One of the things Tara Warren remembers most about her mother was her laugh. Things weren’t always easy for the family when Tara was growing up, and there were more than a few years when they were just getting by, but she remembers her mom always being positive and making sure she and her two brothers had a good, happy life.
Plus, that laugh. “It was an infectious laugh, and it was more of this cackle that I think as a teenager I was mortified by,” Tara said. “But I just remember she was always laughing.”
She was the kind of mother that even though sports weren’t her thing, she was always there cheering on her kids, getting involved however she could so she could be there for them. She was also the kind of mom that let Tara find her own way in the world, watching her move out west after high school to become a wife, trail runner and coach, and mom of her own. “My love of movement, storytelling, and laughter I owe all to her,” Tara said.
Sadly, it would be trouble with movement that would be the first signs that something was wrong with her mom. “She started having issues with her neck where she thought maybe she would need to have a fusion in her neck. She couldn't turn a certain way, and it just wouldn't go away.”
From there, the story was a familiar one to many in the ALS community. “It was like ‘maybe you should go see this doctor, this specialist,’ and da da da, and ‘your insurance doesn't cover this now.’ And these hoops and hoops…” Tara said. After months and months, doctors finally determined it was ALS.
After receiving the diagnosis, her mother’s progression continued to be fast. She passed away in 2016.
But even though she was no longer with her in person, Tara’s mom was still an inspiration to her. She found that all her time training in the great outdoors gave her time to think about her passions and how she could connect them to her mother, and the fight to end ALS. “It's crazy how much you feel close to things when you're out in nature. And whenever you have big decisions to make,” she said.
And then, in early 2024, how to connect the two became clear. An avid 100-mile endurance race participant, Tara had just received word that after years of trying, she had been granted entry into the Hardrock 100, one of the most challenging, and prestigious, 100-mile races in the world that takes place in Colorado’s San Juan Mountains. By competing in the Hardrock 100, the possibility existed for Tara to take on the Rocky Mountain Slam—completing four of the toughest 100-mile races in the Rocky Mountains, all in the same year.
Some of her friends suggested she should go for it, but Tara was not so sure. She had been banged up the year before, taking on the Hardrock by itself would be challenging, and like all of us, she wasn’t as young as she used to be.
Then, one morning on a training run as she was mulling it over, a blue finch landed on a branch down the trail in front of her. Then a bit further down the trail the bird reappeared, then again, and again.
For Tara, it was more than just a friendly visitor on her run. “My mom had this thing with blue jays growing up,” she said. “And even in her last months, when she lived with my brother and sister-in-law and their family, they built this beautiful bird house and put it outside the window where she'd sit most of the day and birds would come. And so that was a real special thing for her.”
That little bird got Tara thinking: When was the last time a woman completed the Rocky Mountain Slam? Right there, on the trail, she got her phone out and looked. It was 2016, the same year her mom passed away. “I’m not one for signs, but it was just uncanny,” Tara said. “I got all the tingles and thought well, OK, that's the sign that I needed.”
Tara also decided that her effort would be about more than just completing the Slam, it would also be about raising awareness, and money, for the fight to end ALS. With the help of the ALS Association, she set up a fundraiser and shared her adventure with the endurance running community and with her followers on social media, raising more than $16,000 so far.
Sharing so much of her personal story took Tara out of her comfort zone, but she was heartened by not just all who donated, but to learn so many others felt the same desire to see ALS end one day. “I had support already (within the distance running community) and then to know that I was taking this on behalf of my mom as a fundraiser, was just, I think, more sweet,” she said. “And it's interesting just how many people came out of the woodwork, saying, ‘Oh, my uncle passed ALS’ and such and such.”
As so, from June through September 2024, Tara completed four of the most grueling 100-mile endurance races out there, becoming just the ninth woman in history to accomplish the Rocky Mountain Slam. She lost portions from eight toenails (“It is as bad as you think,” she said), but otherwise came through in good health. “I feel fantastic. I feel super grateful and relieved,” Tara said. “I can't believe I did it, but the racing is second fiddle to what we accomplished with fundraising.”
Few of us are capable of taking on a challenge like Tara did, but we can all take part in the fight against ALS in our own way. Maybe you are looking to find your own endurance challenge, or have an idea to create your own fundraising event, or the chance to participate in a Walk to Defeat ALS® event near you this year. Whether your effort is 100 miles long or takes place from the comfort of your couch, we can all play a role in making ALS livable for everyone, everywhere, until we can cure it.
As for Tara, while she is proud of her accomplishment, she hopes that people will not focus on what she did, but why she did it. “I hope that when people see things come across their screens or hear about a family member or friend that may be newly diagnosed, that they can take comfort in the fact that there's people out there working for them and that care,” she said.
Photo Credit: Thanks to Scott Hickenlooper for taking all of the photos included in this blog.
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