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Raquel Sapp

@of.the.andes

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• ᴄʜɪʟᴇɴᴀ ↟↟ ᴛᴡɪɴ ᴍᴀᴍᴀ •
ᴀʟᴘɪɴᴇ ᴄʟɪᴍʙɪɴɢ | ᴀᴅᴠᴇɴᴛᴜʀᴏᴜs ʀᴜɴɴɪɴɢ
ʙᴜsɪɴᴇss ᴏᴡɴᴇʀ @backcountrypulse + @rescueally

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when the hours of research linking terrain on caltopo lines up ❤︎ oh to feel small

#ultrarunning #mountainrunning

@zenbanditos 😘 by @of.the.andes

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10 days ago

☃️❄️⚒ smashing crystal, torquing rock and swapping out a million pairs of thin leather gloves. #workingonthosefigure4s #iceclimbing #mixedclimbing taken in Ouray, Colorado by @of.the.andes

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7 years ago

Have guitar 🎸 Will travel 🗺️ 😜

What an honor it was to be asked to sing and play music for Vanessa & Nathan’s beautiful celebration of forever togetherness 🥹

The last time I played music publicly was for Jenny & Bobby’s wedding and I’m feeling especially tender and grateful to be trusted for these big moments with such special humans.

Big love to @zenbanditos for capturing these (and so many more) lovely photos and @hairbyevielee for making me feel like a princess while hiking up mountains in fancy dresses 💃

#hikingmusician #weddingmusician taken in Chamonix Mont Blanc (French Alps) by @of.the.andes

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a year ago

”The weather ain’t been bad if you’re into masochistic bullshit.” -nk

Saying it’s been a hell of a year feels like a massive understatement. What I thought was hip/IT band issues in January turned into profound weakness, numbness and foot drop. The culprit was disc herniations/nerve entrapment at L4-L5-S1, likely a lifetime in the making.

Post the roughest surgery of my life, I’ve spent a lot of time wandering the winding tunnels of my mind, which @zenbanditos lovingly refers to as my “doom dungeon.” 😂 And for whatever reason, the older me keeps coming back to the memory of lil ol’ me…a climbing guide who bought a pair of trail runners at 27. She scribbled a list of dream trails she’d hope to run one day. By the age of 30, that list had turned into countless self-supported, big-mile memories and several solo 100+ mile runs. Then came the courage to sign up for official ultramarathon races. Fast forward to 36, multiple 200-mile races and more lessons than I ever could have predicted, and it’s been a beautiful journey.

People often assume ultrarunning is about pushing through suffering. I’ve never really seen it that way. A 200-mile race is f*cking hard. But hard you choose does not equal suffering. What life experiences and career in the mountains and emergency medical services gave me was a practice in recalibration. I’ve found forward is a forever-changing target.

Sometimes forward is gleefully squealing down a flowy trail with a big smile and fluttering arms that can’t contain the excitement. 🦋

Sometimes forward is convincing your mind to keep putting one foot in front of the other through sleep-deprivation hallucinations. 😵‍💫

Sometimes forward is slowly navigating a crevasse-riddled mountain in whiteout conditions. 🏔️

Sometimes forward is your body saying yes to one more bite of food at mile 180. 🫣

And right now forward is relearning to put my socks and shoes on. 👣

So here’s to all the challenges. The ones you willingly signed up for and the ones that arrived uninvited.

All I know is I can’t wait to get back to the ones I register for ♥
#ultrarunning #ultraneering by @of.the.andes

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8

4 months ago

Two weeks from now, on Friday April 3, join us for an inspiring evening filled with time in community, heartfelt storytelling, giveaway prizes, and more. 🥳

Our keynote speaker, @of.the.andes will be sharing her journey from mountain guide to mountain runner, and the grit, perseverance, and humor that carried her through the inaugural Mammoth 200 as its final finisher. 🏆

Comment HERSTORY or head to womenswilderness.org/programs to RSVP 🎟️

Pictures on first slide by @sarahattar @jasonpetersphoto @themammoth200 taken in REI Denver Flagship Store by @of.the.andes

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7 months ago

I’ll never forget the first time I saw @bex_on_the_run bouncing down the trail in her fluttering rainbow tutu and the biggest smile that lit up the trail. Who could have known what would grow from one silly conversation?

