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It was mid-August, 2020 and Lisa Roberts found herself setting up camp in Flagstaff, Arizona, waiting to hear the news. With races being cancelled right and left due to the 2020 pandemic, there was still a chance that this one would be good to go. It was the Flagstaff Extreme Big Pine 54K, and it would be Roberts’ first ultra-distance race.
For several weeks, the Tucson, Arizona native waited as she acclimated to the nearly 7,000 feet of elevation. The wait would pay off, when the race was given an official date of September 5. The payoff would be more than just completing her first ultra-distance race, but winning the race outright in a new course record time of 4 hours 51 minutes and 11 seconds. “The race went pretty smoothly, especially for my first ultra,” she said.
One might look at this as a fluke or beginner’s luck, but Roberts is no beginner to the sport of running.
Roberts has been an athlete most of her life, with running being her first love. In fact, she was a track and cross country athlete at Southern Illinois University, specializing in the 1500 - and 3,000 meters. Several years passed, and she earned a Master’s Degree and began a career as a landscape architect. However, her yearning to compete never left her, and she began to feel the itch to get back out there and train — this time in the world of triathlon.
Her competitive running background proved to be extremely beneficial, as by 2009, she was able to earn the title as professional triathlete. “When I told my colleagues at work that I was going to transition to professional athlete, and do this full-time, they were all so supportive,” she said. “It has been a ride, but a great one!”
After the big win in Flagstaff, Roberts decided to keep the momentum going. Next on the list was the Javelina Jundred 100k, which takes runners 100 kilometers through the McDowell Mountain Regional Park near Fountain Hills, Arizona.
"I probably carried too much with me …"
This race was held the following month, and would nearly double the distance of her previous one. But that didn't stop Roberts from coming in first place female and second place overall. Not only that, but her performance on that October day would be merely eight minutes from a course record, putting her in the record books as the second best performance in Javelina Jundred jistory!
“I brought EVERY piece of running equipment and food I could think of,” Roberts wrote in a social media post. “I probably carried too much with me … I probably should've done many things differently, but that’s the process, right? You aim high, you try, you experience, you screw up, you learn … you get a buckle, you make memories and friends along the way."
"Then, even though you swear you’ll never do it again, you sign up for another!”
And she did. Just six weeks later on December 19, 2020, Roberts ran the Cave Creek Thriller 50K in Cave Creek, Arizona. Once again, she was first overall female, and came in second behind the first place male finisher. Her time of 4 hours 25 minutes, 45 seconds was good enough for a course record by 43 minutes!
In each of her ultra-distance races up until this point, Roberts finished well ahead of other male competitors, and said she knew it was in part due to fewer athletes competing during the pandemic. That being said, she said she looked forward to racing with other females to get the feel of what it was like to battle for position in an ultra distance event. That event would be the Black Canyon 100K that took place on February 13.
“Going into this race, I knew the field was deep,” Roberts said. “There were two Nike Trail Team runners who I knew were competitive, and from the beginning, showed that they were. For the first 40 miles of the race, I was in a back and forth with three other women, and it felt good to race with and see where I stacked up against them.”
And stack against them she did. At the 50K mark, Roberts came in 20 minutes under her fastest stand alone 50K. After catching her foot on a rock at mile 40 and experiencing a fall, she picked herself right back up, and pressed forward toward second place. She was able to hold on to that position through the final and very difficult 10 miles to not only secure her spot on the podium, but earn the coveted ticket to Western States.
There must be a secret to success, if success is a continued result, right? Well, if you would ask Roberts, it comes down to a few simple things: aerobic base, mental toughness, staying smart, plugging away and having fun - and "the force."
“I have a really good aerobic base that I know has carried over, and I’ve learned the importance of mental toughness as an athlete,” she said. “Other than that, it comes down to being smart about your training and race plans, continuing to plug away when things get hard, and making sure to have fun!”
