Fastest kids on the Disneyland playground
Los Angeles’ Disneyland theme park is not the first place one might expect to encounter Olympic athletes, but even the world’s most hardcore athletes seek places to play. In April 2024, two track and field Olympians, Alexi Pappas and Colleen Quigley (aka Steeple Squigs), decided to celebrate a beautiful California spring day by taking the day off from training, PT, emails, zoom meetings, writing, and the other daily tasks required of two professional athletes, and just play in the “happiest place on earth.”
These two Disneyland besties (and likely would-have-been elementary school playground besties) enjoyed chocolate-covered frozen bananas, giant pretzels shaped like Mickey Mouse and marveled at the beauty of life through Disney’s imitation of the world, even creating a game to point out ‘real’ or ‘fake’ plants, trees, buildings, and more around the park. Pappas speaks on this day, which embodies a deeper-rooted philosophy related to her love of running trails, “Disneyland is funny to go to as an adult because it’s imitating certain aspects of the real world, allowing you to walk away and realize how beautiful the world outside it actually is…I compared our time in the park to a beautiful trail running adventure where we wandered towards the lines that looked short, had no preset agenda, and just kept asking ‘where do we want to go next?”.
Seeking the beauty of the natural world (not just Disneyland’s imitation of the world) has been a major draw in Pappas’ life in recent years. Although an Olympian in the track 10-kilometer distance (and Greek national record holder in the 10K with a time of 31:36 that she set in the 2016 Rio Summer Olympic Games), professional track athlete for Bowerman Track Club and Dartmouth/University of Oregon Division I athlete in cross country and track, Pappas has found herself increasingly drawn to running and racing trails. She’s already placed highly at several trail races, including a win at the 2022 Catalina 50K, 12th place at the Bandera 100K, and 23rd place finish at the 2023 Leadville 100—one of the premiere and most challenging ultra trail races in the country. Pappas’ race in Leadville took her deep into the heart of Colorado’s Rocky Mountains, a playground even more expansive than Disneyland. For Pappas, the Leadville 100 was a roller coaster ride of physical and emotional highs and lows.
Leadville: individually, together
Leadville is the pinnacle achievement of Pappas’ trail running career so far (which is still in its adolescence!), but the roots of her journey to Leadville and her love of trail running go back to her high school years. Pappas’ describes her history with trail running, “My roots with trail running began when I was in high school on the Joaquin Miller Trails in California’s Bay Area. It’s where our high school cross country team trained, where students would party at night and do things you shouldn’t write in this article, where I’ve been asked to school dances, where I had my first period, where I was a camp counselor for a nature-based science camp. There’s a pubescent life in those trails that developed my fondness for being in nature. I definitely still view trails and natural spaces as wonderful, gentle places to grow.”
Similar to her formative experiences on trails in high school, the Leadville 100 proved to be equally developmental for herself as both a runner and a person. Pappas started the race conservatively, unfamiliar with how her body would respond to running her first 100-mile race. She gradually worked her way up the field into the top five, but at the notoriously difficult Hope Pass (situated at a breathtaking 12,600 feet 45 miles into the race), the enormity of the challenge hit her. Pappas describes her race experience, “When the night hit after climbing Hope Pass, I ended up walking most of the rest of the course. My body was just done. I wasn’t eating properly, I didn’t hydrate well, and my legs felt like they weren’t prepared for the load.”
Pappas finished as the 23rd female overall and reflects on the unique challenges she encountered throughout her first 100-mile racing experience. Even after a full career of racing track in college and professionally, there was still more to learn about herself as a runner that she discovered by tackling the 100-mile distance in Leadville, “There was an interesting, somewhat contrasting feeling, of racing individually yet together with those around me. It was the sense that all the runners were looking out for each other, willing to stop if someone was in need, yet also not babying each other or carrying each other along. It was a mature independence and display of chivalry and teammate-ship.”