Happy birthday to this sparkle of a human who always says yes. Whether it’s pacing 100+ miles or showing up with stuffing at an aid station because of one conversation, I’m the luckiest to have such a kind, thoughtful, loving friend in my life.

Love you dearly, Bex. Getting to cheer you on and return all the love and care you’ve given means everything. From the tiniest moments to the biggest adventures, I’m so grateful we get to keep showing up for each other. Maybe one day we’ll finally figure out press-on nails 😭💀

📸♥️ @jasonpetersphoto for always catching our best moments by @of.the.andes

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6

a year ago

Hello to the new human that walked across this line.
Hello to the body that let me move through my first AND second 200-mile races in a two-month span.
Hello to the mind that stayed determined and didn’t give up.
Hello to the heart that carried pain and grief yet showed up with gratitude and love.

I’m still reveling in this experience and still tearing up from the depth of it all.
To think I took a chance on a last-minute registration for a race that wasn’t even planned on my calendar,
and somehow ended with the most meaningful finish of my life.

The way the mountains humbles you, rebuilds you and reminds you.
The way the people you surround yourself with lifts you when your body feels like it can’t keep going.
The way that graciousness becomes the only language that makes sense.

Hello to the version of me that now knows what’s possible.
Hello to capacity and new found resilience.
Hello beautifully, impactful lessons of life.

Last two photos, before >> after ♥︎

@themammoth200 | #ultrarunning

📸 | @sarahattar + @jasonpetersphoto taken in Mammoth Lakes, California by @of.the.andes

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a year ago

Day 1 heading into mile 30, the pain crept in hard.
This shouldn’t be happening so soon.
I questioned. I doubted. I worried.

The PT’s and medical crew assessed it was most likely my IT band.
Excruciating but not causing lasting damage.
It’s okay, it’s okay. Keep going.

My mind was working on overdrive trying to dissociate from pain.
Steep ups and downs sent flashes through my vision.
When tears welled up, I reminded myself, you can exist with both pain and gratitude.
So I kept moving.
One foot forward, one foot forward.

Beautiful conversations with new trail friends lifted my spirit.

Then the storms came.
Cold sleet and hail through the mountains.
Since my pace slowed I sacrificed sleep to stay on track.
Keep eating, keep moving, stay warm.
No time to bunker in the storm.

How bad do you want this?
So many wet, cold miles still to go.
You can be near-hypothermic with a smile, I told myself.
One foot forward, one foot forward.

By Day 4 I couldn’t stand up fully from the compensation my body had done.
I didn’t fight through 180 miles to stop now.
Look at where your mind and body have carried you.
One foot forward, one foot forward.

I glanced at my watch, crumpled and sobbed over my poles, knowing I couldn’t make the cutoff.
Insecurity took over.
No, no you didn’t push through all of this to give up now.
Keep moving with grace and gratitude.

Then bike lights behind me,
“Are you Raquel? We’re rooting for you.
People have been following you and cheering you on. You’re our people’s finisher.”

My heart in my chest.
This community gave me strength.
The words I needed.
Being reminded of your “why” at such a low moment is the gift of this sport.

It felt like eternity but then it was the arch.
The lights.
The finish.

The most meaningful piece of metal I have ever held.
Final official finisher.
Still tearing from this moment, this hug.

This accomplishment would not have been possible without my crew and pacers, Bex and Ben.
What a team sport this is.

Thank you for believing in me, seeing my heart and standing by me.
To feel so enveloped in love and support is beyond healing.
So honored to be a part of this journey.

