ALL ROADS LEAD TO THE BADWATER 135: Erika Small’s Incredible Journey

Everyone participating in a BADWATER race – the iconic ultramarathon series created and produced by Chris Kostman, the sport’s most consequential race director – receives a welcoming smile from Erika Small. Erika started her own career as a professional cheerleader for the Oakland Raiders.  A beloved member of the BADWATER staff who raised two amazing children and manages a successful real estate practice in the Greater Sacramento Area, Erika completed the BADWATER Ultra Cup last year. At age 52, she placed 4th Overall in the BADWATER-Cape Fear 51.4-miler on the sandy beaches of North Carolina’s Bald Head Island; 1st Place Overall in the grueling BADWATER-Salton Sea 81-mile team race from the Mojave Desert to the summit of Mt. Palomar; and 11th Place Woman in the BADWATER 135, widely considered the world’s toughest road race, from Death Valley to Whitney Portal. While balancing family, training and competition, and professional excellence, Erika somehow found time to become a pioneering leader in the non-profit world.  She created the Run It Forward Project in which she and a cadre of fellow ultramarathoners ran first from Chicago to Santa Monica, then from Orlando to the Mexican Border, raising money and awareness for struggling public schools with students living in poverty.  A fighter for equality in education, Erika Small embodies what it means to find and make meaning in life.  LINKSBadwaterhttps://www.badwater.com/Run It Forward Project: https://youtu.be/1PiH49HzdMA?si=OSMn24Ozdfq1YeAjhttps://youtu.be/xxwdkzulESM?si=ndi-5MpMhRuEKnr3You can learn more about Troy Eid here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠DU⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Twitter/X⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠You can learn more about Greenberg Traurig, LLP here:Website⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Twitter/X