October/November 2024

Becky Bates: A Role Model for All Ages

Ellie Greenwood
Oct 2024
Bates runs to a 29:15 eighth-place finish at the 2023 High Lonesome 100.

It’s hard to not be inspired by Becky Bates – her can-do attitude, dedication to training, deep-rooted involvement in the mountain community and her competitive mindset. While women in their 40s are experiencing an increasing profile in ultrarunning (think Camille Herron, Ragna Debats, Heather Jackson, etc.), it seems we’re yet to celebrate the participation and achievements of women in their 50s, 60s and beyond. Yet, in the past three years, 62-year-old Becky Bates of Kimberley, British Columbia, has placed in the top 10 at Hardrock (twice), Javelina 100k and Run Rabbit Run 100-miler. At the 2023 Hardrock, Bates broke the female 60-69-year-age-group course record by over 5 hours and this year, she knocked off another 15 minutes from that time. At the Javelina 100k last year, Bates had more than 20 years on the rest of the females in the top 10. These are impressive results by a true mountain woman, who only started running a bit over a decade ago.

I forget my age and just try to keep up.

To celebrate her 50th birthday, Bates signed up for her first ultra, the HURL Elkhorn 50-miler in Helena, Montana, where she placed fifth. This was only her second running race ever, with her first being a 30k. As to her “why,” it was the challenge and intrigue of doing something different. She worked through each mile of the race like a year in her life and said, “The early miles, through teens and early 20s, wasn’t so bad—naivety and inexperience were similar themes. The 30s and 40s were harder—I had to buckle down and work. The last few miles to 52 were a time for reflection.” But despite being a very successful first ultra on paper, Bates didn’t race again for almost two years – she felt so physically worked that she was far from an immediate convert to ultrarunning, and she knew that she needed the guidance of a coach if she wanted to run more. Since 2014, Bates has worked with two different coaches, most recently a female, as she felt she needed support to navigate menopause and the knowledge of a coach who could develop strategies to deal with hormone changes and aging.

Despite not finding running until relatively late in life, Bates is a life-long athlete. She has a strong background in mountaineering, climbing, mountain biking, backcountry and cross-country skiing. “Mountaineering and backcountry skiing are also activities that require a commitment to long, hard days and problem-solving over many hours. Rock climbing is a good mobility workout. Plus, the aerobic benefits of cross-country skiing and mountain biking gave me a good base to start running,” said Bates. She cites the likes of Meghan Canfield, Sarah Lavender Smith and Suzanna Bon as great mentors and role models, all of whom have raced competitively for many years and continue to do so into their 50s and early 60s.

Over the past 10 years, she has been lucky not to have any serious running injuries. With over 30 ultras under her belt, it’s not luck – smart training and hard work have led to her durability. Bates runs three to four times per week but continues to climb several days each week, while skiing in the winter and mountain biking in the summer. She’ll back off of mountain biking as she gets closer to a race (for fear of falling and getting injured) and tends to take about six weeks off of running per year – either after a race or when vacationing with her husband. She uses physiotherapy, massage and chiropractic work to keep her body moving well. Bates does speedwork but does it alone, so she doesn’t get caught in the comparison trap and instead, simply focuses on working hard. She does, however, attribute much of her success to long runs with younger friends who are supportive training partners, “I forget my age and just try to keep up.”

Bates laments the lack of visibility of older women in our sport, but she’s clearly not going to allow that to keep her from lining up at start lines, nor will it prevent her from inspiring other women along the way. “We’re never too old to set goals and dream big. Stop listening to the people who don’t believe you can achieve your goals. I was asked at age 35 if I was still mountain biking. I could have started questioning my age then, but instead, I kept mountain biking and climbing and started a new sport (ultrarunning) at 50.”

Guest