Ladia Albertson-Junkans Interview Ultrarunnerpodcast.com

Ladia Albertson-Junkans ran the competitive Chuckanut 50k for her first ultramarathon last year and won it. With a stacked field that included YiOu Wang, Camille Herron, and Corinne Malcom, Ladia bonked hard but rallied and came out on top.  



I think I’ve learned to focus on joy through the physical discomfort and physical strain, and in some way I derive joy from that, which I think a lot of us do.



She’s represented the US in Mountain Running Championships, she’s won road races, ran as an All-American in collegiate cross country, and recently she’s been turning her attention more towards trail ultras.

This past weekend, Ladia Albertson-Junkans lined up at the competitive Way Too Cool 50k and, once again, came out on top and looked like she had a blast the whole way.

But this isn’t an interview about winning races. Ladia shares her stories and feelings about why she loves running and the trail community , what drives her to compete, and what she is truly seeking each time she toes the line.

In this interview, we talk about:



* The positive influences of high school and college coaches.

* How Ladia transitioned into trail running and ultimately ultra distance events.

* The power of a positive attitude and community involvement.

* What she learned pacing Kaytlyn Gerbin at Western States 100 and will we ever see her line up at Squaw?

* The differences between “cross country running” and “trail running.” Anyone have anything to add to that?

* What she learned during her first ultramarathon at Chuckanut and how she applied those lessons to Way Too Cool.

* And of course, projectilve vomiting.



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Ladia Albertson-Junkans Episode Notes:

Here’s the URP interview with Kaytlyn Gerbin.

Here’s the Nike Borderclash XC start I was talking about. Jump to 1:00 for the action!

Here’s the info on Steen’s Mountain High Altitude Running Camp.

We talked about Broken Arrow Skyrace and why it’d be a perfect race for her.

Here’s more on Chip Gaines’ Silo District Marathon.

Here’s more on Ladia’s friend Gabe Grunewald’s fight against cancer.

During Ben’s Gear Talk, we discussed:



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