178. Ladia Albertson-Junkans, Ultra Runner & Best Friend to Gabe Grunewald

Ali on the Run Show

Ali Feller

Run, Health & Fitness, Women, Inspiration, Runner, Entrepreneur, Sports, Fitness, Health, Running

4.9 • 3.7K Ratings

🗓️ 3 October 2019

⏱️ 77 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

"Gabe was all about trying her best, whereas I was more about striving for perfection. And thankfully, I had Gabe in my life to show me what that really meant — trying your best — and why that was so much better than striving for perfection."

Ladia Albertson-Junkans is a collegiate cross-country runner turned ultramarathoner. Most recently, Ladia ran the Western States 100, and followed that up by running the Fastest Known Time (FKT) on the Timberline Trail around Mount Hood. Ladia is also well known in the running community as Gabe Grunewald's best friend. On this poignant episode, Ladia beautifully shares stories about Gabe, who passed away this summer. She talks about their friendship, including the sweet story of how they met, and opens up about being by Gabe's side during her final days. She talks about what it means to be brave, the role running played in her grieving process, and about learning how to say goodbye. Ladia also talks about how important it was to Gabe to make sure the Brave Like Gabe Foundation kept running and inspiring fellow cancer patients.

Thank you to AfterShokz for sponsoring this episode of the Ali on the Run Show! CLICK HERE for $50 off your Aeropex wireless headphone endurance bundle!

What you’ll get on this episode:

On running the Fastest Known Time on the Timberline Trail around Mount Hood, including how Ladia felt Gabe’s presence before and during the run (6:00)
On running Western States in June (19:40)
When does Ladia fit running into her busy life? (26:20)
How Ladia and Gabe met, and why Gabe wouldn’t let Ladia quit running after college (27:30)
Ladia opens up about what Gabe’s last few weeks were like, and shares a few stories about Gabe that speak to her remarkable character (33:45)
Ladia talks about that visit from Chip and Joanna Gaines (41:30)
Did Gabe know the impact she had on the world? (46:00)
What does it mean to live #BraveLikeGabe? (55:30)

What we mention on this episode:

Gabe Grunewald on Episode 62 of the Ali on the Run Show

Brave Like Gabe Foundation

Follow Ladia:

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Transcript

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0:00.0	This episode of The Alley on the Run Show is brought to you by Aftershocks.
0:08.4	Welcome to The Alley on the Run Show. I'm your host, Allie Theller. I'm a writer and editor
0:13.6	of Runner, a mom and a dog mom. Every week on The Alley on the Run Show, I talk with inspiring
0:19.9	people who lead interesting lives on the run and beyond. And while running is what brings us all
0:24.8	together on these episodes, we cover so much more. So join me right here every Thursday to learn
0:30.5	about the decisions people have made to get where they are today, the good ones and the bad ones,
0:35.7	and how getting sweaty has factored in. On this episode, I had the privilege and pleasure of
0:40.8	getting to talk with Latia Albertson-Junkans. You may know Latia as a badass collegiate runner,
0:46.7	turned ultra runner. This summer alone, Latia ran the Western States 100 for the first time,
0:52.3	and ran the fastest known time on the Timberline Trail around Mount Hood, which that's a pretty
0:57.7	impressive feat. You may also know Latia as Gabe Groenwald's best friend. I cannot imagine losing
1:04.3	my best friend, especially at such a young age. Gabe Groenwald, who was a guest on episode 62 of The
1:10.8	Alley on the Run Show, passed away this summer after a long battle with a rare cancer, ad-noid cystic
1:16.7	carcinoma. But right up until the end, Gabe lived out her life's mantra, being brave like Gabe.
1:23.1	On this episode, Latia bravely and graciously opened up to me about her special friendship with Gabe,
1:28.8	including the very sweet story of how they first met. She talked about being by Gabe's side
1:34.4	during her last days and the role running played in the grieving process. Now, I will warn you,
1:40.5	I cried a lot during this episode. It's a really powerful and emotional one, and if you're
1:45.4	listening on the run, which Gabe would love, I'm sure, bring along a tissue or 12. I'm so
1:52.0	grateful for Latia for having this conversation and sharing these stories. I'll remind you again
1:57.2	at the end of the episode, but I really encourage everyone to check out the Brave Like Gabe foundation.
2:03.1	Read more about their mission, and if you're in a place where you can do so, consider making a
	...

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