Michelle Foster

I grew up the daughter of a small town track coach running the windy bluffs of western Nebraska. Whether it was boxes in the basement, hurdles in middle school, or playing rugby at the University of Wyoming, I’ve always preferred running with at least a few obstacles in the way. Trail running was a great fit. After moving to Colorado I started taking advantage of all the mountains in my backyard. After competing in many shorter trail races I started moving up to marathon and ultra distance by becoming the first woman to complete the Gnar Slam (four challenging trail races including a 50 mile, 100k, marathon, and half marathon) twice in 2019 and 2020. I am an advocate for the increased participation of women in trail running and for multiple years have hosted a weekly trail women’s speed building group. I started coaching because of a desire to show those who aren’t sure if they belong in the sport that they are capable of big things if they give themselves a fair chance. Along with running I participate in biking, weight training, veterinary diagnostics and stopping in the middle of a path to move insects to safety.