Kaci Lickteig Post-2014 Lake Sonoma 50 Interview

An interview with Kaci Lickteig after her third-place finish at the 2014 Lake Sonoma 50 Mile.

By on April 12, 2014 | Comments

Kaci Lickteig finally got the chance to run on a big ultrarunning stage at the 2014 Lake Sonoma 50 Mile and made the most of it in taking third. Listen to her post-race thoughts on how her day went.

For more on the race, including our other interviews, check out our 2014 Lake Sonoma 50 Mile results article.

[Click here if you can’t see the video above.]

Kaci Lickteig Post-2014 Lake Sonoma 50 Mile Interview Transcript

iRunFar: Bryon Powell of iRunFar here with Kaci Lickteig after the 2014 Lake Sonoma 50. How did it go out there, Kaci?

Kaci Lickteig: It was tough. It was good. It was fun.

iRunFar: You had a very steady, very smart race out there.

Lickteig: It’s how I run. I don’t know. I just really tune into myself and just make sure I’m not overdoing it, underdoing it.

iRunFar: You were in fourth for most of the day, right?

Lickteig: I was.

iRunFar: When I saw you the second time at mile 30, you said, “Whew!”

Lickteig: It was a steep climb.

iRunFar: It was. A lot more hills here than you’re used to back in Nebraska.

Lickteig: Absolutely.

iRunFar: How did you actually feel out there today with all this. Was there even more climbing than you expected?

Lickteig: There was. Those last two—those were big. But like everybody has told me, they were relentless—just hill after hill, no steady rhythm. I’m used to road or at least a level trail where I can just motor on. This was a lot different.

iRunFar: How did you deal with that? If you can get locked into that pace, you can almost forget about it and continue running.

Lickteig: Fortunately, I was running by Ian Sharman for a lot of it. I’d look and he was like hiking up the bad stuff and I was like, Well, he knows what he’s doing, and I don’t have running legs for these, so I know how to hike. Coming back, I had Nick Clark and Ian. Well this is great motivation. How blessed am I?

iRunFar: Did you beat Ian and Nick?

Lickteig: I can’t get them. They’ve got to go. They’re awesome.

iRunFar: They are awesome. You did have a great run. Were there any highlights to the effort out there today?

Lickteig: I really felt like I stayed within myself and I ran my own race. I don’t think I could have done better. I could have done worse, but I didn’t.

iRunFar: Any low points along the way? Did anything go wrong? Any tough spots?

Lickteig: No, not really. I had a good mindset the whole way. I was enjoying it.

iRunFar: How about the quad?

Lickteig: The quad is poopy. It’s talking to me right now.

iRunFar: What do you have coming up the rest of this season? You had a great day today. What’s next?

Lickteig: I have Ice Age 50, and then as of right now, just Western States—that big dog.

iRunFar: Two good races. So you have Ice Age. You ran really well at Rocky [Raccoon]. You ran really well here today. I’m sure you want to do well at Western States. Is Ice Age 100% on effort?

Lickteig: Just like this one, it’s more of a B race. Ice Age will be more of a B race again. Western States is an A race.

iRunFar: So having been out—this is your first trip out west to race, right?

Lickteig: Yes.

iRunFar: So anything you picked up racing today that you’ll bring into your training in the next two-plus months?

Lickteig: I’m definitely going to work on hiking and being more efficient with that. I know the climbs for Western States, just talking with Ian, he’s definitely said that, “You’ve got massive climbs that you’re going to have to hike,” especially if I’m not a good running person up a hill or a mountain.

iRunFar: There are some mountains out there.

Lickteig: Yes.

iRunFar: Well, congratulations on running so well in these hills above Lake Sonoma.

Lickteig: Thank you. It’s a pleasure that you came and it’s fun seeing you around the course.

iRunFar: It was a beautiful day being out enjoying the California springtime.

Lickteig: California is gorgeous. I’m jealous.

BONUS QUESTION

iRunFar: A quick bonus question. I’m sure there are some beautiful trails in Nebraska and the Midwest. Should they come out and try some California trails if they get a chance?

Lickteig: Oh, yeah. How can you not? This is wonderful.

iRunFar: Cool. See you around.

Lickteig: Thank you.

Bryon Powell

Bryon Powell is the Founding Editor of iRunFar. He’s been writing about trail running, ultrarunning, and running gear for more than 15 years. Aside from iRunFar, he’s authored the books Relentless Forward Progress: A Guide to Running Ultramarathons and Where the Road Ends: A Guide to Trail Running, been a contributing editor at Trail Runner magazine, written for publications including Outside, Sierra, and Running Times, and coached ultrarunners of all abilities. Based in Silverton, Colorado, Bryon is an avid trail runner and ultrarunner who competes in events from the Hardrock 100 Mile just out his front door to races long and short around the world, that is, when he’s not fly fishing or tending to his garden.