Take a listen to PR MD Running athlete Heather Daunis discussing her running & training history along with the incredible year she has had! If I remember right, we met at her first 100 miler, the Children of the Cane in Port Allen, LA. I was there providing first aid, but somehow got involved with peeling a (very large and hard to peel) orange for Heather. As a surgical nurse, I think she got a real kick out of having a doctor perform a task like that for her. But the joke is on her, as that simple act helped trick her into letting me start coaching her in 2023. Pro-tip: the easiest way to look good as a coach is to pick super athletes to work with.
She had really big goals for 2024 and I'm thrilled that I was able to help her hit them, even while working around and through her late husband's illness early in the year. As training is her biggest stress relief, she found the time and effort to keep at it, even when that meant running in a hospital parking garage and doing strength work at a bedside in the ICU when she wasn't able to workout with her CrossFit Virtus family. She also racked up more miles than ever before on her way to successfully finishing the Leadville Trail 100, followed 5 weeks later with her first Barkley Fall Classic 50K finish, followed 4 weeks later with a 2nd place finish in the New Orleans UltraMarathon. And oh by the way, in the NOLA Ultra she set new PRs at her half marathon, marathon, 50K, and 50 mile distances!! Pretty incredible!
But Heather isn't one to sit around for long. She has even bigger goals for 2025 that will challenge her endurance like never before, and also challenge me as a coach to get better! I'm looking forward to seeing what she can do next!
#peeltheoranges #drcoach #runforgeoffrey #daunisfamilyruns #powerequalsPRs
Heather's Accomplishments in 2024 (I'll likely miss a few!):
01/06/24 - Wild Azalea Trail Challenge - 50 miles
01/13/24 - The Louisiana Marathon - Quarter Marathon - 6.55 miles
01/14/24 - The Louisiana Marathon - Half Marathon - 13.1 miles (with her children)
02/03/24 - Q50 Races Trail Extravaganza - 26 miles (with her daughter)
02/17/24 - Red Dirt Ultra - 100 miles - 1st place female and a PR!
06/15/24 - Q50 Races Run to the Hills - 10 miles
07/06/24 - Leadville Silver Rush 50 - 50 miles
07/20/24 - Blue Ducky 5k Waddle - 3.1 miles
08/17/24 - Leadville Trail 100 - 100 miles and a PR!
09/21/24 - The Barkley Fall Classic 50K - 31 miles
10/19/24 - The New Orleans Ultramarathon - 50 miles and a PR!
