10 incredible women ultra runners you’ve never heard of — until now

Editor’s note: To celebrate Women’s History Month, I asked friend and colleague Cherie Louise Turner to contribute this piece on women ultra runners who are changing the sport without the spotlight.

By Cherie Louise Turner

There are many women-identifying ultra runners completing incredible achievements all around the world. Often, their accomplishments are set aside as a greater focus is placed on who’s competing at and winning races at a select few events. 

I have gathered a wide-ranging collection of women who I’ve been excited to learn about. By no means is this an exhaustive list. It’s just the opposite, in fact, a compilation of the top underrated women ultra runners.

In celebration of Women’s History Month, let this serve as a launching off point to explore and discover the many inspiring ways women are excelling in and contributing to the world of ultra running. Here are 10 incredible women ultra runners, listed in no particular order, who you should be following. 

The best women ultra runners to follow in 2026 and beyond

1. Tania Carmona: She is an ultra runner who was born and raised in Mexico and has lived in several different countries, including Scotland. Exploring the wilds of the Scottish landscape through all sorts of difficult weather has made Carmona the tough adventurer she is today. She currently lives in Dubai. 

Last year Carmona became the first Mexican woman to complete the 4 Deserts Grand Slam Plus in a 12-month period, and she’s one of only 10 women ever to complete this incredible feat. This involved Carmona completing multiday events in the Gobi Desert, Atacama Crossing, Antarctica, Namibia and Jordan. Carmona focuses more on setting challenges that she’s not sure she can complete, rather than focusing on speed. 

To that end, she also attempted the Cocodona 250 last year but did not finish. She’ll be back this year. 

You can learn more about Carmona on The Ultra Happy Podcast, where she discusses her ultra adventures with her partner, Andy. Carmona is also featured on the Aug. 12, 2025, episode of the Tough Girl podcast, and you can follow her on Instagram @taniaruns_theworld

2. Jessica Pekari: An Army veteran who deployed to Iraq as a medic, Pekari is an ultra runner and long-distance fast packer. She is a mother of three, with Blackfeet and Mexican heritage. Pekari embraces and finds strength in her cultural traditions while on her outdoor journeys. 

Pekari, who started ultra running in 2015, ran her first 100-miler the next year. She went on to win the Triple Crown of 200-milers in 2018. The Triple Crown is comprised by the Bigfoot 200 in Washington in August; the Tahoe 200 in California and Nevada in September; and the Moab 240 in October, which Pekari won, on her way to taking the overall title. 

In 2020, Pekari made her first FKT attempt, going after the southbound Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) record. She was thwarted by fires that year and didn’t set the FKT, but she did write a book about her experiences: “Bombs to Trails: Interweaving Heritage, Life, and PTSD on the Pacific Crest Trail.” Pekari returned to the PCT in 2023 when she did set the FKT.

Last year, she set the 500-mile Colorado Trail northbound, collegiate west, unsupported record in July, and then she set the PCT through Oregon (standard route) unsupported in August. 

You can learn more about Pekari on her website, adventuresonthetrail.com; Instagram @jessicapekari; and on the Aug. 5, 2025, episode of Women’s Running Stories. 

3. Tsai Wen-Ya: Now in her mid-50s, the ultra runner from Taiwan continues to push the envelope of what’s possible. Wen-Ya has been running for over a decade, and in that time has run more than 100 marathons and is among the best road ultra runners in the world. 

Wen-Ya is the current record holder for the mind-blowing Sri Chinmoy Self-Transcendence Race, the 3,100-mile event that takes place around a block in Queens, New York City. Wen-Ya set that record in 2023, completing the race in 45 days, 12 hours, 28 minutes, 44 seconds. On that day, she continued on to reach 5,000K (3106.86 miles), also in record time (45 days, 14:56.42). 

Last year, at age 56, Wen-Ya won the 48-hour Taipei Ultramarathon, besting Japan’s Sumie Inagaki (see below). Wen-Ya ran 360K or 223.7 miles, which was a personal best and an age group world record. 

4. Caitriona Jennings: A 2012 Olympic marathoner representing Ireland, she has raced ultras for more than a decade. (She’s also the sister of Olympian Sinaed Jennings, who competes in rowing.)

Jennings has been a top-10 finisher all four times she’s run the prestigious Comrades Marathon, the roughly 56-mile road race in South Africa. Her best finish at Comrades, the oldest and largest ultra in the world, was third in 2019. In 2022, she earned her first world championship medal placing third in the 100K. 

Last year, Jennings put her name in the record books, running a 100-mile world record on Nov. 5 at Tunnel Hill. She completed the distance in 12 hours, 37 minutes, 4 seconds. In addition, Jennings is the Irish record holder in the 50K, 50 mile and 100K distances. 

Follow Jennings on Instagram @jenningscaitriona. 

5. Daisy Martinez: Hailing from Los Angeles, Martinez is an ultra runner, coach, single mom, role model and community leader. She began running on the trails over a decade ago, after years of running on the roads. Martinez completed her first ultra, a 50K, in 2016, and since then has run distances up to 100K.

Martinez, who is Mexican-American, is also the co-founder of the running group Chingonas on the Run. She has a passion for and commitment to encouraging and supporting Latinas and other women to pursue trail running and wellness.  

In addition, Martinez was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) in 2023, and has been going through treatment since. MS is an autoimmune disease that causes the body to attack the nervous system. One notable side effect of treatment is fatigue. Over the past two years, Martinez has made her way back to running and racing on the trails, and in October 2025, she completed the 100K at the Javalina Jundred, which she calls her comeback race. 

