Sarah Lavender Smith is an author and longtime ultrarunner who writes about adventure in midlife.
Sarah Lavender Smith is an author and longtime ultrarunner who writes about adventure in midlife.
“Sarah Lavender Smith has long been one of trail running’s finest and most insightful writers, and her first book, The Trail Runner’s Companion, ties everything together for all trail runners, from newbies to veterans.”
– John Trent, award-winning sportswriter and author of Second Sunrise, a history of the Western States Endurance Run
Sarah competing in the 2024 Grand to Grand Ultra.
Photo credit: Anastasia Wilde for Grand to Grand Ultra
Memoir
THE NEXT STAGE: A midlife memoir on ultrarunning, marriage, and how one week at an extreme footrace tests both
A thrill-seeker and restless empty-nester at 55, the author returns to a 170-mile self-supported ultramarathon that combines running with camping—a race that challenges not only her endurance but also her self-image and her long-running marriage. Uncertain if her older and slower body can still handle it and whether her time away will threaten or fortify a love stretching back to high school, she uses the off-the-grid miles to reframe how she views herself and her past.
As she traverses the harsh, blistering landscape with a ragtag group of international competitors, each stage of the fringe footrace prompts emotional reflection. Making peace with her upbringing, having fun in the present, and coming to terms with shame from infidelity and other failures may prove more difficult yet rewarding than reaching any finish line.
Her story of a wild week shows how running reveals character and how aging can be a surprise advantage. It’s for anyone seeking fulfillment and strong relationships later in life, and who’s curious about the growing sport and culture of ultrarunning.
An early reader’s praise:
“An incredible story that goes well beyond a typical endurance memoir, using the brutal miles of the Grand to Grand 170-mile stage race to unpack a lifetime of motivation, missteps, and self-doubt. Sarah Lavender Smith is at her best when she’s honest about the double edge of ultrarunning—how it pulled her away from one set of destructive behaviors while subtly feeding another. The book’s structure works: the desert miles give her space to revisit childhood family dynamics, marriage, and the persistent need to prove something she can’t quite define. What stands out the most is her courage and total lack of pretense. Smith owns her mistakes, especially in her relationships, without sugarcoating them.”
—Cam Torrens, author of suspense and adventure thrillers
Sarah is seeking publication for her book project.
Newsletter
Sarah writes Mountain Running & Living from her high-altitude home in the San Juan Mountains of Colorado.
Her newsletter features personal essays with practical advice about trail running, mountain life & midlife grit.
Sarah’s Substack
“I read Sarah's writing because she writes like a runner, but also like a real person who runs (a lot). She's passionate and brings the wisdom of someone with decades of experience, but she never loses the perspective of an actual human being who's living a full life outside of the trails and race courses."
- Brendan Leonard, author and creator of semi-rad
Sarah competing in the 2024 Grand to Grand Ultra.
Photo credit: Anastasia Wilde for Grand to Grand Ultra.
Interview
Hear about Sarah’s writing and running—and how she finished one of North America’s most difficult 100-milers, the Hardrock Hundred—in this interview on The Trailhead Podcast called “Sarah Lavender Smith Finds Meaning in Midlife and the Midpack.”