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.
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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.
