Women participating in ultra-trail running is on the rise, and with it the dominance of Canadians who are featuring on world ranking sites as never before. The 2024 World Trail Majors listed five Canadians in the top 15 (second was France with three and the U.S. with two).
All have recorded impressive results from 50-kilometre to 100-mile races, many in North America, but also in Europe and beyond where they have taken on tough opposition and challenging terrain and conditions.
We talked to six of the best about their race experiences, their love of trail, what they eat and their future plans.
Geneviève Asselin-Demers
At 36-years-old Geneviève Asselin-Demers has only been running trail races for three years yet has had some prestigious wins. From Repentigny, Québec, she has won the Québec Méga Trail (QMT) 110, Ultra Trail Chic Chocs 40 (UTCC), Ultra Trail Harricana 125 (UTHC), Grand-duc 50 km and Puerto Vallarta by UTMB 100K. Her first venture into international racing was in the 2024 season, when she collected top 10 finishes including the Black Canyon Ultras100K, Madeira Island Ultra-Trail 115 and Ultra Trail Cape Town 100K (UTCT). These finishes projected her to eighth position in the 2024 World Trail Majors rankings.
Her proudest moment? “The QMT 80 with a course record because I was surrounded by my friends, my parents who had come to see me for the first time at a race were at the finish line, my race management, my food management … all the stars were aligned.”
The most memorable moment was at the final of UTCT100K in 2024. “The descent towards the finish, the landscape, my energy and the beauty of the race made me vibrate, and this feeling will be anchored in me and will serve as a lever in the more difficult moments of training or racing.”
Asselin-Demers feels at one with nature when she is on the trails. “It’s a moment with myself, reading the terrain and surpassing oneself. My body, my mind, my heart align when I set foot on the trail.”
This year she plans on running the Desert Rats 100K by UTMB in Colorado, Transvulcania in La Palma (73 km), Swiss Canyon Trail 111 km, QMT 135 and several races in Quebec. “There are so many races, adventures and trips on my bucket list.” She would also like to represent Canada at the next world championships.
Favourite trail food/snack: Naäk products suit me and allow me to cross the finish line without too many gastric difficulties. My favourite product is the apricot hydration powder.
Favourite place/trail to run: I love running on the national trail in Val St-Côme where my chalet is located, otherwise I love discovering new landscapes during my weeks of travel for competitions.
Anne Champagne
Anne Champagne hails from Lac-Beauport, Québec. The 30-year-old discovered trail running six years ago. “I fell in love with the sport and the possibilities to run super long distances and discover new places,” she says. Her background in triathlon and track—and tackling obstacle courses since she was 12—was a good pre-cursor for her to take on some gruelling ultra trail races.
Placing second at the 2024 World Trail Majors rankings is one of her proudest moments as was winning the Grand Raid des Pyrénées 168 km race. “I realized I had what it takes to achieve big scary things.”
But it is competing in her hometown that is the most memorable. “There’s nothing like a finish line feeling and the Québec Méga Trail (QMT)100 miles in 2024 was one of my most memorable trail moments. Achieving my first 100 mile, being in my hometown, seeing all those faces clapping hands and screaming got me really emotional.”
Champagne plans on continuing her 100-mile streak. Last month she competed in the Chianti Ultra Trail UTMB, which is a ‘golden ticket’ for the Western States 2025 and UTMB 2026. Then she will run QMT 135 and the Diagonale des Fous 100 miles in October in the French protectorate, Réunion Island. “I dream really big; I’m working hard to achieve my goals.” Her other bucket-list races? “There is so much! I want to explore the world with running. Western States and Hardrock 100 are my dream races.”
Favourite trail food/snack: I’ve been having some stomach issues so right now I fuel with SIS’s gels and Upika’s sports drinks, bringing on all the carbs!
Favourite place/trail to run: Going back to the trails near my hometown. I really love Parc Régional de la Forêt Ouareau. It’s where I started trail running and my passion started.
Kelsey Hogan
Kelsey Hogan’s fifth place in the 2024 World Trail Majors rankings was largely due to her second place in the Québec Mega Trail (QMT) 100 mile, a race she won in 2023 and 2022. The 29-year-old from Steady Brook, NL—who now calls Fredericton, NB home—is also a two-time finisher of the UTMB Mont Blanc 171 km race and a top 10 finisher in the Diagonale des Fous – 165 km. Closer to home she won the Rompin’ Rockwood 50 km, Saint John, NB in 2024 and was second in the Squamish 50 in 2023.
For Hogan, who started trail running in 2016, the exhilaration of the sport makes it a meditative and spiritual experience. “I am in awe of the natural world and the beautifully wild landscapes. Trail running is a place where I get to explore, to challenge myself, and to stay ever curious about the world around me.”
She will be back competing at Mont Banc again this year with a bigger goal: “putting more pieces of the puzzle together from lessons learned during my 2024 finish.” She also plans to do the QMT 80 kms Canadian Trail Championships in July, and some local races. But Hardrock 100 is the bucket list race. “I’d love to race in those mountains, and I’m intrigued by the energy and history of both Hardrock and the Western States Endurance Run.”
The overnight races are Hogan’s love: “After running all night, surrounded by darkness, I’m always tuned into the first signs of the world waking up: birds twittering, the silhouette of trees becoming defined against a glowing blue-morning sky, and the warmth and energy of a new day.”
Favourite trail food/snack: I crave anything frozen or cold during long races! Smoothies, slushies, ice cream, and popsicles are often top of my list (and tricky to get at aid stations, but my support crew is pretty crafty)!
Favourite place/trail to run: Steady Brook will always be my favourite place to run. I’m excited to run up by the waterfall to the top of Marble Mountain, make the traverse along twisty forested trails with views of the Humber Valley, or explore the trails in Gros Morne National Park.
