Sue Johnston

About

Sue Johnston is an American ultrarunner and long-distance fastpacker from Danville, Vermont, who has quietly built one of the most remarkable resumes in the sport while deliberately avoiding the spotlight — she has never kept a social media presence. Not an athlete growing up, she took up hiking and running in her twenties after quitting smoking, completed the Appalachian Trail in 1994, and won the competitive JFK 50 Mile outright in 1999. She became the first female finisher at the Hardrock 100 Mile Endurance Run in both 2000 and 2005, and in 2001 covered 66 of the 100 miles at the brutal Barkley Marathons, a women's distance record that still stands. In 2007 she set a speed record on California's 210-mile John Muir Trail, completing it in 3 days and 20 hours — faster than any man or woman before her. In 2016 she climbed all 48 of New Hampshire's 4,000-foot White Mountain peaks every month for a year, a total of 576 summits, and across her career has finished 100 ultramarathons, including 26 hundred-milers.

Notable Wins

• — First female finisher Hardrock 100 2000
• — 2005; JFK 50 Mile winner 1999; John Muir Trail speed record 2007 (3 days
• — 20 hours); Barkley Marathons women's distance record 2001 (66 miles)

Race History