Jennifer Lichter's road from childhood wounds to the Western States record

This year in Auburn, Jenn Lichter pushed the limits of trail running. In her first Western States 100, and her first 100 miles (160 kilometers) in competition, the American covered the 161 kilometers from Olympic Valley, California, to the finish in 15:28:06. By a margin of 88 seconds, she now holds the course record, taking it from fellow American Courtney Dauwalter, a monument of the sport (two Western States wins in 2018 and 2023, three UTMB wins in 2019, 2021 and 2023, four Hardrock 100 wins in 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2026). Dauwalter's résumé is as long as your arm, which gives the measure of what Lichter pulled off this year. All the more so as Jenn's life story has been anything but simple.

The record

Founded in 1974, Western States crosses the Sierra Nevada and has become a benchmark of world ultra-trail. The course is a string of difficulties: high-altitude sections, long descents, exposed canyons, heat... Traps are everywhere, and mistakes are costly. The route packs in around 5,500 meters of elevation gain. This year the weather was fairly kind, with temperatures below what runners usually face. Seven of the ten fastest women's times in Western States history were run in this edition... None of that takes anything away from Lichter's performance. She had real competition on the start line and a living legend to chase down. She arrived with solid certainties, having earned her Western States qualification by winning the Black Canyon 100K (Arizona) in February.

But stepping up from 100 kilometers to 100 miles is no small jump, and Lichter nailed it! The American relied on a measured strategy, notably walking the steepest sections to save her legs. She ran patiently before taking the lead around Devil's Thumb, then opened a gap on her rivals in the second half. At the Green Gate aid station, where foot pain had forced her to change shoes, she started to pick up the pace. Her partner, Nick Cornell, told her about a mile from the finish that she was ahead of record pace. And the way she closed showed she still had plenty left to speed up after more than 150 kilometers. She took the record on her first attempt, in an edition that also saw Frenchman Vincent Bouillard set the men's record in 13:46:15. Her 15:28:06 improves Courtney Dauwalter's 2023 mark by 88 seconds. Riley Brady finished second in 15:42:14, ahead of Canada's Marianne Hogan, third in 15:51:44.

A childhood marked by violence and hardship

Born in Bogotá, Colombia, in 1996, Jennifer Lichter grew up amid the violence of the Colombian cartels. Before she turned two, her father was shot dead and her mother abandoned her in that horrific context. She, her younger sister Kim and her older brother Harold lived on the street before being placed in an orphanage. Several years later, the three children were adopted by an American family in Wisconsin. Jennifer discovered cross-country in middle school, but something was eating away at her. Diagnosed with anorexia at 12, she spent several stints in treatment centers as a teenager.

In college she kept competing but developed relative energy deficiency syndrome, where energy intake doesn't cover the body's needs. Running became hard to sustain, and she quit after college. It was a move to Montana, in the American West, that helped her find her balance. She became a hiking guide and met Nick Cornell, also a guide. He was the one by her side for her feat at Western States this year. Their outings on the trails gradually brought running back into her daily life. In 2021 came the first sign of her comeback: she lined up for the 50K at The Rut in Big Sky and ran the third-fastest time in the history of the course. The wins piled up after that, notably at The Rut, Broken Arrow, Speedgoat and Gorge Waterfalls.

Her record rewards her perseverance and hard work, and there's little doubt Jennifer Lichter will know how to balance personal standards against the pressure to perform in the goals ahead. Her story is a powerful reminder that looking after yourself comes first. Everything else follows on the run.