2022 UltraRunners of the Year: Where Are the Top 10 Women?

We’ve made it over the hump of the 2023 ultra racing season and have seen some incredible performances, but there are still plenty of opportunities left in the second half of the year. From the Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc (UTMB) races in August and September to the Javelina Jundred Golden Ticket race in October, the historic JFK 50 and the 40th Quad Dipsea in November, and Desert Solstice 24-Hour and 100-Mile Track Invitational in December, there are quite a few competitive contests left for the top runners to round out their resumes. Read more about how the top 10 women have fared thus far as well as what is currently left on their calendars for 2023.

Courtney Dauwalter has won four consecutive UROY awards and after her incredible season, it’s hard to imagine her being dethroned. In January, she won and set a new course record at the Bandera 100k in Texas. She followed that up with a win and new course record at Transgrancanaria in Spain in February. She took a bit of a breather in the spring and then came back firing on all cylinders, winning the 50th Western States Endurance Run and demolishing the course record in June. Then, just three weeks later, she won and broke her own record at the Hardrock 100 Endurance Run. Dauwalter recently announced that she will be lining up at UTMB in September, and she’s also registered for the Javelina 100k. 

Runner-up in the UROY top 10 for the last two years, Camille Herron, started off her year in February by winning the Raven 100-miler outright in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina. She then set a new 48-hour world record at the Sri Chinmoy 48-Hour Festival in Bruce, Australia, in March. She didn’t finish Western States in June, and the rest of her 2023 campaign is unknown.

Canada’s Marianne Hogan had a breakout 2022, and was voted as the third-place UROY. In 2023, she dropped partway through the Coastal Challenge Stage Race in Costa Rica and due to an injury, has not raced since. It appears she may not race again until 2024.

The fourth-ranked runner from last year’s standings, Annie Hughes, has had a busy and productive year, racing four events so far. In March she won the Behind the Rocks Ultra 50-miler in Utah outright and in April, came in third at the Canyons 100-miler in California. She started off summer by winning the Bighorn Trail Run 52-miler outright. In July, she took third behind the aforementioned Dauwalter at the Hardrock 100 Endurance Run. We don’t know what her plans are for the remainder of 2023.

France-based American Katie Schide finished fifth in last year’s voting. In February, she won the Coastal Challenge in Costa Rica and then in March, she won the EcoTrail Paris 80k. The following month she took the title at the Trail Des Balcons d’Azur 50k and in June, secured second place at Western States with the second-fastest time ever. She announced earlier this month that she’ll be racing OCC at UTMB at the end of August.

Devon Yanko finished fifth at the Chuckanut 50k in Washington in March, won the Silver Rush 50 in July, but did not start Comrades or Western States in June. She is racing the Leadville 100 in August and has five more races on the calendar including Run Rabbit Run and the Crested Butte 50-miler in September, Tunnel Hill 100 and the Fat Ox 48-hour in November and Across the Years 24-hour in December.

Abby Hall kicked off her year on the international circuit by finishing sixth at the Madeira Island Ultra-Trail 115k in Portugal in April. Back home in Arizona, she won the Flagstaff Extreme Big Pine 53k outright in June before suffering a serious injury that will likely prevent her from racing until 2024.

2022’s eighth-ranked runner Clare Gallagher has raced sparingly thus far in 2023. At the Running Up For Air – Grandeur Peak Challenge in Utah this February, she finished 15th and then in March, she won the Chuckanut 50k in Washington. She then finished 65th at the World Mountain and Trail Running Championships in June. Gallagher is entered into UTMB in September.

Leah Yingling has been busy with five ultra finishes thus far in 2023. She took sixth at the same Running Up For Air – Grandeur Peak Challenge in Utah in February. Less than a month later, she visited California and took runner-up honors at the Way Too Cool 50k. In April, she flew out east and won the Bull Run Run 50-miler in Virginia. At Western States in June, she finished in the top 10 for the second consecutive year by taking ninth place. Just last week she finished in second place at the Ragged 50k in New Hampshire, which served as the USATF 50k National Championship this year. We believe her plan is to race UTMB in September.

Last year’s UROY in 10th place, Riley Brady, has raced twice in 2023. They won the Gorge Waterfalls 100k in April and came in 14th at Western States in June. We don’t know what events Brady will be racing for the rest of 2023. 

Who are your picks for 2023 UltraRunners of the Year? Let us know your prognostications by dropping a comment below and be sure to subscribe to our newsletter so you don’t miss all the UROY news and more in the coming months. Check out what the men UROYs of 2022 have been up to in 2023 here.