Elijah Krause regularly competes in enduro stage races, ultra marathons, and 100-mile mountain bike events. Often in the same season, sometimes in the same month.

Growing up in the outdoor paradise of Bend, Oregon gave him access to everything: XC mountain biking, cyclocross, enduro, gravel, trail running, skiing and river days for good measure. At twenty-two, he is already one of those rare multipassionate athletes whose range is the point, not a detour. This summer he fought for a podium in a 100-mile mountain bike race, despite it being his first-ever foray into endurance mountain biking; next month he will be chasing something else entirely.

Becoming a Renaissance Athlete

Most young athletes choose a lane and go deep- Elijah almost did. As a kid, his focus was racing XC mountain bikes and cyclocross before transitioning to enduro, but soon realized that specializing wasn't scratching the itch.

“My true passion is in being someone who can do it all.”

For Elijah, it’s not just the racing. It’s the training across disciplines and watching how each one sharpens the others. He builds his year around focused blocks, pouring into one area at a time before testing it in a race and shifting to the next.

“It’s on the long days and long weeks where I can feel things stacking. Not every day feels great, but cumulatively I can look back and see the progress and the momentum building.”

Switching focus is what keeps him sharp. “If I focus hard on one block, put it to the test, then move to the next, I can keep my foot on the gas all year because the training never looks the same.”

He also loves taking big swings, the kind that sit just beyond his reach. “I absolutely love setting lofty race goals that are very likely outside of my abilities. I’m a lot more satisfied when I know I left everything on the table aiming for the one in one hundred chance.”

The Fade

There is a point in every long effort where Elijah feels himself shift into a different gear- we call that the Fade. Not fading out, but fading in. The noise drops away. The focus sharpens. The work becomes something else entirely.

For him, the fade shows up in two forms.

The first fade is when the mind gets quiet and the body takes over. “It feels similar to flow and I’m just there in the moment executing the task at hand. I can feel exactly how much grip the tires have. I can feel the suspension working and I’m in unison with my body and bike.”

The second fade is deeper, arriving right when comfort and rhythm have left- often hours deep into a ultra marathon or endurance race. “This is the opposite of the flow-like fade. In this one I become less aware of the physical world and it’s my mental strategies and grit that drive the performance.”

This version shows up most often when he runs. “Running is so pure in that it’s my mind and body and little else. I can focus on using my mind to find every last drop of strength my body can give.”

Sometimes the intensity of it catches him off guard. “I’ve found myself tear up on more than one occasion when I’m in that space. The emotions get strong and it feels like I’m seeing who I am in a really raw way.”

The fade is where he meets himself: in flow, in grit, and in the quiet clarity earned only through effort.

Dust as proof

In Bend, dust is inevitable. It coats your legs, your gear, your socks. It becomes an honest record of the miles, almost an analog Strava. Elijah doesn’t mind. “I think I’m in a rare camp where I love the dust. I love the feeling of riding in it, feeling my tires slide, hooking up deep in it.”

He likes watching the gradient climb his socks during a long effort because it mirrors what’s happening internally. “It’s not clean or sanitized. It’s raw and unfiltered and feels like what’s going on in my mind while I’m running or riding. There are ups and downs and things aren’t perfect and the dust reflects that. It’s real.”

When the dust settles, Elijah sits with whatever the day gave him. “Sometimes it’s contentment, sometimes disappointment, but both tell me where to go next.”

That honesty is what keeps him swinging big, stacking bricks, and lining up for more.

Follow Elijah for more.
Thank you to the talented Alex Hoxie for photos