By Sara Sipe EBS CONTRIBUTOR
Liz Peabody’s Big Sky story starts like so many others. She moved here in December 2016 after graduating college. She was looking to spend a winter skiing and snowboarding, and to save up a little money. Also like so many others, she never left.
Peabody brought with her a love of running that started back in second grade when her dad encouraged her to try it out, for no other reason than he thought she might like it. And she did. She ran cross-country and track all through middle and high school, and through her freshman year at college. Fast forward to 2020. Peabody signed up for the Salt Lake City marathon, but it was cancelled due to COVID. She decided to look closer to home and found and signed up for her first ultra marathon near Seeley Lake. The race was small enough that they were still hosting it, even amid the pandemic. The Bob Marshall Trail Race is 50K of trails with about 5,000 feet of vertical gain.
Since that first ultra marathon in June 2020, Liz has been very busy! She has completed seven ultras, two marathons and a dozen or more half marathons. She stated she has never had a DNF (did not finish), won first place in a 50K in West Yellowstone in June of 2024, and finished first in her age group at her first 50-mile race the following month. Did I mention she also got married and had two kids since COVID?
“I’ve learned that how you feel before or during a race, does not determine the outcome,” Peabody wrote in an email to EBS. “You’d be surprised what your body and mind can do.”
According to Peabody, “Running has been my space for solitude but becoming a mom has made me a better runner and person.”
When asked how she juggles training, married life and caring for two toddlers, she shared she is able to do so with overwhelming support from friends and the community.
“I’ve had people watch my kids, pick them up from school, share their support [with me] on social media, and reach out privately. It’s been really cool to share something I love and get a positive response,” Peabody said.
Regarding having two kids in 16 months? She shared: “It’s been the hardest thing I’ve ever done. And also the most rewarding”.
When Peabody is not busy caring for two-and-a-half-year-old Mabel, and one-and-a-half-year-old Calvin, alongside husband Andrew, you can find her running like the wind, with her dog Ruby, throughout Gallatin County’s many trails, or in the backcountry, or at home flexing her professional baking skills. For more on Peabody’s “mountain momma” lifestyle, check out her Instagram vlog at @liz_blue.
Big Sky Community Spotlight is a short column that is meant to shine a light on those in Big Sky doing important work. Whether it be a profession, hobby or volunteer work, Big Sky is home to interesting people that do interesting things and as our community grows, it is important to stay connected to our neighbors and local businesses. This is more easily done if we know more about one another. We hope you enjoy getting to know your neighbors!