Part of that fun is carrying a plush 'Baby Yoda' on her pack each race. “I was doing a mountain run that was part of an adventure race in the forests in New Zealand,” she recalled. “When I was in the forest, it reminded me of the time in one of the ‘Star Wars’ movies when Luke Skywalker is doing Jedi training in the forest with Yoda on his back. It was then when I thought that I should get a Yoda and put it on my pack. I found a plush Baby Yoda, and carry it on my pack. It makes people smile, is a great conversation starter, and it doesn’t hurt to have a little bit of ‘the force’ with you.”
Having secured a spot at Western States in June, Roberts says her training will be mostly geared toward that, with a few other tune up races in the mix to keep her in racing shape.
“Why not shoot for the stars?”
“Why not shoot for the stars?” she said. “Western states is the pinnacle of ultra-running, and I want to be there.”
Kogalla loves the determination and grit that permeates the ultrarunning community, and is excited to be supporting Roberts in her climb to the top.
To keep updated on her future races and achievements, Roberts can be found @run_jedi_run on Instagram.
Article author Arianne Brown is a mom of nine and a lifelong runner competing in anything from 5K to 50-mile races. She loves the written word, and using it to share stories the world needs to hear. For more of he writings, follow A Mother's Write on Facebook, and @ariannebrown on Instagram.
Very Inspirational. Congrats on your success.
I love her joyous and positive attitude! Congrats on an amazing race and journey!!!!
Great Job and may the force be with you :)
fast lady!
Way to go! Very Inspiring!
Congrats, Lisa! Very inspiring story!
Great 👍 job!
Not all Heroes wear capes!!
Well Done.
Congrats on the awesome accomplishment.
Lisa, David Fisher here. I am wishing you great luck for your hard work. I can’t wait to see you in first place.
no drug better than a runners high.
Lisa, love your tenacity, spirit, and honest grace: "Decide to flick the switch on the negative self talk and be curious about what you CAN really do.
It will change you forever." Best of luck at Western States! You know we’ll all be pulling for you.
I cannot wait to see how she does out there in Western States. Truly amazing!!!
Way to go Lisa!! I absolutely love watching athletes transition between sports. Such dedication – can’t wait to see how she does at WS!
Congratulations Lisa!! What an accomplishment, you’re an inspiration to many!! 🏃🏽♀️
Now I’m going to have to get a Yoda to go with my Baby Shark…
A great example of determination and ability.
Congratulations
The Best!!
Inspire!! Congrats!
Fantastic entry into the ultra racing top tier. Will be watching at WS100!
Lisa, Great Job. You should be really proud of your great accomplishment. GIRLS RULE!
Thanks for the update on this story, I’m looking forward to watching how Lisa does in the Western States! Congratulations on your performances and development so far!
What an accomplishment. Best wishes to you and your continued success.
Congratulations. Continued success in all your endeavors
You are an inspiration to all women, and I aspire to be as strong as you are some day. :)
Thanks Kogalla for this article, and thank you Lisa Roberts for your inspirational story. With 6 ironman finishes of my own and a shoot for the stars long shot dream of setting a world record in the ironman world. And now journeying into the world of endurance running with my 2nd attempt at an ultra in August ( Bigfoot 200 ). I truly enjoyed reading about your achievements and views. Especially your view on Aiming high. Your wording was perfect. Thank you!
You are an inspiration! Congratulations and good luck in your next race! May you reach your goals!
Congratulations
Outstanding!
Love the story and grit!! You are amazing, best of luck!!!
So Amazing! Congratulations!!
Congrets Lisa,
The Western States are on the top of my list.
You are amazing!
Watch out for those jumping cacti!
Very Impressive!
Awesome!! We’ll be watching you at Western States! good luck!
Impressive run!
Impressive run!
Amazing! I can’t wait to see what Lisa does next!
Transition complete – congrats!!!! Now use “ the force” to crush some more trails and light them up with Kogalla!
That’s versatility! Love seeing the crossover of sports and the level of success! Congrats and best of luck at Western States! There are 4000+ of us very jealous of you! Enjoy for us!
While I was on the shuttle for my Black Canyon start, my husband was texting me updates from the elite wave and was pretty excited to see Baby Yoda out there running too. That’s definitely the most ultra running he’s ever watched while not crewing. Congrats on a fabulous run on a pretty intense course!! Good luck at States!