Marianne Hogan
Marianne Hogan has overcome some adversities in her nine years of trail running, but coming second in the 2022 UTMB 176K in Chamonix with a torn psoas takes the ticket. “The last 45 kilometres had been pure agony, every step a battle. The mix of emotions was overwhelming—disbelief, relief, pride, and sheer exhaustion. It was one of those moments that defined not just a race, but everything I love about this sport: resilience, pushing beyond limits, and finding strength even when there’s nothing left.” Her podium finish was the first for a Canadian woman at UTMB for 19 years.
The 34-year-old, originally from Bedford, Québec, had to take a break from competition when the injury developed into a stress fracture. She made a comeback last year in the same race finishing third, but a fall on the course resulted her completing it with a dislocated finger! (Despite this she placed 14th in the 2024 World Trail Majors rankings).
Hogan is hoping for a less eventful 2025. She is hoping to do Canyons 100K as a golden ticket to run Western States again. (She placed third in 2022, just two months before her UTMB race). And there is that “unfinished business” she says at UTMB.
Her long-term plans would like to include exploring Norway and Argentina. “The idea of weaving a race into a longer adventure there is definitely tempting.” In the meantime, she will continue to explore her love of the outdoors. “Trail running is a way of moving through life. It’s about finding joy in the simplest things: the rhythm of my breath, the crunch of dirt underfoot, the vastness of the mountains. Whether it’s a race, an adventure, or just a quiet solo run, every step is a reminder that we don’t need much to be happy—just a good trail, a bit of curiosity, and the willingness to keep moving forward.”
Favourite trail food/snack: I love the Naäk purees (apple cinnamon), they are so yummy and easy to digest.
Favourite place to run: Any coastal trail where mountains meet the water—that’s my kind of paradise. There’s something special about running with the contrast of rugged peaks and the endless horizon of the sea, especially on a warm summer day.
Jazmine Lowther
Jazmine Lowther discovered cross-country running when she was five years old and has since been running: “Very casually throughout my life.” Always physically active and competitive this ‘casual runner,’ from Nelson, B.C. turned into an ultra-trail runner six years ago, and now at 32 years is a dominant force in the sport. Her wins include the Ultra Trail Cape Town 100K and Speedgoat 50K, both in 2024, and the Canyon Endurance 100K in 2022, where she set a course record.
Her fourth-place finish in 2022 UTMB World Series Final CCC 100K is a particular highlight as is her podium-placing third at the 2023 TransGranCanaria Classic 128KM.
Is there a memorable moment? She says there are a few but one stands out. “During my first 100 miler, it was the halfway point. I really wanted to quit. I felt awful. I was sick. I didn’t have a “why” to go on. My crew, all with their wide eyes, excitement and energy rallied me on to keep going. And thanks to them I finished the full 100 miles.”
Ultra-trail running takes a lot of mental strength, which is one of the reasons Lowther likes it so much. Her background in alpine climbing and back country skiing instilled a love of the outdoors and adventure—a natural fit for trail running. “Trail running means a lot to me. Its mental health, its meaning, its exploration, its challenge, its connection. “It makes me a better human being.”
She has two major races in sight for 2025—Canyons Endurance 100K in Auburn, CA in April and the 100-mile UTMB in Chamonix, France in August. But says: “The race schedule is rolling out as it comes.” It could also include Western States, Speedgoat and the World Championships.
Favourite trail food/snack: Naak waffles on training days. They just make you smile like a kid again, always delicious.
Favourite place/trail to run: Everywhere. But if I had to pick one, Switzerland has been the most magical.
Jenny Quilty
Jenny Quilty has experienced trail running from many perspectives—as an athlete competing in some of North America’s most challenging races, and as a coach supporting and helping others reach their goals. At 36-years-old she has 15 years of trail running under her belt, 10 as an ultra runner.
From Chilliwack, B.C. she placed first, setting a course record, at the 2021 UTHC 125 in Québec, second at the Canadian Death Race the same year, won the Squamish 50 and placed second in the Chuckanut 50k (Bellingham, WA) and the Mammoth Trail Fest 50K in 2022.
Her proudest moment was running her first 100-mile race, the Doi Inthanon in Thailand in 2022, where she was the first female. The race was a real stand-out for her particularly the 20 hours of running through the jungle. “I remember running into the night with my headlamp, just looking around the jungle, hearing the sounds, and thinking it was so incredible to be there, by myself. It was so incredible to get to follow flags through this place and have the support needed to be there safely, essentially wandering through the jungle for 100 miles.”
Quilty’s win enabled her to capture a golden ticket to the 2023 Western States 100-mile race. After placing 11th at that race, she has a goal: “I would love to go back and place top 10.” In 2024 she ran the Gorge Waterfalls 100K and the Black Canyon Ultras 60K. This year she has her sights on Diez Vista 50K (Port Moody, B.C.), QMT 50, and Pine to Palm 100 mile in Southern Oregon.
She says she has learnt a lot about trail running. “It has allowed me to learn about running and endurance, and all of the different components of successfully traveling pretty far by foot. I love how training for races brings up different speeds, terrain, and challenges. Trail running is sort of like 10 different sports in one, so I find there is always a new skill to develop or build upon.”
Favourite trail food/snack: I use gels. It’s not the most exciting or glamorous but they are effective and chewing while running is just too hard!
Favourite place/trail to run: Where I live. We moved recently for access to the trails in the Chilliwack area, I truly wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.
Photography by: Gabrielle de Rossi | Connor BurkeSmith | Matt Bolam | Flash-Sport | Guy Fattal
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