CLIMB YOUR LOCAL HILL.
STEPHEN KERSH
Hometown: Albuquerque, NM
Currently 📍: Seattle, WA
Career highlights: 2 top-10 finishes at The Western States Endurance Run,
🥈JFK 50 Mile, 🥉 Madeira Island Ultra Trail, 🥇Crown King Scramble 50K, 2016 Olympic Marathon Trials Qualifier
Sponsor: adidas TERREX
Coaching since: 2017
Favorite local hill: Mt. Elden, Flagstaff, Arizona
Current local hill: West Tiger 3, Issaquah, Washington
Born and raised in Albuquerque, New Mexico, I grew up in a family that spent much of its time outdoors. Some of my earliest memories are pinning a bib on for a race, getting dragged along during hikes, and sipping cocoa in ski lodges across Northern New Mexico. Those early days of competition and outdoor exploration created the foundation for my pursuits moving forward.
After wrapping up my college cross country and track career at both the University of Portland and Georgetown University, I moved to Flagstaff, Arizona where I became a metaphorical sponge soaking up training theory from world-renowned coaches in town, sharing countless miles all over Northern Arizona with incredible training partners, and developing my own philosophies on training methodology from those experiences.
Since 2019, I’ve competed on the trails in some of the most competitive races our sport has to offer. My spark and love for training in this space continues to burn bright due mostly in part by how much more we have to learn about how to train for ultra trail events and all the untapped potential in the sport.