“Who goes on Aspire trips?”
It’s a question we hear often. The truth is, the runners who show up for our trips come from diverse backgrounds and bring a wide range of running and mountain experience with them to the trails.
We all relate to mountain spaces in unique and personal ways. We are excited add some depth to our response to the “Who?” question with a series of Aspire trail runner profiles. We enjoyed hitting the dirt and building friendships with these runners on our trips, and we think you’ll enjoy hearing their stories!
Meet Kristin Gablehouse
Hometown: Lafayette, CO
Age: 42
Day job: Veterinarian
Aspire trip(s) run: Wonderland Trail
First off, what’s your pups name?
Kili, Kili Monster, or just Monster depending on the day.
It is short for Achilles if you ask my husband, but short for Kilian (Jornet) if you ask me. Sadly he didn’t quite inherit his namesake’s endurance and maxes out at 10-12 miles. He makes up for it in cuteness.
Describe your experience, background, and enthusiasm for running and/or wilderness and backcountry experiences?
I grew up backpacking with my family. As soon as I could walk I carried my own diapers in a backpack. High school cross country is when I first found a love for running, and it wasn’t until my late 20s when I began trail running. Back in 2011, I started running ultramarathons, and have since run several 100 mile trail ultramarathons. For me the races are just an excuse to put in hours of training and spend all weekend roaming through the mountains.
What questions, concerns, or unknowns did you have going into your trip? How were they resolved?
My biggest concern going into the trip were the water crossings. I sustained a traumatic brain injury in 2015 and still have a lot of vertigo. Crossing a log bridge with water rushing underneath is far more daunting than standing at the starting line of a 100 mile ultramarathon.
How did you prepare for your trip? Given your experience would you prepare differently, if so how? This can be answered in terms of fitness and/or gear.
The trip was part of a big training week for a fall 100 miler, so I really didn’t change anything. I was already doing 60-70 mile training weeks at that point.
What story or description would you give to represent the group dynamic on your trip?
Everyone was out there for different reasons, and we had a variety of fitness levels and speeds. Some folks were more social than others, but everyone was supportive.
What was the most difficult moment and/or a surprising episode from your trip?
The Tahoma Creek suspension bridge on day 1 was very difficult for me. I had to stop for 10 minutes once I got across so I could stop shaking and get my heart rate back down.
What info/advice/thoughts would you offer to someone considering signing up for an Aspire trip? This could be related specifically to a trip you’ve participated in or around your Aspire experience as a whole.
I would recommend training and preparing like you would for a race, so you can enjoy the trip as much as possible. You can get by with less training, but if you want less suffering and more vacation, train more.
The heated dining tent, hot showers, and amazing food was far beyond anything I had expected.
Kristin shares her in-depth account of her experience running the Wonderland Trail with Aspire in a post on her blog, TBIto100miles. Check it out for more details!
Explore our Wonderland Circumnavigation trip.
Have a story from an Aspire trip you’d like to share for a profile? Fill out the form here and we’ll be in touch!