After spending years living in and near Leadville, I can add that this blend of individuality and dependence that Pappas describes is inherent not just in the race but the spirit of the place. Leadville attracts the strong-willed and independently motivated, yet at the same time, the challenges of living there, such as strong winter weather, elevation of 10,200 feet, isolation from the major communities of Colorado, and general rough and tough mining town vibes, make it essential to have a close group of friends. Friends who will be there for you in the rough patches, bring you gear, help you shovel your vehicle out of snow banks, and pick you back up when the harshities of the environment inevitably pull you down in one way or another are essential.
The spirit of the Leadville race series is the ultimate expression of Leadville. It’s a spirit that sticks with you long after living or racing there. Pappas elaborates further on her first Leadville 100 experience, “Leaving Leadville after the 100 was like the feeling of leaving summer camp. I knew everything in my life would be different and would never be the same again. It was terrible and wonderful at the same time, and there was something quite romantic in breaking from the place and experiences leading into it. I remember drinking my first matcha latte after the race and thinking ‘oh, what a cosmopolitan thing to do after all I’ve been consuming for 27 hours is basically sugary gu soda!”
Bittersweet Leadville goodbyes aside, Pappas already feels the “itch” to not just race another ultramarathon trail race, but to train for one seriously. She describes this feeling in more detail, expressing confidence about her training that she hasn’t felt since the peak of her racing career in 2016, “I feel at home in trail running and ultra running, as I did when I raced the 10K professionally and at the Rio Olympics. With the road marathon and 5Ks on the track, I never felt this way. These racing styles weren’t in my element. In the 10K I felt home. I felt dialed and doing what I was meant to be doing. I’m feeling that way right now on the trails. As I start to train and race more seriously on trails, I could definitely win some races and scare some people.”
Soft ground isn’t soft science
It’s common to hear high-caliber road or track runners express their disbelief in the effectiveness of running trails for improving their running. Running trails may make athletes faster on trails, but not necessarily on roads or tracks. Pappas disagrees. Throughout her career training with high-level track and road athletes in Oregon, Pappas learned to use trails and soft surfaces to reach her best track and road times.
Pappas happily “nerds out” on the benefits of trail running for all types of running disciplines, “I could talk all day about the joy that I have on the trails and the performance benefits to people who are not just running trail races! While training for the Olympics in Oregon, we did kilometer repeats, tempo runs, long runs, and every type of run except specific track work on the trails or soft surfaces. I stayed healthy running 125 miles per week, which was largely due to running almost all of my miles on softer surfaces with lower impact.”
Pappas speculates on why some other track and road athletes don’t utilize trail running, “Running trails takes a little bit more maturity to accept because you’re not necessarily getting the data to write home about that allows you to know exactly how your training will translate into a race. I like to call trail running ‘secret speedwork’ because it makes you stronger and faster in the long run but it can be hard to see the immediate benefits.”
Pappas continues to share the benefits of trail running for the improvement of lateral motor mechanics and spring in the legs, recovery-inducing nervous system responses, and so much more. I’m quite certain we could have talked for the entire interview on this subject, but for the sake of this article covering a variety of interesting parts of Pappas’ life and not turning into a scientific dissertation on the benefits of trail running, we will continue!
Ready player Pappas
“Let’s play. My favorite playground is Mother Nature. It’s where I feel most myself.”
Pappas writes the lines above to caption a photo with her latest shoe and apparel sponsor, Merrell. The company has made large investments in the trail running scene in recent years, endorsing famous trail running athletes such as Coree Woltering, hosting the inaugural Get FKT challenge, and sponsoring the 2024 Skyrunner World Series. As of April 2024, Pappas is now a part of the Merrell athlete team.
For someone who has already been featured on Rich Roll, Vogue magazine, Playboy, New York Times, Sports Illustrated, and many other top media outlets, one naturally wonders what drew Pappas to Merrell. Pappas elaborates on this new partnership, “It’s one of the most collaborative experiences I’ve had with a brand thus far. Some brands say they want to collaborate but don’t actually execute.”
