Sponsored by Topo
Sarah Carter began her freshman year of college like most high school graduates. She was excited to move from her home in Phoenix, Arizona, to the University of Washington (UW) as a promising cross-country athlete, ready to begin her college career in the Pacific Northwest. But before the end of her sophomore year, she entered the transfer portal to find a new school and a new team. Little did she realize, it was the best decision she could ever make.
As a young girl growing up in Arizona, Sarah ran her first trail race at age seven at the Cactus ChaCha Trail Run in the White Tank Mountain Range. Her father was just beginning his trail running journey, and she decided to join him. Cactus ChaCha founder and race director, John Greer, was a passionate ultrarunner himself, who passed away while out on a run at age 53. Sarah remembers his enthusiasm, “He would be excited to hear the little girl who ran his race six or seven times is still out there doing it today.”
Her success in both club and high school cross country and track and field, including Arizona Division I cross-country state champion and All-State Team selection, among other accolades, eventually led to an offer to run for the Huskies at UW. Sarah battled injury throughout her entire freshman and part of her sophomore year, and as she saw a new coach join the program, her confidence wavered. She was cut from the team just weeks before the semester ended. “There were a lot of people in my life that said, ‘Maybe this is your sign that your time in competitive running is coming to a close. Stay at UW and finish your degree and run for fun,’” said Sarah.
After some serious soul-searching, she immediately entered the transfer portal and started looking for a NCAA school in the mountains. “Running collegiately and professionally was something that had been my dream since I was that little elementary school girl, so it wasn’t something that I was ready to let go of,” said Sarah.
Within days, she was back home and packing up her car to drive to her summer job. On the way there, she decided to stop for a race.
“I took a stop on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon to run a trail half marathon. I talk about this now as the race that reminded me why I started running… just going and doing this trail race that logistically, emotionally and physically-speaking, I probably shouldn’t have done, was the best thing I could have done. It just felt like pure joy.”
Sarah began her junior year of college at Colorado State University (CSU), with a team that was still very competitive but about more than just talent and performance: “It was the opportunity to fall back in love with running, training and track workouts.”
She continued to build her strength and speed over five years at CSU and maintained her love of trails while living in Boulder, as her coach truly understood what drove her love for running. “She let me have my weekly trail cleanse, so I would go and get to do a trail run every week, even during the season,” said Sarah.
After seeing significant progress in her track meets during her final season at CSU, she went from a 17-minute 5k to a 15:44 PR.
“My last year, my coach looks at me completely unprompted and says, ‘You know, professional running is a realistic goal for you,’” said Sarah. “I spent so many years kind of in a rut not advancing and not progressing.”
She knew exactly where she wanted to run.
“I left college and knew I wanted to get into the trail scene. I think I took the path that most NCAA runners do, which is sub-ultra, and quickly realized it wasn’t for me.”
Sarah’s first 50k was Chiang Mai Thailand by UTMB in 2024, where she discovered her flow for the first time during a relentless climb on a tough course. “I honestly realized on the first climb that it felt so much more right to me. It had this sense of rhythm that I didn’t feel like I had in the sub-ultra races. Like I felt confident for the first time,” said Sarah.
She finished the race and was very clear about what she wanted her future as a professional runner to look like: “The first thing I texted my coach was: ‘I want to do more of this,’” said Sarah.
As she continued to compete in other ultramarathons, she also recognized the spirit and support of the ultra community was unique. “Ultrarunning has shown me my strengths, but it brings your weaknesses into a very clear light. And I think that’s a good thing. Nothing helps you grow like being shown exactly what you need to work on. And just having a community of extremely hardworking, talented and passionate people – it’s unmatched.”
After becoming a Topo athlete in February 2025, she finished 15th female and third American woman at UTMB’s OCC and is looking ahead to other mountain events as well as ultramarathons that cater more to her speed. However, Sarah is in no hurry. As a successful collegiate runner, she’s experienced the highs and lows of competition and knows her skillset. Like all ultra training, the reward is in the process, and Sarah has a clear understanding of when her body is ready to make a move to the next goal, whether it’s the next race or a new distance. “I definitely want to do all of those things, but I’m not in a rush to get there.”