Jennifer Lichter

About

Jennifer Lichter 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 who had established herself across shorter ultra distances, 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 the Black Canyon Ultras, winning in 7:57:05 — the first woman under eight hours on the course, nearly twenty minutes faster than the previous mark — earning a Golden Ticket to the Western States 100. A Nike ACG and Tailwind Nutrition athlete based in Montana's Rattlesnake Wilderness, Lichter is one of North American trail running's most exciting prospects at the longer ultra distance.

Notable Wins

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

Upcoming Races

Race History