When Laura Cortez started running, she couldn’t even finish a mile.
She grew up playing soccer in San Antonio, as part of a vibrant and connected Latino community. Her experience in soccer led her to be curious about running, and so she went out for her high school track team. In her debut event, she tripped and fell during the 800 (meters).
She walked onto the team at the University of North Texas, where she became very close with her teammates from a diverse range of backgrounds and ethnicities.
The short distances never felt very homey to Cortez. “I was really bad at track, and every day was horrible.” But she kept at it, allured by the appeal of longer distances. “I felt like the 5k wasn’t long enough, and I wasn’t smart enough to compete at the 10k.” But she kept running and training.
After college, Cortez moved to Portland, Oregon, where her then coach, David Roche, who she had met on Twitter, encouraged her to try trails.
Pivoting towards the trail gave Cortez a sense of mental ease. After college, she had joined so many run clubs and groups that felt isolating and unwelcoming, but the trails were different.
“The trail community was so much more welcoming, I felt so much more at home,” says Cortez.
In her first trail race, a 30k that raced through the sunset, Cortez forgot a headlamp and was forced to use her cellphone as a flashlight. When she stumbled and fell in the dark, someone stopped to help her up. “That’s why I stuck with it,” says Cortez. The people are so kind and welcoming.”
Denne historien er fra Fall 2021-utgaven av Trail Runner.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra Fall 2021-utgaven av Trail Runner.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
You Cannot Erase us
Over the years and through thousands of miles of running, I have thought about the words that marked the beginning of colonialism on the land and the end of Indigenous sovereignty.
Inside The Adaptable Mind
How Courtney Dauwalter uses adaptability to stay cool, calm and collected when the going gets tough.
Take it Easy
How to stay at aerobic pace when you live in the hills
Here Comes the Sun
Where pessimism meets its match
Connecting the Dots
How Laura Cortez uses her passion for trails to build community.
Carbohydrate Confusion
When it comes to food and nutrition, we tend to overcomplicate things. Eat this, not that. Run fasted, restrict sugar. Unfortunately, much of the controversy stems from observations and sensationalized media headlines vs. actual data, leaving the consumer more confused from their Google search than they were before.
This Wild Life
ONE MAN’S 92-MILE RUN OF GRIEF AND SELF-DISCOVERY.
Our Town
Trail running is all about the community it fosters and the beauty and diversity within the community. Here’s a look at seven places, and the faces that call them home.
Fueling for Females
Here’s how female runners can use recent research findings for performance breakthroughs
Lose Weight with a Shake
Being a health and nutrition correspondent means that companies frequently send me their products, and ask for my stamp of approval.
