I met Prudence L'Heureux during my first 50K race, in August 2007. We went on to become friends and I paced her at Miwok 100K one year, and she paced me in two of my races. I visited her in Bend, Oregon, on my work trips.
Prudence was funny and determined and full of life. She was strong and self-confident. She was an amazing ultrarunner and was ranked #10 of all U.S. women ultrarunners in 2008. I greatly admired her and I’m grateful to have known her.
We texted as recently as April 2021 and she seemed fine and normal, and busy with tax season. She tried calling me that day, but my phone's volume was off and I didn't see her call.
She took her own life on June 17, 2021, in Mammoth Lakes, CA.
I want a memorial of her life to live on, so that she doesn't fade away completely. So, this blog post is my personal effort towards that goal. Another way to memorialize her is to donate to put her name on a bench in the Royal Gorge trail network.
This is us at the end of Tahoe Rim Trail 50 Mile in July 2012, where she joined me for the last 20 miles.
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She ran with me again at Dick Collins Firetrails 50 Mile in October 2012.
Articles and sources of information
- Ultrasignup's list of her races
- Fundraiser for her memorial bench
- Ultrarunning Magazine's 2008 runners of the year
- Newspaper article about her 2008 ranking as #10 female ultrarunner.
- Newspaper article describes her win at Angeles Crest 100 in 2008.
- Newspaper article about Prudence pacing Kami Semick at Miwok 100K in 2009.
- An article about Anita Ortiz describes how Anita mistreated Prudence in a team race at Gore-Tex Trans-Rockies Run in Colorado in 2002.
Music
Wide Open by The Chemical Brothers somehow resonates with how I feel about losing Prudence, and how she faded away from me, and from the ultrarunning community in general, over the years. The dancer in the video, Sonoya Mizuno, even looks similar to Prudence.
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