athlete profile
Kim Dobson
Only Up(hill) From Here
I
n the early dark of a frigid winter morning, when the bleary-eyed are fighting sleep and I-70 traffic for a day on the slopes, Kim Dobson is already there. Instead of skis on her feet, she’s donned microspikes, small silver webs of chains and barbs attached to her shoes to help her keep traction on her morning run up the icy slope. When she reaches the top, she’ll ride the gondola down and, likely, run up again. “It’s a really fun way to get hill repeats in!” she exclaims, as if this isn't an activity that sounds like it might belong to a superhero in a Marvel movie. This training regimen, however, is put in perspective when compared to Dobson’s numerous mountain running accomplishments.
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Recently, Dobson took on the Leadville 100 — a 100-mile race notorious for its grueling climbs and rocky descents. Spots in the August race are limited and thus, highly coveted, sought by ultrarunners worldwide. Despite the limited numbers, Dobson proudly points out that four Vail Valley residents were present at this year’s race. Dobson entered the race with no real expectations other than “to experience the distance and see if I felt good in it.” A stubborn glute injury stopped by to rain on the parade, and by mile 62, Dobson couldn’t run at all. “I’ve pushed over pain to get to a finish line before,'' she shares. “And then I didn’t get to another finish line for months and months after. I kind of said, ‘This isn’t gonna happen and
c o v e r e d b r i d g e va i l . c o m
PHOTOS COURTESY OF KIM DOBSON
By MacKennea Broyles
