Erika Flowers

BOZEMAN, MONTANA

When professional Nordic skier Erika Flowers raced The Rut 50K in 2019 in Big Sky, Montana, she
had never run 30 miles before. She had no expectations and certainly wasn’t expecting a podium.
The surprise win began a new chapter of mountain running for the endurance athlete.

Born in Missoula and raised in Bozeman, Erika began cross-country skiing first with her late Swedish
mother, and then with the Bridger Ski Foundation. She started racing and fell in love with the
competition and comradery. Her work ethic emerged early—she remembers writing her own
training plan (running around the block and doing jumps in her driveway) when she was 13 years
old. After attending Dartmouth College where she was a three-time NCAA All-American, Erika
joined Stratton Mountain School’s Elite T2 Team, a unique program in Vermont that attracts some
of the world’s best Nordic skiers. For six years, Erika raced around the world, representing the U.S.
at World Cup Finals, reaching the SuperTour podium 16sixteen times and finishing fourth overall in
the 2017-‘18 season.

Erika finds the simplicity of mountain running appealing. “Your feet can take you to some incredible
places that few have the chance to experience,” she says. “There's also something so empowering
about it—that feeling when you’re breathing hard and your legs are burning but you're flying up or
down a ridgeline surrounded by incredible views.”

Accomplishments:

• 1st, The Rut 50km, 2019
• 1st, Crosscut 15km, 2019
• 5th, Ed Anacker Bridger Ridge Run, 2018