Follow Martinez on Instagram @elementsofdaisy and her website, elementsofdaisy.com. 

6. Sabrina Pace-Humphreys: She is a UK-based ultra runner, mother of four, coach, community builder, speaker and author. Pace-Humphreys started running for health and wellness in 2009 and by 2018 she completed the Marathon des Sables. Over the years, she has completed numerous trail ultras, including the grueling Winter Downs 200-miler.

In addition to challenging herself mightily on the trails, Pace-Humphreys has been a leading voice in racial equity advocacy, through speaking and community organizing. She is the co-founder of Black Trail Runners. 

Pace-Humphreys is also the author of two books. Her excellent memoir, “Black Sheep: A Story of Rural Racism, Identity, and Hope,” was published in 2022. She released her second book, “Start Where You Are: The Beginner’s 5K Running Guide for Women,” in January 2026. 

For more about Pace-Humphreys, follow her on Instagram @sabrunsmiles.  

7. Anita Cardinal: She is an ultra runner, race director, advocate for the indigenous community and community builder who lives in Edmonton, Canada. Cardinal is Nêhiyaw (Cree), and she focuses on empowering others in the indigenous community.

She does this through the Indigenous Runner YEG (Edmonton) running group she founded, and through the Orange Shirt Day Walk/Run Every Child Matters events she’s created.

These events, which take place on the Canadian National Day of Truth and Reconciliation, in Edmonton and Saskatoon, honor survivors of the notoriously abusive residential schools, as well as those who did not survive. 

In 2025, Cardinal launched a new ultra, the Medicine Run, which also has strong ties to the local indigenous community. 

As a runner, Cardinal regularly races trail events, developing her own strength, healing and community ties. 

Learn more about Cardinal on Instagram @runswiththewind, and on her website IndigenousRunner.com. You can hear the story of Cardinal running the 2023 Javelina Jundred 100K on Women’s Running Stories. 

8. Dora Atim. The London-based ultra runner is an equity advocate, influencer, community builder and Nike run coach.

Atim first discovered running through boxing. It was a way to improve her fitness. At first, running was a solo effort, marked by feeling like she didn’t belong and experiencing racism. 

But, running grew to become a space where Atim felt empowered. She then discovered the beauty and joy of the trails. But throughout, she didn’t see runners who looked like her.  

In June 2020, Atim founded Ultra Black Runners, a safe, supportive space for Black women and nonbinary runners. Through Ultra Black Runners, Atim introduces runners to the trails, encourages growth, builds community and creates opportunities for greater trail challenges. 

Besides spreading her passion for running far on the trails, Atim is known for her bold style: she brings a vibe, fashion, music, and energy to the ultra trail scene that is fresh and uniquely her own. 

In a recent interview with Alison Mariella Désir for the EARTHMOVERS podcast, Atim said: “I think the way I present myself, it’s bold and out there and people are like, ‘Oh, how can you have the confidence to do that?’ And I’m like, ‘Well, first of all, I feel like I live in a world where Black women are the bottom of the barrel. So whatever I do, I’m damned if I do, damned if I don’t. So I do whatever I feel good doing.”

It opens the door for others to do the same. Though discriminatory attitudes remain, Atim and Ultra Black Runners continue to carve out space in the ultra scene that allows them to show up as their full selves.

Follow Dora Atim on Instagram @doradontexplore. 

9. Jenet Mbhele: She is the first Black South African woman to finish the 90K/56-mile Comrades Marathon in the top 10 three times in a row in 2023, 2024 and 2025. And last year, Mbhele was the first Black woman to run back-to-back top 10 finishes). Top 10 finishers at this historic race earn a coveted gold medal.

Each year, Mbhele has continued to improve her time at Comrades (from 6:27 to 6:14), and her placing (from 10th to 8th to 7th last year). In the 100-plus year history of Comrades, no Black woman has ever won the race. In fact, there aren’t many Black women racing at the front of the field: a commentary on the lasting impact of apartheid and gender discrimination, not ability.

The closest any Black woman has come to winning was in 1982, when South African Nhlanhla Nene placed second. 

In addition to her outstanding Comrades results, Mbhele is the former South African Marathon champion. Her personal best time at that distance is 2:37. She was also a member of the 2018 South African team that competed at the World Half-Marathon Championships.    

10. Sumie Inagaki: The 59-year-old internationally competitive ultra runner from Japan has been running marathons and ultras for more than 30 years. Away from running, she’s an aerobics and yoga instructor. 

Inagaki has won prestigious events including the Spartathlon (2006 and 2009) and Badwater (2011 and 2012), as well as the 24-Hour World Championships (2004 and 2006). She has set world records for 24 hours and 48 hours. Notably, she has set and reset the 48-hour record three times in 2006, 2008 and 2010.  

In 2025, she finished second to Tsai Wen-Ya (see above) at the 48-hour Taipei Ultramarathon, running just over 349K, or 216.8 miles.

About the author: Cherie Louise Turner is longtime runner and storyteller. She is the host and producer of Women’s Running Stories, and she is the producer behind the podcast and YouTube channel EARTHMOVERS, with Alison Mariella Désir, Stefanie Flippin, and Verna NezBegay Volker. 

For more women ultra runners to follow, check out RunSpirited’s annual list of the Most Inspirational Women Ultra Runners of the Year. The eighth annual list, published in 2025, links back to all previous versions (as well as the men’s lists).