Erica Larson
Encyclopedia
Erica Larson Baron is a chemist
at the Los Alamos National Laboratory
and a champion mountain runner
. She has won the Pikes Peak
marathon
on five occasions, more than any other woman since the event's inception in 1959.
She was raised in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin
, the daughter of two music teachers, before enrolling at Marquette University
in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
. After graduating with a Bachelor's degree
in chemistry
, she earned her doctorate
at the University of Kansas
aged 27, before moving to Los Alamos, New Mexico
. The city, at over 7,000 ft above sea level
, offers an extensive network of nearby trails which Larson frequents while training. On August 28, 2005, she married fellow scientist and runner Miles Baron, who won the Bandelier marathon in New Mexico
for three straight years until the race was cancelled in 2005.
After participating in the Pikes Peak ascent in 1994 and 1998, Larson won the "up and down" marathon at her first attempt in 1999, and repeated this result in each of the following three years. She was runner-up to Angela Mudge
in 2003, but regained the top step on the podium with her fifth win overall in 2004, when the Scottish
runner did not return to defend her title. Her preparations for the 50th-anniversary marathon in 2005 were curtailed by a calf muscle injury and strep throat
, but she reversed her earlier decision to withdraw, saying "I'd be really bummed out if I didn't run it this year". Despite her health issues she still managed to finish third.
She is also a two-time winner of the Leadville Marathon, and finished 34th at the U.S. Women's Olympic Marathon Trials in 2004, which she describes as her proudest achievement.
Chemist
A chemist is a scientist trained in the study of chemistry. Chemists study the composition of matter and its properties such as density and acidity. Chemists carefully describe the properties they study in terms of quantities, with detail on the level of molecules and their component atoms...
at the Los Alamos National Laboratory
Los Alamos National Laboratory
Los Alamos National Laboratory is a United States Department of Energy national laboratory, managed and operated by Los Alamos National Security , located in Los Alamos, New Mexico...
and a champion mountain runner
Fell running
Fell running, also known as mountain running and hill running, is the sport of running and racing, off road, over upland country where the gradient climbed is a significant component of the difficulty...
. She has won the Pikes Peak
Pikes Peak
Pikes Peak is a mountain in the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains, west of Colorado Springs, Colorado, in El Paso County in the United States of America....
marathon
Marathon
The marathon is a long-distance running event with an official distance of 42.195 kilometres , that is usually run as a road race...
on five occasions, more than any other woman since the event's inception in 1959.
She was raised in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin
Fond du Lac, Wisconsin
Fond du Lac is a city in Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin, United States. The name is French for bottom of the lake, for it is located at the bottom of Lake Winnebago. The population was 42,203 at the 2000 census...
, the daughter of two music teachers, before enrolling at Marquette University
Marquette University
Marquette University is a private, coeducational, Jesuit, Roman Catholic university located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Founded by the Society of Jesus in 1881, the school is one of 28 member institutions of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities...
in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Milwaukee is the largest city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, the 28th most populous city in the United States and 39th most populous region in the United States. It is the county seat of Milwaukee County and is located on the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan. According to 2010 census data, the...
. After graduating with a Bachelor's degree
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
in chemistry
Chemistry
Chemistry is the science of matter, especially its chemical reactions, but also its composition, structure and properties. Chemistry is concerned with atoms and their interactions with other atoms, and particularly with the properties of chemical bonds....
, she earned her doctorate
Doctorate
A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder to teach in a specific field, A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder...
at the University of Kansas
University of Kansas
The University of Kansas is a public research university and the largest university in the state of Kansas. KU campuses are located in Lawrence, Wichita, Overland Park, and Kansas City, Kansas with the main campus being located in Lawrence on Mount Oread, the highest point in Lawrence. The...
aged 27, before moving to Los Alamos, New Mexico
Los Alamos, New Mexico
Los Alamos is a townsite and census-designated place in Los Alamos County, New Mexico, United States, built upon four mesas of the Pajarito Plateau and the adjoining White Rock Canyon. The population of the CDP was 12,019 at the 2010 Census. The townsite or "the hill" is one part of town while...
. The city, at over 7,000 ft above sea level
Sea level
Mean sea level is a measure of the average height of the ocean's surface ; used as a standard in reckoning land elevation...
, offers an extensive network of nearby trails which Larson frequents while training. On August 28, 2005, she married fellow scientist and runner Miles Baron, who won the Bandelier marathon in New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
for three straight years until the race was cancelled in 2005.
After participating in the Pikes Peak ascent in 1994 and 1998, Larson won the "up and down" marathon at her first attempt in 1999, and repeated this result in each of the following three years. She was runner-up to Angela Mudge
Angela Mudge
Angela Mudge is a champion hill runner and skyrunner. Despite being born with birth defects in both legs, and finding track athletics not to her liking, she discovered her sport while a postgraduate student in Scotland in the mid 1990s, and developed rapidly.She has won the Scottish Hill Running...
in 2003, but regained the top step on the podium with her fifth win overall in 2004, when the Scottish
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
runner did not return to defend her title. Her preparations for the 50th-anniversary marathon in 2005 were curtailed by a calf muscle injury and strep throat
Strep throat
Streptococcal pharyngitis, streptococcal tonsillitis, or streptococcal sore throat is a type of pharyngitis caused by a group A streptococcal infection. It affects the pharynx including the tonsils and possibly the larynx. Common symptoms include fever, sore throat, and enlarged lymph nodes...
, but she reversed her earlier decision to withdraw, saying "I'd be really bummed out if I didn't run it this year". Despite her health issues she still managed to finish third.
She is also a two-time winner of the Leadville Marathon, and finished 34th at the U.S. Women's Olympic Marathon Trials in 2004, which she describes as her proudest achievement.
External links
- "The Pros Exposed", Scott Drum, Trailrunner, November 2005
- Pikes Peak marathon, official site