Build With Intention

There’s a moment, somewhere between the 5 a.m. wake-ups and the start of the day, when things begin to take shape in Nora’s world. 

Shoes by the door. A stroller ready. A quick mental map of how it might all fit. 

Three kids under four. A newborn in her arms. Toddlers racing between the library, the park, and the backyard. Meals to prep. Laundry to fold. Work squeezed into nap windows. Training on deck.  A schedule that rarely goes exactly as planned.

And yet–watch her for even a few minutes, and you notice something else.

She’s not just getting through it.

She’s building something beautiful inside of it.

A rhythm. A structure. A life where motherhood and movement, family, community, and personal passion don’t compete—but coexist.

Where she shows up for her family fully—and still finds ways to show up for herself through running. 

“Running is part of our life so like anything else, we build it into the day.”

It sounds straightforward. But the way Nora lives it—intentionally, consistently, imperfectly—is what makes it quietly remarkable.

Nora and her husband moved to Colorado from Chicago after years of visiting friends out west and feeling pulled toward something different.

“It felt right, and we both agreed to take the plunge and haven’t looked back since…” 

After getting married in 2019, they made the move—first to Littleton, then eventually to Highlands Ranch, where the decision started to feel like more than just a change of scenery.

It felt like home.

“It’s the community. You go to the park, and you see the same moms. You start to know people. It just feels familiar.”

For Nora, that sense of community shows up everywhere—on the trails, at the rec centers, in the neighborhoods, and especially at places like the Highlands Ranch library where mornings often begin.

But it also exists in a deeper, more personal way—through competitive running.

Nora started running in high school competing in both track and cross county, coming from a soccer background, and continued through college at North Central College outside Chicago.

“Racing was highly competitive and I was surrounded by a community that never lost the passion and love for the sport.” 

After college, she joined a racing team in Chicago—where she elevated her training to half and full marathons. 

It was life. Community. Structure.

That part of her never went away.

“It is our extracurricular as adults,” she says, smiling. “We joke about it, but we are committed to our training and continue to compete at a high level while balancing family, life, and work.”

Even now—with three young kids and a full, demanding life—running is still there. Still important. Still hers.

It just looks different.

Before kids, Nora’s training weeks were full—50+ mile weeks, long runs, workouts, structure.

Now, it’s a different kind of discipline.

“You have to constantly adjust your expectations,” she says. “A 20-minute workout is still effective. It’s still a building block towards your training goals.”

That shift—from performance to presence, from perfection to consistency—is something many talk about, but few exemplify as naturally as Nora does.

Some days it’s a 5 a.m. run or swim at Northridge.
Some days it’s a quick run on the treadmill during a nap window.
Some days it’s a walk, a class with childcare, or movement with her kids alongside her.

“It’s not always going to look the same, but the window will come. You have to plan.”

And when it comes—she takes it.

For Nora, this isn’t just about staying active.

It’s about modeling something deeper.

Her kids see her move. They see her prioritize her health. They see that taking care of yourself is not separate from taking care of your family—it’s part of it.

“I want them to understand that. That movement is healthy and finding something that fills your cup is important to prioritize.”

It’s a quiet kind of leadership—one that doesn’t require a speech, just consistency.

And over time, it becomes something her kids will carry with them—learning how to create space for themselves so they can show up fully for others, and cultivate community too.

When Nora moved to Colorado, she knew she wanted to find a running community—but not just any group.

She was looking for something structured. Competitive. Supportive. Built for women who still wanted to train seriously, even if life looked different now.

“I knew there was a need.”

So she built it—co-founding Denver Metro Racing, a competitive women’s running team.

What started with one connection—made, fittingly, through a race—quickly turned into something much bigger.

Today, the team includes around 15 women, intentionally kept tight. They train together, race together, travel together—and show up for one another in ways that extend far beyond running.

They meet for Saturday long runs.
They show up for 6 p.m. workouts after full days.
They hold each other accountable.

“You know people will show up and the workout is better because of it.”

But what’s grown out of that consistency is something deeper.

Friendship. Support. Shared life.

There were moms on the team with much older kids, and Nora was one of the first to go through the full pregnancy journey while on the team. Now, as more women enter that season, she’s there alongside them.

“To have another mom say, ‘I get it’—that’s a game changer.”

What Nora created wasn’t accidental—it was shaped by experience and built with purpose.

After moving to Colorado in 2019, she connected with longtime coach Phillip Buckley, whose background spans decades of competitive running and coaching—from high school state champions to national-level athletes.

Together, they built something that didn’t exist.

A space for women to train competitively—with structure, accountability, and support—without needing to leave that part of themselves behind.

It wasn’t about “recreating” college.

It was about creating something that actually works for this stage of life.

Right now, Nora’s world is full in every sense.

Her kids are 3.5, 2, and 11 weeks old. 

Mornings often start early with the baby, followed by breakfast, getting everyone ready, and heading out the door.

Story time at the library
A park
A packed lunch
Movement, always

By early afternoon, it’s nap time—what Nora calls a mix of “structured chaos” and a small window of opportunity.

“If I’m lucky, I get a couple hours.”

That’s when everything else happens—work, meals, laundry, training, life logistics—all while still caring for her youngest.

The rhythms of Nora’s life continue throughout the afternoon and into the evenings: outings with her kids. Intentional resets. Dinner. Bedtime. 

With three kids under 4, Nora leads by example—she makes space for herself to still follow her passion with the support of her number one teammate–her husband.

Having met through running, Nora and her husband have not closed the chapter on it.

They started a new one.

They train together. He trains with the team and is currently preparing for a fall marathon. The two have a shared support system–allowing them to both integrate wellness in their day to day.

For women looking for connection, Nora doesn’t overcomplicate it.

Find something you care about. Then find people who care about it too.

Whether it’s running, walking, fitness, or something entirely different—the starting point is the same.

“You just have to put yourself in those environments. Somebody is going to respond.”

It’s how her own community began.

And it’s how it continues to grow.

Nora’s running community doesn’t just stay local—it stretches beyond Highlands Ranch.

The Denver Metro Racing Team was built on a simple idea: that women don’t have to leave competition behind—they just need a different kind of structure to support it.

The team trains together week to week, but they also travel—heading to races across the country in places like Chicago, California, Arizona, and beyond.

They show up locally, too—racing across the Denver area.

They plan seasons around key races. They train with intention. And when race day comes, they show up not just as individuals—but together.

“We’re all working professionals with a passion for running,” Nora says. “And when you train together like that, you push each other to that next level.”

It’s competitive—but it’s also deeply supportive.

And as the team continues to grow, there’s an openness to bringing others into that story—whether that’s connecting local runners into community, or partners who want to support something rooted in discipline, connection, and women showing up for themselves.

Nora isn’t chasing balance in the way people often talk about it.

She’s building something more real than that.

A life where things overlap. Where seasons stretch her. Where some days feel messy and others feel strong.

But through it all, she keeps showing up.

For her family
For her friends
For her community
For herself

And in doing that—consistently, quietly, fully—

She’s not just keeping up.

She’s setting the pace.

And that, my friends, is Nora Erspamer–a Highlands Ranch mother.

Grace
Editor, The Ranch Scoop