Kaci Lickteig Stars in A Midsummer Run’s Dream
Though she be but little, she is fierce. – William Shakespeare, A Midsummer Night’s Dream
There are no pixie ninjas in Shakespeare, nor ultramarathoners, for that matter, which is kind of a shame, given what The Bard could have done with such material, but then again, there is enough drama in the actual tale of Kaci Lickteig (aka “The Pixie Ninja”) that a Victorian quill pen is hardly necessary. To wit:
Every June for a decade Kaci Lickteig has raced the sun from the ski village of Olympic Valley, California to the top of Emigrant Pass, four and a half miles into the Western States Endurance Run (WSER). Every June for a decade Kaci Lickteig has emerged from the darkness of that first big climb to find herself near the sunrise-dazzled front of one of the deepest fields in ultra-running. And every June for a decade, 95 miles later, Kaci Lickteig has burst from the following evening’s impending gloom and into the spotlit pandemonium of the Placer High School track, always and still among the top handful of women to finish the deepest, most iconic 100-mile race in the world.
Since 2014, when she first toed the line in Olympic Valley, (the 2020 race was canceled due to the global pandemic) few things have been surer a bet than Lickteig’s arrival at that finish line. Moreover, only two women in Western States history have claimed the 1,000 mile/10-day belt buckle signifying ten consecutive WSER finishes in under 24 hours: 14-time winner and mother of modern ultra-running, Ann Trason, and now, Kaci Lickteig. The race winner in 2016, Lickteig has finished in the top ten five times, unbelievable consistency given both the ever-increasing competitiveness at the front of the field, and the sheer number of things that can go wrong, both in training and on race day.
After the race I asked her what it was like to look back, both at her most recent finish, and over the past ten years of running Western States. (The interview has been ever-so-slightly edited for space and clarity.)
[This year’s] Western States went exactly as planned for me. I was deciding up until the race if I should go hard and race it to my fullest potential, or to enjoy the 10th and soak it in. Well, I ended up doing the middle road. I was very nervous that if I did go out hard, I would blow up and not finish. But I didn’t want to run super slow, so I decided to run with a fun effort! It turned out to be perfect! I got to share so many miles with new and old friends. And I got to run without any internal pressure, besides the pressure to be sure and finish. I was thrilled to feel so good throughout the race and finish strong, healthy, and happy!
Throughout the video coverage of the race announcers referred to you as an “icon” or “legend” in the sport. At the finish, after you were hoisted into the air by your coach, and allowed a few minutes to catch your breath, (you had just run 100 miles, after all!) the interviewers introduced you as “royalty.” True to form, you are having none of it.
How does it feel to be called a legend, or an icon, or “Western States royalty?” To me it is an honor that I do not feel like I deserve. I have only been in the sport for a little over a decade, and there are far more legendary people out there than me. I don’t even come close to being considered at their level. I am just honored to have been a part of this sport for as long as I have.
Your author begs to differ here, for verily, royalty she be! Sure, she may be the kind of royalty who goes out dancing with the peasants after the coronation, then refuses to move into the palace. And we all know there are no glass slippers on the trails of the wild, wild, West. But her stature among the sweaty, dusty kings and queens of Western States has been duly earned. Having established that, how is the recovery? What, prithee, comes next?
Well, I actually felt really good coming off of Western States both physically and mentally. I just focused on recovery, as I had another race, High Lonesome 100, in Colorado, only 3-weeks after Western States. So, I focused on recovery and maintenance runs in between. It was the closet I’ve ever had two hundred milers together so it was all new territory for me. I had no idea how well I would recover, or how I’d feel, but I was up for the challenge, which is half the battle!
And how, pray tell, did that go?
I just finished High Lonesome 100 last Saturday and it went great. In fact, I achieved my goal of bettering my previous time from 2021. I took off 70 minutes and I felt no lows after the first shock of the altitude. By mile 14 I was in my happy place and had a blast the rest of the way to the finish. It’s amazing what the mind and body can do. We just have to trust, believe in ourselves, and respect the distance and our bodies.
Lovely segue into the next question! 37 is far from being a geezer in the sport of ultra trail. I mean the dude who just won Hard Rock (France’s Ludovic Pommeret) is 49. But still, all those miles can take their toll. What does the future hold for Kaci Lickteig, Pixie Ninja, Queen of the Placer High Track?
Well, I am aging in the sport and have had some serious injuries, I’ve learned that I enjoy running races for the joy of it, versus the all-out fight to be in the top spot. I’m still competitive, but more so against myself than other runners. I have learned to turn off that internal pressure that I have to win or be in the top however many, so I can stay in the game for the long haul. I love running and racing too much to have a catastrophic injury that could take me away from my passion forever. I love the sport too much!
Now for the most important question of all. I’m sure your legions of fans and loyal subjects back in Huskerlandia are dying to know from whence came the moniker “Pixie Ninja.” You are undeniably wee, and you are undeniably tough as nails. What brilliant human came up with this perfect sobriquet?
“Pixie Ninja” was coined by two of my friends. Miguel and Jayci. When Miguel and I first started running together, he had said that I look like a pixie out on the trails. (How Shakespearean!) And Jayci said I looked like a ninja. (Well, you certainly run like one!) So, lo and behold, the two nicknames untied and I became known as the Pixie Ninja!! And it’s stuck ever since!
