Jennifer Lichter

About

Jennifer Lichter (born 1996) is an American trail runner born in Colombia, raised in Wisconsin, and based in Missoula, Montana, who found competitive running through an unexpected sequence: a cross-country road trip that paused at Glacier National Park and, for her, never quite resumed. She spent four days in Glacier's backcountry and abandoned a planned move to Portland, eventually settling in Missoula after a period in Whitefish. From 2020 to 2022 she worked as a hiking guide in Glacier, leading visitors along the park's most popular routes by day and covering the same trails at speed in the evenings, until The North Face offered her a professional contract at the end of 2021. A specialist on technical mountain terrain, she placed fourth in the 44km discipline at the 2023 World Mountain and Trail Running Championships. In February 2026 she stepped up to the 100km distance for the first time and immediately broke the women's course record at Black Canyon Ultras, winning in 7:57:05 — the first woman under eight hours on the course — earning a Golden Ticket to Western States 100. She converted it emphatically in June 2026, winning Western States 100 in 15:28:05 and setting a new women's course record, surpassing Courtney Dauwalter's mark of 15:29:33 from 2023. A Nike ACG and Tailwind Nutrition athlete based in Montana's Rattlesnake Wilderness, Lichter announced herself as one of the sport's most complete 100-mile runners in a single extraordinary season.

Notable Wins

• — Western States 100 2026 (course record
• — 15:28:05)
• — Black Canyon 100k 2026 (course record
• — 7:57:05 — first woman under 8 hours)
• — Trail World Championships 44km 4th 2023

Race History

Recent Coverage