Mara began her athletic career as a swimmer at RallySport Athletic Club in her hometown of Boulder, CO. She found cycling through the collegiate club while studying economics at Whitman College, and immediately discovered that she just might be more athletically suited for bikes than pools. Upon graduating, she spent two years racing in Europe with what is now Team Columbia-HTC, earning stage wins at the Tour de Feminin-Krasna Lipa, the Giro della Toscanna and the Giro Donne. She was a member of the US Wold Championship team in 2007 and 2009 as well as the US national champion in 2007.
For 2010 Mara made a bit of a switch to a smaller program in order to allow more freedom and control over her racing schedule. This turned out to be a very productive switch… in 2010 she won stages at San Dimas Stage Race, Tour of the Gila and Cascade Cycling Classic as well as the overall titles in Gila and Cascade domestically. In Europe, she placed second with a stage win at Tour de L’Aude and won the Giro Donne with two stage wins—L’Aude and the Giro are arguably the two more prestigious stage races on the women’s professional calendar.
Mara now has moved back to her birthplace in Boulder, CO, where she has a full time position being absolutely in love with the Colorado mountains. She received her yoga instructor’s certification in 2009 and is looking to return to graduate school at some point to work further in the areas of environmental economics and sustainable development.