@themammoth200, you were beyond words. taken in Mammoth Lakes, California by @of.the.andes

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a year ago

The embodiment and beauty of the human spirit was on full display last night around midnight when @of.the.andes crossed the finish line of the inaugural @themammoth200 as the final finisher.

#themammoth200 #themammoth🦣 taken in Mammoth Lakes, California by @of.the.andes

5k

103

a year ago

Raquel Sapp is the final finisher of the inaugural The Mammoth 200.

@filmbyreeeses by @of.the.andes

3k

171

a year ago

Had no idea I’d be styling this dream hairstyle this morning!l for a mountain elopement! 🤩🤩 I’ve never had the chance to do it before, but I’ve seen photos of it and always wanted to recreate it — so I was absolutely delighted when this gorgeous lady showed me this pic as her inspo today! 😍

Why I loveee this style:
• It’s bloody gorgeous and totally gives me Elsa vibes! ❄️
• It has so many soft, beautiful details.
• It’s unique and different — not a style that’s often chosen, but it’s definitely on my own shortlist now! 😉
• It’s actually really secure and long-lasting!
➤ It’s held with bands, so it’ll last through dancing, heat, or rain.
➤ All-down curly styles, no matter how strong, can struggle with heat, sweat, makeup setting spray, or dress steaming — physics wins in the end 😂
➤ But this style? The main structure is solid. (Sure, the face curls might drop, but the rest is staying put!)
• It’s super fun to create! (But then again… most styles are, really 😉

We didn’t use hair extensions for this style — this lovely didn’t need them! She already had super long, thick hair 😍
That said, to get enough volume and length for a style like this, you may want to consider using extensions, especially if your hair is finer or shorter.

#chamonixweddinghair #frenchalpshairstylist #weddinghair #bridalhair #mountainwedding #hairinspo #chamonixwedding #bridehair #bridesmaidhair #elopmentwedding #elsahair #braid #braidinspo taken in Chamonix Mont Blanc (French Alps) by @of.the.andes

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a year ago

Summit 200 (Miles 120-160???)

Gosh. I don’t even have the words for this sparkle of a human. It still feels unreal. The generosity, the trust, the willingness @bex_on_the_run took to say yes to a gut-instinct adventure, hours of sharing miles and stories for (at that time) a total stranger - is something rare.

Is there a word for that ping in your chest that isn’t a sad ache but for something so deeply meaningful? That’s the feeling I get reflecting on this experience.

Friendships born in the thick of a 200 are wild. Stripped to your core, it’s “this is all of me, every facet.” It’s you in your rawest form, called forward by the act of pushing this far.

We spent hours unraveling each other’s lives and before we knew it we were making plans for the next ten years, like old souls who had only just met.

Our section was big. Steeeep. Beautiful summits and alpine passes. Smart decisions waiting out storms. I think I let out a few squeals over the rocky tundra, the terrain that makes my body feel oh so small but my heart oh so big.

As night started to fall, my cognition started to fade and getting in calories became harder and harder. In my mind, I was fueling enough but I really wasn’t, not even close.

I was craving sugar. Bex became my candy fairy, stuffing every variety of candy past my painful, blistered lips and all I could envision was that scene from Napoleon Dynamite where he’s throwing food at the llama “Just eat it Tina, just eat it.” I was such a sad Tina 🦙😂

Soon we entered the dark woods for the final miles to the non-crew, pacer tag-in/out aid station. It gets reeeeaaal fuzzy here. Random trail naps (did I climb in a tree?) to flash forward alone at the aid station uncontrollably shivering on hard floor of U-Haul truck aka the “sleep tent” and the deep sputum cough that kept me from lying flat. Did I sleep? I don’t know, my body is so stiff.

Then, Justine’s face came boppin in and her smile broke right through the heaviness. #ultrarunning

(Next up: miles with @justineinzemountains)

📸 | @bex_on_the_run 😘♥️ by @of.the.andes

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2

a year ago