You may have noticed Andrea as the fresh face featured in some of our most recent photography of the Ultraventure Pro and Ultraventure 2 trail models we launched over the last couple of months. It was such a great opportunity to work with Andrea as a model for our photoshoot set on location at Antelope Island State Park in Utah and now we’re excited to call her one of our own!
We caught up with Andrea as she was gearing up for the start of the racing season (which is a rolling start date as events continue to be rescheduled to later in 2021).
We asked how she discovered Topo:
“I first heard about Topo when I worked at a local running specialty shop, but didn’t have a chance to try them at the time. Last spring, I was able to take the MTN Racers for a spin and have been in Topos ever since!”
How did you get into the sport of ultrarunning?
“I started running track in 7th grade and ran cross country and track for Ohio State University (which is an interesting story in itself!). I was convinced that I was meant to be a sprinter, but eventually joined the distance group and never looked back! I really got into ultrarunning in 2018 after taking a win at the Mount Taylor 50K, and then winning & setting course records at the Black Canyon 60K and Canyon de Chelly 55K in 2019.”
Wow, you were really on a roll! It will be very exciting to see where you take your career once racing returns. How did you stay focused on your training during the pandemic?
“Training during the pandemic has been really interesting. Last year, I was in the middle of my biggest training week when Lake Sonoma 50 was cancelled. I was hopeful races would quickly resume so I kept training. After a couple months, it became evident that races were going to be scarce so I started focusing on getting out the door just to enjoy the miles. It was a nice break from the intensity of hard training, but I’m definitely looking forward to getting in some more races this year.”
What do you look forward to the most as you return to racing?
“I’m looking forward to testing my limits in races this year, specifically in the 50M – 100K distances. Even though I was only able to get in one road half marathon last February, there’s a lot of solid training from 2020 that has carried over into 2021. I’m excited to get back to competing and chasing goals.”
Any words of wisdom/life mantras you can share with our readers?
“My mantra is ‘enjoy the journey.’ I really believe in finding joy within the process and making a conscious effort to be present in the moment. Sometimes it’s a tough climb, sometimes it’s belly-deep giggles with a good friend. Whatever it is, embrace that moment and be grateful for the ability to experience it.”
To learn more about Andrea, check out her bio on our Ambassadors & Athletes page where she shares her race-day rituals, how Topo changed her running game, and her favorite pump-up jams. You can also follow her + adventures with her Australian shepherd, Rio, on Instagram @a_mcards.