Pappas describes Merrell’s investment in her trail and road running projects, as well as the artistic/fashion side of her personality. The props alone for the Merrell athlete announcement photoshoot with Pappas are an example of a unique creative partnership.
Pappas excitedly gets up from our Google Meet interview to show me that several of the props used in this photoshoot are in her home, resting immediately behind her. Pappas speaks on the importance of such positive moments when working with a brand, “The Merrell announcement photoshoot speaks volumes about how they’ve embraced me. I’m a fully saturated, colorful human, not a soft pastel. I am bright. You can see this side of me in this photoshoot, and it was such a telling way to start this already excellent partnership.”
Pappas looks forward to future Merrell team events where she can further connect with her fellow athletes and brand team managers.
Passing the Torch
“Run like a bravey, sleep like a baby, dream like a crazy, replace can’t with maybe” —Pappas
The 2016 Rio Olympics were a dream come true for the then 26-year-old Pappas, but it was also a time she now reflects on as one of the toughest in her life. In Pappas’ critically acclaimed essay-memoir, Bravey, she explores her period of post-Olympic depression that she realized is common for many athletes after the Olympics—athletes who dedicate their entire lives for one moment only to find they are unsure of what comes next. The memoir highlights the importance of mental health not just for Olympians but runners of all levels. Pappas explores how to become the best version of oneself without falling into the trap of feeling the need to become someone else.
Through Pappas’ advocacy for mental health, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has designated her the title of “Olympic Mentor” at the Paris 2024 Olympics. She describes the purpose of this role, “It can be so scary to be an Olympian to not know what’s next in life after it’s finished. There’s a loss of purpose and identity that can lead to depression. By being an Olympic mentor, I hope to give more visibility to the beautiful things in life one can chase after their Olympic careers. I hope to ease the emotional dip many athletes feel after the Olympics and bring a positive energy to these athletes that lets them know they are going to be ok. Olympians are humans, and we forget that too easily.”
Pappas will be attending the 2024 Paris Olympics to fulfill her role as Olympic Mentor, as well as participate in the celebrity marathon and 10K that will take place the night before the Olympic Marathon race on August 10.
In addition to her Olympic involvement and budding trail running career, Pappas continues to make a presence in the road running scene. She gave a Q&A presentation and ran the Mastercard NY Mini 10K as a part of the New York City Marathon in June 2024, and she will host her namesake race, the Alexi Pappas 10K, in partnership with the San Francisco Marathon in July 2024 (sign up here).
Pappas also hopes to continue her work as a sighted guide for Lisa Thomson, an accomplished visually impaired athlete and former champion of the Boston Marathon Division T13 Class. Since 2022, Pappas and Thompon have partnered together for road races and were connected by Kyle Robidoux of United in Stride. Visit the United in Stride website to learn more about sighted guide training and how to connect with visually impaired athletes near you https://www.unitedinstride.com/.
Carrying the torch to trails
Pappas is discovering ambitions for running trails with the support of meaningful new partnerships such as Merrell while also finding ways to give back to the road, track, and Olympic communities that still play large roles in her life. Since Pappas finished the Leadville 100 in August 2023, the trail running community has been eagerly waiting to see which major trail race she will choose to compete in next. After over a decade of running competitive track and road races, Pappas is embracing her trail running passion that existed since she first began running in high school.
“In trail running, it behooves you to receive the world.” says Pappas about what makes trail running unique from other running disciplines. “You have to pay attention and not deny your feelings. Let yourself be present to what serves you athletically and as a human.”
While Pappas will likely soon challenge the best trail runners in the world, her trail running journey is not only about competition. For Pappas, trail running is also about play. Trail running is where Pappas experiences Mother Nature’s beautiful, natural playgrounds and discovers the human she wants to be in the process. Pappas reminds us that even at the highest level of running, there should always be space to play.
