Erica Larson

Erica Larson Baron (born August 11, 1971) is a chemist at the Los Alamos National Laboratory and a champion mountain runner. She has won the Pikes Peak marathon on five occasions, more than any other woman since the event's inception in 1959.

She was raised in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, the daughter of two music teachers, before enrolling at Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. After graduating with a Bachelor's degree in chemistry, she earned her doctorate at the University of Kansas aged 27, before moving to Los Alamos, New Mexico. The city, at over 7,001 ft above sea level, offers an extensive network of nearby trails which Larson frequents while training.

She is also a two-time winner of the Leadville Marathon, and finished 34th at the U.S. Women's Olympic Marathon Trials in 2004, which she describes as her proudest achievement.