Katie Schide took second on the 2023 Western States 100, in doing so ending below the prior course file. Within the following interview, Katie talks about operating many miles with girls’s champion Courtney Dauwalter, the ups and downs of her day trip, and the way chasing Ellie Greenwood’s prior course file splits saved her motivated because the miles bought tough.
For extra on how the race performed out, learn our in-depth Western States 100 outcomes article.
Katie Schide Publish-2023 Western States 100 Interview Transcript
iRunFar: Meghan Hicks of iRunFar. I’m with Katie Schide. It’s the day after the 2023 Western States 100, and you’re the girls’s second-place finisher. Congratulations.
Katie Schide: Thanks, Meghan. All the time good to see you.
iRunFar: All the time good to see you, too, particularly with the efficiency that you simply had yesterday. How’s that really feel at this second?
Schide: It looks like form of a reduction in some methods, but in addition similar to, I used to be simply proud I used to be in a position to put the items collectively on the proper time.
iRunFar: So, is that form of just like the abstract the day after, is that you simply felt such as you put the items collectively in a means that you simply’re happy with?
Schide: Yeah, I believe I introduced myself to the beginning line with the very best preparation I might, and it, fortunately, it similar to, labored out effectively. It doesn’t at all times work out like that. So, I hoped it might.
iRunFar: Yeah, the blessing and the curse of the 100-mile race is that you simply by no means know the way it’s going to end up till it seems.
Schide: Yeah, that’s why we preserve coming again.
iRunFar: [laughs] Talking of coming again, you now have an F2 must you need it.
Schide: Oh, god.
iRunFar: I imply, I’m simply going to ask the query.
Schide: I knew you have been going to ask this, and I don’t actually know learn how to reply. Yeah. I must, in case you might give me the winter’s snow forecast, like months upfront, then I might in all probability provide you with a greater reply. However no, it’ll rely upon like, what my associate Germain [Grangier] desires to do subsequent yr and the way we wish to coordinate the summer season, and hopefully spend extra time collectively.
iRunFar: I perceive. You’re going to get that query rather a lot at this time in case you haven’t already.
Schide: Yeah, I don’t have a superb reply.
iRunFar: Let’s begin with yesterday morning. We simply interviewed Courtney Dauwalter and he or she talked a couple of actually good, cool climb up the escarpment with you. What was that like?
Schide: Yeah, that was enjoyable. I imply, I believe simply the entire begin scene normally is simply such a change from European racing that it was enjoyable to only be with form of, like, a small group of individuals. It was a really civil tempo. No person was, you understand…
iRunFar: Going out at like, a 4:20 mile.
Schide: Yeah. So, yeah, we had fun. I imply, I believed we had like a pack of ladies proper behind us. After which at one level, I seemed again and I used to be like, Oh, no, it’s simply us. Okay. Effectively, I suppose we’ll simply preserve going then. Pondering that like, they might discover us ultimately. However yeah, I believe we form of bought off on our personal within the snow/tree/scrambling journey half, and bought to hang around a bit of bit.
iRunFar: Have been footwear the suitable gadgets for the excessive nation journey yesterday, or would a pair of skis even have helped?
Schide: I really suppose footwear would have been higher. Yeah, that was like a bit of chunky to be on with skis.
iRunFar: Okay. Did you go into this race with form of like, aim occasions? Have been you wanting on the course file splits and paces all through the day? How did you form of, strategically plan yesterday out?
Schide: So, nothing was deliberate. I didn’t find out about, I imply, I form of knew the time vary at Robinson, however I knew that the circumstances have been unhealthy. So, I used to be considering like, yeah, I knew that, I believe 5 was across the course file. That was the one break up I knew the entire race.
iRunFar: Oh, that’s superior.
Schide: Yeah. After which Roger at, I believe, after Final Likelihood, a volunteer, he yelled to me, “You’re two minutes below the course file!” And that was the primary time that concept even got here into my head.
iRunFar: Attention-grabbing.
Schide: Yeah. I checked out his nametag as a result of I used to be like, “Thanks, Roger.” [laughs]
iRunFar: Thanks, Roger!
Schide: However then once I bought to Michigan Bluff and noticed like, the crew once more, then they have been telling me like, “Okay, you’re like, I don’t know, 10 or quarter-hour below course file.” And that gave me, I imply, Courtney was beginning to slip away at that time. And I used to be questioning, like, how a lot I might actually attempt to claw, even simply to maintain that hole. So, it form of gave me this like new individual to race, which was Ellie [Greenwood]. After which it was me racing Ellie.
iRunFar: And so, what was that like? Was it like, courage-giving, like, this can be a strategy to drive you ahead? Have been you beginning to run a bit of scared? Like am I going to get to this spot-on course file tempo? Like how was that mentally sitting with you?
