11 Innovating Women Who Have Changed Running for the Better

On a Sunday afternoon marathon training run, Kelly Herron was assaulted by a man hiding in the park restroom she had stopped to use. Thankfully, Herron was prepared. She fiercely fought back and escaped her attacker by using the training she’d received in a recent self-defense class. As a result of this harrowing experience, Herron started an organization called “Not Today MotherF***er,” (NTMF) which was the phrase she had screamed repeatedly while fighting for her life.

NTMF seeks to train women in self-defense techniques and educate them on how to stay safe and fully aware while running. By coaching female runners on how to handle worst-case scenarios, Herron hopes that women can set out on their runs with confidence.

The idea to start Rabbit came in 2014, when Monica DeVreese and Jill Deering were chatting on a run together: Why, they wondered, was it so hard to find a well-designed pair of running shorts? At the time, DeVreese was a running store owner in Santa Barbara, California, and Deering was an attorney who regularly attended the shop’s group runs. Thinking they could start as good a running apparel company as any, the two launched a Kickstarter campaign for Rabbit in 2016, and have continued to be successful since.

“We love running, but we love runners even more,” the cofounders state on their website. “A key part of our mission at Rabbit is to contribute to the sport by supporting runners at every level.”

In 2009, Toni Carey and Ashley Hicks started Black Girls RUN! (BGR!) with specific goals in mind for African-American women in particular: They hoped to encourage good health and fitness habits, combat obesity, and provide a fun, accepting environment in the running community where women could grow as athletes.

BGR! changed hands to new owner and CEO Jay Ell Alexander in 2018, and its mission continues to thrive. The organization now has nearly 70 chapters across the United States, offering social runs among local groups as well as national meetups at events and races.

After breaking the tape at several major marathons throughout her lifetime—including two Boston Marathons and the very first women’s Olympic Marathon—running legend Joan Benoit Samuelson decided to start a running event of her own right in her hometown of Cape Elizabeth, Maine. The annual TD Beach to Beacon 10K Road Race, happening this year on August 1, attracts a wide variety of participants, ranging from elites to recreational runners from across the country. Proceeds from the event benefit children’s charities in Maine.

Nearly 30 years ago, when Colorado runner and former cross-country coach Nancy Hobbs first started running on trails, she noticed that considerably less attention was being given to the off-road side of the sport. Trail races were not nearly as popular or available as road races, there was less trail-specific running gear on the market, and publications covering the sport were non-existent. In 1996, she founded the American Trail Running Association (ATRA) to provide the advocacy and community for trail runners that weren’t being offered at the time.

Hobbs not only serves as the association’s executive director, she is also chairperson for the USA Track & Field's Mountain, Ultra and Trail Running Council, as well as Treasurer of the World Mountain Running Association. Since founding ATRA, she has worked tirelessly to promote the trail running community and to empower other women who are involved in it.

Sally Bergesen is the brain behind Oiselle, a Seattle-based running apparel company that caters to female athletes of all ages, shapes, and abilities. Bergesen, a marathoner herself, founded the company in 2007 and gave it a three-part mission: to make excellent products, improve the sport, and build up a spirit of sisterhood in the running community.

Through Oiselle, Bergesen has found ways to give back by sponsoring professional female athletes and donating to charity programs that encourage girls and women to pursue sports.

Anne Mahlum knew firsthand the incredible effect running can have on self-esteem, confidence, and strength. With that in mind, she started a running club with the members of a Philadelphia homeless shelter, hoping to offer them motivation and hope through fitness. In 2007, Mahlum took it a step further by launching Back on My Feet, a nonprofit that takes a new approach to combating homelessness with the transformative power of running.

In 2013, Mahlum transferred ownership over to a new CEO. Today, Back on My Feet operates in 12 major cities across the country and offers group runs as well as housing and employment resources to individuals experiencing homelessness.

For San Francisco-based trail runner Caitlin Landesberg, the hunt for the ideal postrun beer began in 2012. When she couldn’t seem to find a tasty option that catered to the athlete’s diet (and to her gluten intolerance), Landesberg teamed up with a brewing expert to create the brew she was dreaming of. Her creation, Sufferfest beer, hit the market in 2016.

Today, you can find Sufferfest products—including pale ale, kolsh, and pilsner-style brews—in retail stores, restaurants, and gyms throughout California and Colorado. The brand sponsors athletes who “suffer well” in their sport of choice, love the outdoors, and are like-minded in their appreciation for a good postworkout beer that aligns with an active lifestyle.

Equipped with a background in teaching, counseling, and social work, triathlete Molly Barker wanted to make a difference in the lives of adolescent girls who might be feeling limited by cultural and societal stereotypes. She founded Girls on the Run in 1996 with the goal of inspiring young females to become healthier, happier, and more confident through weekly running practices as well as a 5K at the end of each program.

What started as a small group of 13 girls in Charlotte, North Carolina, has today grown into more than 210 Girls on the Run chapters—which have more than 200,000 participants—in cities across North America.

When forced to take a break from running due to injury in 2010, former professional runner Lauren Fleshman used her free time to create a balanced, delicious snack to fuel her triathlete husband’s races. She focused on using whole food ingredients—such as dates, seeds, and nut butter—to make bars that were satisfying while still being easily digestible (read: gluten-free) for athletes on the go. After a lot of experimenting in the kitchen, PickyBars were born.

Since the company launched in 2010, PickyBars has expanded its offerings, now selling granola and oatmeal along with a tasty lineup of flavored bars. Whether you’re looking for a premorning run snack or postworkout recovery fuel, you can trust PickyBars to give you clean energy to carry you through the long haul.

They say necessity is the mother of invention, and in the early 2000s, what professional fitness competitor Sara Moylan needed was a better sports bra. At the time, she found herself wearing two (and sometimes three) bras at a time during workouts because none of them provided the right kind of support on their own. Taking matters into her own hands, Moylan designed a high-impact sports bra that did the work of three bras in one; she then turned that product into a company, SheFit, which launched in 2010.

By providing adjustable, supportive apparel for active women of all sizes and ages, SheFit allows female athletes to run and work out in style, without feeling held back. As our Runner’s World test editor put it in her review, “SheFit bras deliver an appealing combination of glitz, glam, and function.”