Sara Aranda | Certified UESCA Ultrarunning Coach
Sara’s journey with running started on the pavement of Southern California, just east of Los Angeles. Trails were usually something she experienced only on family camping trips, and she didn’t even realize trail running existed as its own niche industry until after graduating college. It would take another 7 years for her to gather trial-and-error wisdom, overcome overuse injury, and grow the confidence to attempt her first ultra: 30 miles for her 30th birthday. The more she learned, the more she realized her limits were malleable, changeable, and ultimately, unknown in a way that felt inspiring.
Since then, she has accomplished many feats her younger self would have assumed impossible. In her very first trail race, she placed 2nd Female, and has podiumed a handful of times since, including 1st Female at the Colossal Vail 50/50 55K. As of 2026, she has set 22 Fastest Known Times, with her two biggest endeavors being the Wind River High Route 100-Mile route and the Lowest to Highest CA 132-mile route. After a year of being a sponsored trail runner in 2024, she took 2025 off to undergo preventative medical surgeries related to her BRCA1 genetic mutation. In early 2026, she completed the UESCA Ultrarunning Coaching Certification.
With a love for trail events of all distances, she has methodically honed her craft year after year and will always wonder what mentorship and coaching could have done for her early on. Now that she has completed the coaching program, she looks forward to helping others avoid the same mistakes and misunderstandings she once made. She also seeks to learn all the more, in a reciprocal manner, from her own clients.
Outside of her athleticism, Sara is a freelance writer, cat mom, and wife based near Durango, Colorado. She is an ambassador for Runners for Public Lands and an Outreach committee co-lead at La Plata Mountains and Public Lands Coalition. She also cares deeply about her family roots and identifies as Mestiza/Xicana, and is partially bilingual in Spanish, with a long-term goal of becoming fluent.
Where else to find Sara:
Instagram | Strava | Website | Substack
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