Leadville Uncovered: The "Boring" Beauty of Consistency w/ Silke Koester

Silke Koester has spent nearly two decades running trails and ultras, piling up strong, remarkably consistent performances at races across Colorado and beyond. But somehow, despite living in Colorado for more than a decade and helping build one of the state's most recognizable trail running communities, she's never run the Leadville 100.That's about to change.In this episode of Leadville Uncovered, Silke joins Corinne and Russell fresh off a fourth-place finish at the High Lonesome 100 and a whirlwind European vacation to talk about her decidedly unconventional Leadville build: recover from a mountain 100, "train" for a week, taper, and do it all over again. Silke shares why Leadville has held a place in her running story since long before she moved to Colorado. In 2010, while still living in New York City, she traveled west to pace a friend at the race, giving her both her first experience in Colorado and her first taste of a 100-miler. More than 15 years later, it's finally her turn to toe the line. We also dive into the story behind Rocky Mountain Runners, the community Silke and her husband Ryan founded after moving to Colorado. Inspired by the club culture they'd experienced in New York and the UK, they wanted to create something built by runners, for runners, with no brand affiliation required. The now-iconic green shirts came before they even had a website or an official group run. Silke talks about stacking two high-altitude 100s just weeks apart, what years of mountain racing have taught her about managing altitude, why she hopes Hope Pass survives the 2026 course changes, and her refreshingly simple philosophy toward racing.Her A goal? Finish.After nearly 20 years in the sport, Silke isn't chasing one sensational performance. She's chasing longevity, consistency, community, and the ability to keep doing this for another 20 years. If her Leadville race is completely "uneventful," that will be just fine with her. This episode of Leadville Uncovered is brought to you by OpenFuel Nutrition. We're big fans of OpenFuel's commitment to supporting athletes and the trail community, and Corinne's personal favorite is Radical Raspberry Ripple. Use code UU25 for 25% off your order and to support the show.