Schide: Yeah, I used to be asking my pacer Topher like, not repeatedly, however he was maintaining me up to date. “Okay, you bought quarter-hour. You bought 9 minutes.” Then I used to be beginning to lose time as a result of I wasn’t feeling so nice. But it surely form of was that factor that saved pushing me. And I believe I used to be actually fortunate really to have that, as a result of then the ladies behind me made up a ton of time on the finish. So, I might have had an actual individual as an alternative of an imaginary individual proper behind me.
iRunFar: I suppose it’s higher to have the imaginary individual then.
Schide: Yeah, she was very good. [laughs]
iRunFar: Effectively, Ellie could be very good in individual, too. So, it’s becoming.
Schide: I want to meet her in some unspecified time in the future.
iRunFar: Inform us in regards to the final like, I don’t know. Let’s discuss Foresthill in direction of the river. Begin with that. You and Courtney had stayed fairly shut collectively for some time, however such as you stated, after that you simply have been in form of no lady’s land. Attention-grabbing to know that you simply have been utilizing the course file time as your motivator whenever you couldn’t see the lady in entrance of you anymore, and also you couldn’t see any girls behind you.
Schide: Yeah, that was mainly my, that was what I used to be racing. So yeah, I used to be simply with Topher, and earlier than that, like going up in direction of Satan’s Thumb, I used to be getting a bit of bit sizzling, and I knew I didn’t wish to get to the highest cooked. So, I form of simply went a bit of defensive there and was like, alright. I’m good at climbing. That is one thing I can like, comparatively pull again on. Let Courtney go. I might see her on the high and yeah, and I believe that was good as a result of once I bought to the highest I nonetheless felt like, fairly good and will nonetheless run down fairly quick.
iRunFar: So yeah, the circumstances began to point out themselves in a means that you simply wanted to reasonable only a wee bit.
Schide: Yeah. I knew that there was a better probability of the ladies behind me catching me than me making some large push to attempt to get to Courtney.
iRunFar: Yeah.
Schide: So in my thoughts it was like, Okay, we now have this course file break up. That provides me some motivation, but in addition don’t, like that is my first Western States. I don’t must take like, an unlimited danger to do one thing.
iRunFar: Yeah. I believe you probably did have some, just a few low patches form of come and go there. It appeared like issues have been a wee bit critical for a short while.
Schide: Yeah, proper after Inexperienced Gate. I had some low moments that Topher was round for. It was principally my abdomen, which is regular. However I felt like I might nonetheless preserve my legs transferring. It was principally simply getting my head and abdomen to cooperate. However then we bought to Quarry Highway and Scott Jurek and Hal Koerner gave me a quesadilla. And it form of like, introduced me again.
iRunFar: Aw. And you would really eat the quesadilla.
Schide: Yeah, I might get that down. Yeah, that was form of like, the turning level. It was additionally once I was seeing I used to be shedding time on the splits. After which I used to be making an attempt to ask Topher extra like, “Okay, are you aware how far?” Then he was giving me distances in miles, which I used to be making an attempt to transform to kilometers.
iRunFar: Are you able to please converse kilometers to me?
Schide: Yeah. So yeah, I used to be doing a little math in my head.
iRunFar: Most likely was going problem.
Schide: Yeah, however no, I felt like as soon as I crossed the street, it was form of actually in sight in my head. And that’s once I was in a position to similar to, simply loosen up. And it was additionally good to take off my pack at Pointed Rocks and simply take a bottle, and simply form of like run. Like, enjoyable. Identical to, okay, that is enjoyable. There’s solely lower than an hour left and I believe I can do that.
iRunFar: What an awesome mentality for the final six miles of a 100-mile race, to attempt to have enjoyable or to truly have enjoyable.
Schide: Yeah, I believe I used to be in a novel place that like, I wasn’t racing an actual individual at that time.
iRunFar: Yeah.
Schide: It was actually simply me convincing myself I wanted to race Ellie who was not even there. Yeah.
iRunFar: Apparently, like, you not solely had enjoyable, it appears, however you additionally ran fairly quick. You left behind your pacer at that time within the race.
Schide: Yeah, Topher did loads of work for me up till then, so he wanted… I imply, he was prepping to do the stay feed and he has to do the saying later, so.
iRunFar: He wanted to take a bit of little bit of a break.
