WATCH: Devon Yanko On the Struggle and Reward of Running

Heading out the door? Read this article on the new Outside+ app available now on iOS devices for members! Download the app.

Devon Yanko is a versatile runner—she has won (among others) the San Francisco Marathon and the American River 50, and has raced for Team U.S.A. at the 100K World Championships three times. To get there, Yanko had to overcome a challenging childhood.

In this film, by HOKA One One, Yanko talks about how her experiences with sexual abuse have shaped her outlook on running and on life.

“Light and dark are part of our lives, right?,” she says. “You have to hold them with the same levity.”

Want to Know What It Takes to Finish at Western States? Just Ask Hellah Sidibe.

Find out what happened when this six-year run streaker and HOKA Global Athlete Ambassador took on an iconic ultramarathon in California's Sierra Nevada