About
Sarah Lavender Smith has been a well-respected runner and writer in the growing sport of ultra-distance trail running since the early 2000s. A frequent contributor to Trail Runner and UltraRunning, she authored A Trail Runner’s Companion: A Step-by-Step Guide to Trail Running and Racing, from 5Ks to Ultras (Falcon, 2017).
As she aged past 50, she began using her inspiring newsletter, Mountain Running & Living (at sarahrunning.substack.com), to give voice to the challenges and upsides unique to older athletes. As the mom of two now-adult kids, she also writes about empty-nestdom and new adventures later in life.
Sarah began her career as a newspaper reporter, worked as an editor, and later developed her own coaching business. She stays active in her community of Telluride, Colorado, by serving on local nonprofit boards and substitute teaching in the public schools. When not working or training, she devotes time to caring for her two horses. She will finish her midlife memoir, which is framed by her experience at the 2024 Grand to Grand Ultra, in 2026 and is seeking an agent’s representation.
For more details on Sarah’s work experience, please see her LinkedIn profile.
Photo Credit: Caleb Thal
Three decades of competitive long-distance running
An unlikely athlete who wasn’t encouraged to be sporty, Sarah discovered a passion for running in her mid-twenties while a student at UC Berkeley’s Graduate School of Journalism. As she raised two children and worked as a freelance writer and running coach, Sarah racked up numerous achievements in the sport, including:
multiple finishes at some of North America’s most challenging 100-mile ultras, including the Hardrock Hundred and a sub-24-hour finish at the Western States Endurance Run
four-time finisher of the 170-mile Grand to Grand Ultra self-supported desert stage race, earning the female win there in 2019 at age 50
more than 125 marathons and ultras run, with a marathon PR of 3:05
