At Western States 100-Mile Endurance Run, one of the world's oldest ultra races and one of the toughest to get into, I crewed and paced for Ladia Albertson-Junkans, a Brooks-sponsored runner who lives in Snoqualmie, Washington. Ladia ran the storied race to honor her best friend Gabe Grunewald, a professional runner and founder of the Brave Like …
There's something about a deadline. In 2010, one inspired me to finish a piece I titled "The Waiting Room." I entered it in Upstate Medical University's contest and, surprisingly, won the Bruce Dearing Writing Award. Originally published in The Healing Muse, "The Waiting Room" is a personal essay about my dad dying. I've included it below, …
Nine years ago, I heard you stop breathing.
After a weekend like last, I hesitate to wash out the smell of campfire. It mingles with dirt smudges, smidgens of blood, bits of pine needles, salty sweat deposits, tufts of moss, and big drops of Oregon rain. In between trees in the Tillamook State Forest, we ran, crewed, cowbelled, and fire-gazed, out of cell …
Elizabeth Carey 