Year in Review: Women Dominating the Race Scene

This summer, a handful of women won races outright. Still others set course records and FKTs. Here are the highlights.

Anna Mae Flynn
Four Pass Loop FKT and a Course Record at Speedgoat 50K

On July 18, Anna Mae Flynn, 30, of Marble, Colorado, set a new women’s FKT on the Four Pass Loop, a 28-mile route through the iconic Maroon Bells Wilderness. Her time of 5 hours 38 minutes 29 seconds was roughly 24 minutes faster than the previous record.

Megan Kimmel
Win and Course Record at High-Trail Vanoise Skyrace

Megan Kimmel, 37, of Carbondale, Colorado, logged back-to-back wins at the Marathon du Mont Blanc and the 70K High Trail Vanoise in Val d’Isére, France.

“I hope [my wins] illustrate that there are true mountain runners in the U.S.A. that are excited to be part of a global unity,” she says.

Rory Bosio
Overall Win at Tahoe Rim Trail 50

On July 15, Rory Bosio, 32, of Truckee, California, won the TRT 50 outright. Bosio has been a vociferous proponent of gender equality in ultrarunning.

“Ultrarunning is one of the few sports where women are competitive with men,” Bosio says. “However, our accomplishments should not be diminished if we aren’t on the same podium.”

Francesca Muccini
First Overall at Vol State 500K

This year, Francesca Muccini, 49, of Nashville, Tenessee, became the second woman to win overall at the Vol State 500K, a race across the length of Tennesse concoted by Barkley-Marathons mastermind Gary Cantrell (aka “Lazarus Lake”).

“Laz says that ‘the heart of the Vol State is ordinary people performing extraordinary feats,’” she says. “I wanted to accomplish that.”

Keely Henninger
Third Overall and a Women’s Course Record at Mount Hood 50

On July 8, Keely Henninger, 25, of Portland, Oregon, crashed the overall podium at the Mount Hood 50, finishing in 6 hours 46 minutes 11 seconds—good for third place. 

“Third-place overall was an awesome addition, and gained me more ‘you go girls’ than I would have gotten being fourth overall,” she says. “But it didn’t change a whole lot otherwise.”

Editor’s Note: This article originally appeared in the October issue of Trail Runner magazine. Since publication, several more women have put down inspiring performances. For more on some of those performances, check out Top Trail Running Achievements of 2017.

More inspiring performances by women runners this year: 

• Clare Gallagher won CCC
• Camille Herron Set the 100-Mile World Record (and the 12-Hour World Record and the 50-Mile and 100K American Records)
• Courtney Dauwalter won the Moab 240 outright