Schide: Yeah, he was simply letting me do my factor.
iRunFar: What did it really feel like to come back down from Robie Level, run by city, do a 300-meter lap of the monitor? You probably did it fairly quick. You have been on the transfer on the monitor. What was happening in your head?
Schide: Actually, it was very nice to see all of the folks out on the street. It felt like I used to be, you understand, marching within the Memorial Day Parade once more. However I didn’t know precisely how far it was to complete, and I knew I used to be actually shut on the time. So, I used to be form of similar to, simply blinders on. Identical to thanks, however didn’t say something to anybody. And simply yeah, once I might see the monitor, it was such an enormous reduction. However by some means I believed it was going to take me like, 4 minutes to do 300 meters, in order that’s why I used to be operating.
iRunFar: [laughs] Superior. Math is tough in 100-mile races.
Schide: Tough.
iRunFar: That’s superb. Yeah, you crossed the road, second-place, below the prior course file time. The time that you simply ran is you understand, a mark that has stood in ultrarunning for 11 years now. It’s in all probability a mark that’s going to face for some time. That has to really feel fairly good.
Schide: It feels actually cool. Particularly simply to come back right here as like, my first expertise and have or not it’s so nice. I imply, that’s why I’m hesitant to reply as a result of I don’t know if I can actually high that.
iRunFar: It’s exhausting to copy a very good day, particularly in these longer distances.
Schide: Precisely. Yeah.
iRunFar: So that you’re American, however I have a tendency to think about you as a European as a result of I see you race in Europe. And yeah, you’re right here in America racing form of like, the enduring 100-mile race. You talked earlier than about how the beginning line felt totally different. Are you able to place this race a bit of bit within the story of ultrarunning as you understand it, and examine it to European ultras a bit?
Schide: I imply, it’s actually on the core of the game, proper? In ultrarunning, I’ve examine it in each ultrarunning ebook, you understand, since I first was taken with the game a few years in the past. And yeah, it simply looks like I virtually know extra about it. I really feel like I’ve extra concepts of it in my head from all these different tales than from my very own expertise yesterday. Which is admittedly, yeah, it’s fascinating. However yeah, it’s actually, the texture is so totally different. It’s actually exhausting to explain. It like, feels virtually like a grassroots occasion. However then, you understand there’s this large advanced group happening behind it. But it surely feels actually like familial, which you will get that feeling in Europe, however I simply suppose when you might have these, like greater occasions, it’s simply more durable to really feel prefer it’s as small a group. However I believe they each have positives. Like, they each have their very own explanation why.
iRunFar: They’re simply totally different.
Schide: Yeah, they’re simply actually totally different.
iRunFar: It’s fascinating to listen to you say that it has this familial really feel, but we all know it’s an enormous group. There’s like 1,000 volunteers on the market and yeah, it’s simply fascinating that it nonetheless has the household really feel.
Schide: Yeah, and I simply love that each one the volunteers are, you understand, it’s similar to folks out with their campers, like, making grilled cheeses.
iRunFar: Quesadillas.
Schide: Quesadillas. Yeah, it’s simply actually enjoyable to see everybody on the market.
iRunFar: It was a very thrilling weekend for your loved ones unit. Your associate Germain received the 90k Marathon du Mont Blanc. You got here in second at Western States. What’s subsequent? What does the summer season maintain for you all?
Schide: Yeah. So subsequent up will likely be Germain at UTMB.
iRunFar: Okay.
Schide: And also you’ll see me on the aspect of the path. I’m signed up for OCC and as of now that’s the plan, however I’m, proper now I’m simply taking a few weeks to only see what I wish to do, and simply go residence and be joyful to be in my very own mattress once more.
iRunFar: What does a few weeks off for operating appear like for an individual like Katie Schide?
Schide: Oh, I don’t know. I didn’t completely imply a pair weeks off from operating. I do know. I imply, I’ll positively be tremendous joyful to see my bike once more. And simply be climbing. Like, okay, perhaps off from the kind of operating I’ve been doing the previous couple of weeks. So extra climbing.
iRunFar: Going to go hike up one thing steep, perhaps.
Schide: I’m going to go hike up one thing steep and get on my bike. And yeah, simply be joyful to be again within the mountains at residence.
iRunFar: Katie Schide, congratulations to you in your second-place end. And yeah, an unimaginable efficiency below the prior course file.
Schide: Thanks. Yeah.
