More Than a Race: Why Tara Warren is Running the Rocky Mountain Slam

HPT Athlete Tara Warren has graciously shared her journey through the 2024 season where she is attempting to become the first female to complete the RMS in eight years. This eight-race collection of 100-mile ultra-running races requires athletes to complete at least four of them. She is part of a select group taking it on and looking to officially join “the club”.

As we hinted at, it’s about so much more than that, though. Here is a look into what Tara Warren’s mission is all about.

Let’s start with what the Rocky Mountains Slam is. What’s it all about?

It's a series of races in the Rocky Mountain area that started years ago as just a couple cool ultra races. Eventually, this “fun challenge” grew, and names like Bighorn, Hard Rock, Leadville, and more were slowly becoming part of an iconic series poised to make a big impact on the ultra community.

“When it started out, there were just a couple of these races, and not a lot of people were able to do all of them. In a lot of these races, you have to qualify even to get into a lottery to get into the race.”

It’s come a long way. They have added a couple of races here and there to make RMS more accessible, but it's still eight races and the focus is finishing them all, of course. But, some people have done that really fast and gone for records and others are just trying to get it done.

“The OG race of the Rocky Mountain Slam was Hard Rock, and it was kind of like the crux of the series. If you got into Hard Rock, then you could start thinking about, ‘Oh gosh, maybe I'll do the Slam. Maybe I'll, I'll tack on these other races...’ That's kind of how it went for me this year. I've been trying to get into Hard Rock 100 for seven or eight years. So, you have to keep qualifying year after year and get a battery of tickets for this lottery, hypothetical tickets.”

Now, because of the system in place, your chances do go up incrementally each year that you don't get selected. Tara had a fair amount of tickets, maybe not the most, but with regard to women getting into Hard Rock, it’s a feat in and of itself.

“I think there's 34 of us this year. The race is unique in that the Forest Service only permits a certain amount of spaces every year, and it's just based on [total number]. There just aren't a lot of women who try to get in. So it is a real honor.”

Tara’s purpose for doing the RMS is more than just a self-realizing journey to do something really, really hard. It’s about giving back and making a difference.

“The whole purpose of doing this RMS is that I'm doing a fundraiser for ALS. My mom passed from ALS in 2016 and I've been radio silent. I felt the urge to do that this year when I found out the last female to complete this Rocky Mountain Slam was in 2016. That coincidence along with so many other things, I was like, ‘You know what? This is it – we're going for it.’

I'm collaborating with the ALS Association this year and we've been raising money since Mother's Day on behalf of this event. We've raised over $6,400 bucks so far (since the announcement on Mother’s Day), and a lot of my sponsors, including The Feed and Hoka, are all in.

There's a lot of motivation there to finish and there's no stopping. I'm going to finish this and it might not be pretty, but we're going to get it done.”

How does the cycle of training and recovery work for a series like this? I mean, what does tackling four ultras a year require?

“It's a toll on the body and the mind, so many of your systems. [Everything] is affected, from your endocrine system to your psyche and your sleep patterns.”

Tara adds that it’s not just about the physical strain you place on your body of completing the effort, but also the damage that occurs naturally from just running for 100 miles. Are you familiar with the phrase “toe bang”? Well, if not, you are now.

“It's literally what you think. There are a lot of loose boulders everywhere on these trails. And, for some reason, I just kept nailing every one. It's like when you're on a bike and there's one rock in the trail you want to miss, but you hit it every time.

Long story short, how do I recover from these? I think you just have to be really patient.”

Bighorn was a breakthrough for Tara. We know training for these events, completing them, and living to tell the tale is an accomplishment in and of itself. But, fueling appropriately and being able to actually “perform” how you want is another.

“My nutrition was spot on and I don't think I've ever been able to say that after a race. It was so good. That's something that is really hard to nail for a hundred miles.

You're either good, the first half, the middle half, or the second half. But for me, because of everything I've learned and put into just prepping for this, it worked like magic. Which is honestly because I'm able to do trial and error through The Feed.

I used so many gels. I'm really trying to do the 60–90 grams of carbs per hour. Realistically, instead of being a high-carb user on race day, I ended up being more like mid-carb, even though I practice more high-carb.

I used UCAN, I used PF&H 90s, and Victus mainly. Then, I used Skratch High Carb and I use the Victus. I just did a 500mL flask of each in between each aid station and then pocketed two extra pouches of drink mix if I needed them, which was good. I was running down a hill and I didn't secure one of my water flasks and I went to go take a drink… and it was gone.

Otherwise, I think I supplemented with a bowl of mashed potatoes at one of the eight stations when it was really cold in the middle of the night. If my stomach is feeling upset, I will often grab some chicken broth.”

She’s continuing to tinker with and adjust her nutrition strategy throughout the season. Tara has been learning and improving over the course of this series, not just “getting through”.

“When I ran Bighorn and Hard Rock, although my fitness was great, I felt sluggish and as if that ‘last gear’ wasn't really there. I didn't think much of it because I knew that I didn't want to go full throttle in these races and risk not being able to keep doing them.

But I was frustrated enough, and am competitive enough, to just think, ‘Gosh, what can I change and what's different?’ It dawned on me that I am not a heavy sweater. [While] I'm nailing the 60 to 90 grams of carbs per hour, I think I was taking in too much sodium That's been a real strong point but I haven't really paid attention to the fact that maybe I'm getting too much sodium.

So I wrote into The Feed and said, ‘What do you have that would be zero sodium, let's start from there.’

This led Tara to SiS Beta Fuel, where she’d have a great high-carb product to meet that 60-90g goal, but with minimal sodium to help balance her needs as a low-sweating athlete. It’s important to note: be curious, find what works for YOU.

“I found [that last gear] again and it's great. That's the major change that I made in between my first two races and race number three.”

The last race in the RMS series comes in just a few weeks. The finale in Logan, UT is like “going home,” according to Tara. She’ll return to her old stomping grounds and be cheered on by friends and family as she tries to solidify her name in the Rocky Mountain Slam history books. Stay tuned!