Silke Koester

ABOUT:

Silke lives in Boulder, Colorado with her husband and La Sportiva Mountain Running teammate, Ryan Smith. She fell in love with mountain running during a post-college stint living in the Tetons but didn't actually start running ultras until 2008 when she lived in NYC! After traveling around the world for a year, she & Ryan moved to Boulder where they co-founded the local trail running club, the Rocky Mountain Runners. When not on the trails, Silke works full-time in the educational non-profit world trying to improve school for under-served kids around the country. She also enjoys beekeeping, making a mess in the kitchen, and embarking on overly ambitious DIY home remodeling, landscaping & carpentry projects.

PROUDEST ACCOMPLISHMENTS:

2014 | Earning the WS100 silver buckle, my first 100 miler
2016 | Finishing 14th overall and 2nd American woman at UTMB
2017 | Becoming a mother
2019 | Setting the course record at the High Lonesome 100M
2020 | Completing the 160 mile Collegiate Peaks Loop in Colorado in September

Q+A: 

Who is your favorite running partner?

My favorite running partners are the Rocky Mountain Runners because they’re an extraordinarily supportive and strong bunch of lunatics!

What was the first La Sportiva product you tried?

The Bushidos! I ran across the Alps in them over all kinds of terrain, weather and many consecutive days and they lived up to the challenge!

Which charity/advocacy organizations do you support or belong to?

Rocky Mountain Immigrant Advocacy Network and Achilles International