Please introduce yourself.

I'm Erin Drasler, a 41-year-old mother of two from Boulder, Colorado. I work as a physician in the Emergency Department with Ryan Paterson, Global Limits' medical director, which is how I got involved in the organization. My more important job, though, is raising my two beautiful girls, Aven (9) and Ridge (4.5). I have been running ultras since 2017, most often in my backyard of Leadville, CO. I also enjoy really anything athletic or adventurous, including rock climbing, skiing and mountain biking.

 
What is your training routine? 

I try not to be too regimented in my training routine, since I have so many things going on in my life. I loosely go off the 80/20 training plan, so I try to concentrate on getting in specific workouts just a few times a week. I try to do one long run of 20+ miles, one day of speedwork (my favorite is 800m sprints x 8), and one day of hills, where I run the downhill hard. Other than that, I just get in what I can, and everything counts! Sometimes it is jogging with my younger kiddo in the jogging stroller to school, or running while my kids bike to the pool or to get ice cream. I do also walk on the treadmill very slowly while I do some telemedicine shifts from home.

Could you talk about your role as a mother, a full time working doctor and how do you get time to train? 

Yes, this can be difficult. I work as a physician in the Emergency Department, so am a shift worker. I tend to get the bulk of my training done during the week while the kids are at school, before I go in for an evening shift. It is always a balance between doing a hard work out and not tiring myself out too much to be a good doctor! I find that when I come home from a shift, I usually can't do a hard workout but am able to get in a short easier work out. And on the weekends, I usually want to spend time with my two lovely girls, so try to plan family activities that still include some running or hiking for me. I do sacrifice sleep sometimes, though I realize the importance of sleep for recovery so try to minimize this as much as possible. 

What does it mean to you to be not just the female winner but also the overall winner of the race in Albania?

What an honor! I am just excited that I had the privilege of running with a lot of amazing runners, and happy that I was able to run consistently every day with no major injuries, illnesses or issues. A lot can go wrong in a race like this that is so long, rocky and difficult and I am just lucky to have had a great race!

What is your impression about the race in Albania and organisation? 

I loved the experience in Albania. I really appreciate how well the two GlobalLimits races I have been involved with have been organized. I love that they are small enough to get to know everyone well and form lifelong bonds with similar-minded people from all over the world. Albania as a country is gorgeous-I really had no idea how mountainous the terrain was going to be (well, I guess the elevation profile does give you a clue!). I highly recommend Albania as a place to visit, and really can't imagine a better way to explore the countryside and tiny villages. The people we met are unforgettable-they just kept wanting to bring us gifts of fresh figs, grapes and plums. They were so generous and kind. I love to travel, and don't get to do it enough. This is just an amazing way to be able to incorporate my love of travel and exploration with my passion for running and endurance athletics.

Any recommendation for future GlobalLimits runners? Special tips for the ladies? 

Make sure to run as much downhill as possible or your quad pain will make it difficult to enjoy all these days of steep running! Even if this means running down a tiny hill 200 times, it is 100% worth it. There is no substitute!

When are we going to see you again (in another GlobalLimits locations)?

I will be back! I am not sure when yet. I would love to do another race with Joel, my husband. He raced in Bhutan and I did medical for that race. It is tricky to both come on a trip like this, especially when both of our girls are in school. I would never have been able to come to this race without his love and support. But as the kids get older, it is getting easier to leave them. And who knows, maybe our girls will want to race someday as well!