Episode 62 | Tara Warren and the 2021 TDS Experience
by Nikki Parnell — September 3, 2021
This week we have Tara Warren from episode 52 back on the podcast to talk about her recent experience with this year’s TDS race. TDS is one of the UTMB races over in the Alps and unfortunately this race week started out rough with a tragedy on the TDS course when a member of our running community fell and lost their life. We hear what it was like for Tara who was one of the 1,000+ runners behind the accident whose race was paused then eventually canceled. It became a precarious and frightening situation for the racers waiting on the mountain for hours in the middle of the night with very little information on what had happened and how/when they would be able to get back to civilization. There are still unanswered questions but after this major shared experience, all the runners whose race was “neutralized” became finishers of a new event, TDS – BSM, the first 40 miles of the original race.
It really was a day of “all the feels” for lack of a better term and Tara really helped us feel what it was like to be there — through the anticipation and dreams of being in the greatest international trail running scene in the world, the worry when cold and stranded on a mountain, having the gift of a friendly face in the midst of a sea of runners who don’t speak your language, the disappointment of a race cut short, and of course, the sadness for a fellow runner’s life. Tara is holding onto the beauty of the place and a couple lessons learned — like always carry an emergency blanket in the mountains, be patient and go with the flow, and “believe in the goodness of strangers.”
We’re thankful for Tara sharing this story with us and hope for healing as the processing of this event continues for all involved! To listen, click the link below or search “Run Hard Mom Hard” on any podcast platform. Don’t forget to subscribe and share with your running community. Thank you!
Show Notes:
Tara’s previous episode with us.
TDS.
Some articles on this year’s events:
Grab a bag of our “You Got This” coffee blend from Treeline Coffee so you can fuel up, run hard, mom hard, repeat. Use code RUNHARD10 for 10% off your order!
If you enjoy this podcast, consider supporting Treeline Journal by signing up for our free weekly Rise & Grind Newsletter or becoming a patron through Patreon for as little as $2 a month! Thank you for your support!