‘From the highest of highs to the lowest of lows’ – BTS at Heather Jackson’s Western States

Another terrific video from ‘That Triathlon Life‘ shows the harsh realities of Heather Jackson‘s injury-ruined Western States.

Former top IRONMAN triathlete Jackson is now both an ultrarunning and gravel biking star and she went into the iconic 100-mile Western States on the back of her victory at Unbound XL.

And along to support, crew and film it all were her friends Eric Lagerstrom and Paula Findlay, top triathletes in their own right, with Eric now making a name for himself in trail running as well as these TTL videos.

Rollercoaster ride

But it’s fair to say that on this occasion things didn’t go to plan for Jackson.

She summed up what happened a little later on her Instagram account, explaining: “I tweaked my calf around mile 25 toeing off what was a loose rock that sent me flying to the ground. At the time, I thought it was nothing. I was running controlled, so happy at the progress I felt I had made compared to the last 2 years, sharing some high country miles with or near @shesallgood21.

“But what started as a tightness/charlie horse after the fall progressed in pain as the miles continued until the descending and climbing through the canyons. By mile 55, I could barely put any pressure on my foot😢

“From the highest of highs a few weeks ago to the lowest of lows. I feel sad, disappointed, embarrassed, like I let everyone down…. I’m struggling to process this one because I can’t pinpoint what went wrong. Two years ago I was running way above my skill level and of course crashed myself out. This year, I was in control and moving smoothly… 😢”

‘The jury is out’

Lagerstrom did his best to support her – and the film, embedded below, is well worth a watch as it sensitively handles her exit while also illustrating the epic difficulty of such races.

It’s also a learning experience for Lagerstrom in terms of whether Western States becomes one of his target races in the future.

On that he says: “It’s an inspiring race and it inspires me to race. But the jury is out as to whether I ever want to do that race.

“People roll out of Michigan Bluff and it seems like there’s no way on earth these people are doing another 50 miles. And yet somehow they do.”