within the interim interval, she raced the Gorge Waterfalls 50k, the Transgrancanaria 65k, and an area Working Up for Air 6 Hour. This build-up helped her transition from the kind of coaching she had been doing for a quick runnable course at Bandera, to organize for the extra mountainous Canyons course.
Lastly, her luck was in, and she or he recounts: “In that race I began conservative early within the day after which moved my method up within the final 20 miles right into a Golden Ticket spot, after which moved into second place with about 5k to go.” Yingling’s place on the Western States 100 begin line was sealed.
Leah Yingling takes second on the 2022 Canyons by UTMB 100k and accepts her Western States 100 Golden Ticket. Photograph: iRunFar/Meghan Hicks
She ready diligently for the massive day, and stated: “I actually wished to make it possible for no stone was left unturned with regard the cooling methods, I actually wished to care for myself on the market.”
Her diligence paid off, as she recollects, “I feel that led me to having the day that I had, the place I used to be in high 20 early on. I moved up I feel to high 15 by Foresthill, and at last on the river I feel was the primary time I entered the dialog within the iRunFar tweets, which meant I had moved as much as the highest 10.”
She went on, “Between the river and the end, I had taken 4 spots. These 4 hours from the river to the end final yr have been a number of the most enjoyable racing I’ve ever carried out. I used to be being paced by my buddy Matt Mitchell. I’ve by no means felt that good late in a 100 miler, that was a overseas feeling. That day was simply unbelievable.” She completed in sixth place, in a time of 18:32.
Coaching within the Alps, in the summertime of 2023. Photograph: Mike McMonagle
To shine off an already busy 2022 season, Yingling was then chosen to run for Staff USA on the 2022 Path World Championships 80k in Thailand, in November. She stated, “Representing Staff USA was such an honor. It’s very seldom that you simply get to take part on a group in our sport, and also you’re operating for greater than your self then.”
Though she had been signed up for UTMB in addition to Western States in 2022, Yingling shared that there was all the time a query mark over whether or not she’d be ready to comply with by means of with the double. Ultimately, the choice was made for her, as a minor calf tear after Western States had not sufficiently recovered to permit her to race once more come late August.
In 2023, nonetheless, the double was a objective that was entrance and heart in Yingling’s thoughts. She stated, “My objective for my 2023 of racing was that I wished to be high 10 at each Western States and UTMB. And I knew my method of conducting that may be by racing much less earlier within the season and focusing actually closely on the restoration between the 2 races.”
With the posh of already having her place within the 2023 Western States secured by means of her 2022 high 10 end, Yingling didn’t have the identical stress to comply with Golden Ticket races early within the season, and will bask in a neater build-up. She stated, “I saved it a bit bit on the low quantity aspect, much less racing, simply conserving constant sufficient.”
Regardless of drastically totally different build-ups, her 2023 race at Western States performed out in a similar way to that of 2022, and she or he recollects: “I used to be capturing for an 18-hour end, and by chance the climate gods have been on our aspect, so it ended up being a bit below 18 hours. I completed three locations decrease, however I keep in mind crossing the end line pondering I by no means would have thought I’d really feel this pleased with a ninth-place end. I didn’t actually have something go flawed all day, and I simply executed it precisely how I wished to.”
Leah Yingling, Eszter Csillag, and Meghan Morgan operating collectively at Robinson Flat throughout the 2023 Western States 100. Photograph: iRunFar/Jaja Ferrer Capili
Yingling’s coaching, racing, and restoration are made extra sophisticated by upholding a demanding profession alongside operating. She nonetheless works full-time as a biomedical engineer. She defined, “I work within the electrophysiology house, which is a department of cardiology, and I work for a medical machine firm — launching all of our new applied sciences regionally.”
Yingling’s work calls for numerous regional journey, which requires her to be versatile along with her coaching, and she or he credit her coach with serving to to make this occur. She stated, “I’ve been working with Megan Roche as my coach, and she or he’s been so nice for being versatile with my coaching and likewise adapting with what’s happening in my life. I’m traditionally a decrease quantity coach, in contrast with my rivals. I normally stick with round 60 to 70 miles per week of coaching with a day without work. Typically I can select once I journey for work, so I’ll attempt to overlay it a bit bit with when I’ve an off day in coaching, and I’ll take my trainers with me.”
Yingling is at present having fun with a depart of absence for 3 to 6 months, which started in August, and has been utilizing the time to construct in additional restoration into her schedule, somewhat than including extra coaching miles. She shared, “The month I’ve had off with UTMB has been the very best routine I’ve ever gotten into. I used to be sleeping eight hours an evening, I used to be consuming nicely, and really recovering from my coaching. Restoration has been my Achilles heel over the previous few years. I took this depart of absence and I feel loads folks may be including coaching when they’re off from work, however my coaching has stayed precisely the identical and I’m simply including extra restoration to my calendar, which I feel is likely one of the causes I used to be capable of make it to the UTMB begin line wholesome [so soon after Western States.]”
Leah Yingling runs by means of the cheers of crowds in Courmayeur on the 2023 UTMB. Photograph: iRunFar/Jaja Ferer Capili
Yingling stated the expertise she gained crewing and spectating the yr earlier than, and titbits of information picked up simply from attending the occasion, have been invaluable when it got here to racing her UTMB debut. Though she feels some errors have been made and there’s nonetheless room for enchancment, and one other chapter to be written in her UTMB story, the day performed out nicely to an eighth-place end — thus conducting her objective of top-10 finishes in two of the world’s best 100 milers in a single season.
As for now, she says: “Restoration goes nicely. We’re about two weeks and a few days after UTMB and I’ve carried out three or 4 runs. Simply brainstorming what to do for 2024 and the remainder of this yr.”
For one factor, her identify might be within the lottery for the 2024 Hardrock 100, and with a return for a second crack at UTMB probably on the playing cards. Yingling was reluctant to decide to hanging up her racing sneakers for the remainder of 2023, and hinted at racing Extremely-Path Cape City later this yr. For now, we’ll watch this house.
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