Fantastic! You go girls!
Way to go! Best of luck at Western!
So Awesome! Love the Yoda idea!
I love that she runs with the baby Yoda in her pack. The force is definitely with her! Good luck at Western States!!
Wow! That’s amazing!!
Congratulations! I enjoyed reading your inspiring story.
“After catching her foot on a rock at mile 40 and experiencing a fall” — and all readers who have trail-raced visibly wince and even gasp. Unnerving drama in a race when that happens! Great story, inspiring stuff.
Way to go! Best of luck at Western States!!
Good luck at WSER!
Love that it’s not all business and she has fun!
Wow, so awesome!
Awesome job! I’m hoping to hop from shorter triathlons to more ultra running and her insights are a great tool for me.
Way to go! Keep going…
Great article. Congrats Lisa! It was awesome to watch the black canyon race live.
Congrat’s !!!! An AMAZING feat !!!!.
Impressive and SO INSP! I’m hoping to race my first ultra this year… :) GOOD LUCK at Western States!
Wow! Amazing. Very inspiring.
Even though and avid athlete in life, I love that putting yourself in a different arena didn’t deter any effort, goals, and outcome. Way to put it all out there and go for it!!! Well earned spot to Western States, I’ll be cheering!
Awesomeness! Congrats Lisa! You continue to inspire us all, men and women alike! See you on the trails! 🤙🏾😎🤙🏾
Phenomenal athlete going from one sport to the next and accomplishing that much. Impressive to say the least. Congrats.
Inspirational to say the least… Hoping to race my first Ultra in 2021!
Very impressive. What an amazing athlete. 👍😎
Impressive to get that result with so little practical ultra experience. Imagine the improvement when she learns through doing.
Would love to walk those trails, i know running is better but to absorb all the beauty of the land you really have to take it slow. Congratulations Lisa, keep up the good work, i know many lots of people feel inspired, i know i do. Thanks!
You go girl! An inspiration to all
“I don’t want to live in a man’s world anymore”
You go girl! An inspiration to all
“I don’t want to live in a man’s world anymore”
Congrats and good luck at Western!
Great job…huge accomplishment!
Wow what can’t she do! So incredible and inspiring!!
We saw Lisa at Big Pine 54k and she was amazing… smiling the whole time. Crushed it this past weekend at Black Canyon 100k (with her little Baby Yoda!!).
Love this. So inspirational. So impressive.
Fantastic evolution in Lisa’s racing; super inspiring too! Thanks for the article
Amazing runner; and she’s a Star Wars fan. Carrying Grogu (aka Baby Yoda) is a stroke of genius and an idea I may borrow for my next ultra. Keep up the good work and may the Force be with you.
Congrats Lisa!
Congratulations! What a great story!
Can’t wait to follow along!!!! Best of luck and congrats on a huge feat!!
Congratulations. What an accomplishment. Wow, keep going.
Woohoo! Amazing! Good luck in June!
Very inspiring!
Congratulations.
A mighty woman! Congrats on the Golden Ticket, sending you winning energy for Western States!
Amazing accomplishment!
Good Luck in June! We’re rooting for you!
Congrats!
May the Force be with You! Very impressive accomplishments!!
WOW, congrats!!!
WOW, congrats!!!
Lisa, You a true inspiration to all women athletes!, Awesome job!! I can’t wait to follow you at WS. You got this! Strong body and Strong mind :)
What a great story. Good luck at the big dance!!!
What an inspirational story. Thank you for giving us the opportunity to enter this contest for great prizes.
Amazing! Can’t wait to cheer you IN PERSON at Western!!! #seeyouatstates
Congrats on the Golden Ticket!!!
She got legs .. she know’s how to use ’em ..
Congratulations! Incredible journey!
What an amazing start to your ultra career. Each race will provide a new and unique challenge, which will allow you to continue to approve upon. Can’t wait to see you do great things at Black Canyon and Western States!
Michael
February 18, 2021
Amazing! Congrats and good luck at WSER!