As appearing in source.colostate.edu | Aug. 27, 2024 | By Monica McQuail
Going the extra mile: Ultramarathon runner Becca Windell merges her passions for wildlife research and running
Ultramarathon runner and Colorado State University Ph.D. student Rebecca (Becca) Windell finds that running and researching have much in common. For one, both pursuits require consistency to meet a final goal that looms in the distance, whether that goal is to publish new research or run 100 miles.
After chipping away at these goals for years, Windell achieved both in June. She published research on prairie dog colonies in the Journal of Mammalogy and completed the Western States Endurance Run with a time of 19:38:41, running 100.2 miles and climbing more than 16,600 feet in California’s Sierra Nevada Mountains.
A Ph.D. student in the Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology in Warner College of Natural Resources, Windell’s journeys to academia and running share another similarity; she pursued both areas of interest later in life after retiring from her initial career as a professional cyclist.
Having grown up in Chicago, Illinois, Windell dabbled in cross-country running as a high school student, but her primary athletic pursuits were road biking and cyclocross. She found enough success with these sports to pursue them professionally in Durango and Boulder, Colorado, where she competed from the ages of 18-24.
Following six years of intense pressure from racing, she knew she needed to take a break from the saddle, so she officially retired from biking, moved to Fort Collins and enrolled in Warner College to study wildlife.
In 2020, Windell decided to pursue racing seriously by training with intention and adding more mountainous routes to her schedule. In 2021 she began racing and completed her first 100-mile race at the Bear 100. The Western States Endurance Run marks her second 100-miler, which she describes as being “the coolest experience of my life!” She plans to continue pushing herself to her limits, balancing her 10-15 hours of weekly training with her work researching chronic wasting disease in mule deer and studying prairie wildlife.
Fortunately, she finds that she is often able to tackle both needs simultaneously. “I do a lot of thinking on my runs, and I use running as a tool to problem-solve and process tough research questions.” Running keeps her sharper and helps her find balance mentally and physically in her daily life.
It’s also not uncommon for Windell to spot her research subjects – mule deer and prairie dogs – during her runs around Fort Collins. She treats these opportunities as brief field research stints, pausing to observe her subjects and stopping if a mule deer shows signs of CWD. “Pairing academic work with experiences outside the classroom goes hand-in-hand,” she said. “For me, being outside helps me make these connections.”
Windell also credits CSU and Fort Collins with providing access to her favorite sport. “I love that running is a sport I can do when I’m 80. It’s very accessible, especially in Fort Collins. There’s CSU Striders, tons of community running groups, and every brewery has a running group,” Windell said. “It’s a welcoming sport – you just have to start somewhere!”