How Trail Running Is Becoming A Powerful Activity For Women’s Empowerment
Trail running has officially gone viral — and women are finding their place on the trails, not by following a trend, but by building it themselves.
If you’ve ever found yourself deep in a scroll hole watching videos of women crushing miles through hills, dirt, and mountain trails, it’s no accident. What started as a niche fitness outlet has grown into a movement. Back in 1997, women made up just 13% of trail runners. By 2022, that number had climbed to 46%.
Social media hasn’t just boosted visibility, it’s helped build a thriving community.
More Advocacy And Support For Women Embracing Trail Runs
More recently, in spring 2024, a survey by the American Trail Running Association found that women made up 40% of trail running participants. Research has further found that the rise in U.S. women embracing trail running include community-led initiatives, changing physiology insights, and evolving cultural and gear support. Trail Sisters, a U.S.-based women-only trail-running community, had over 13,000 members in 2022 across 164 local chapters, for various levels of runners, from beginners to ultra-curious runners.
Women Take To The Trails
Elite athletes are also inspiring growing involvement. Take Grayson Murphy, multi-time USA Track & Field mountain running champion and XTERRA world champion, who is a living example of what is possible at the highest levels of trail sport.
Another key figure, Hillary Allen, uses her experience in overcoming a near-fatal fall and returning to elite trail competition to encourage more women to take up the trails, emphasizing liberation, resilience, and self-efficacy.
Sabrina Pace-Humphreys, an award-winning ultrarunner, activist, author, and co-founded Black Trail Runners, a community and campaign charity that advocates for inclusion, representation, and inclusion of people of color that boasts more than 13,000 followers on Instagram alone.
There are key benefits of trail running for women including improvements in leg strength and balance compared to road runners, while both groups saw cardiovascular fitness gains. The varied terrain also trains neuromuscular coordination and lower-body stability advantageously.
Further, there are mental health emotional resilience benefits from outdoor exposure and time in nature with the mental challenge of navigating shifting terrain. Many women cite renewed confidence, clarity, and emotional regulation through trail experience—especially when surrounded by women‑led communities.
Get Connected
If you’re into running or have an interest in pursuing trail running, here are a few more inspiring women, groups, and organizations to follow on Instagram or TikTok:
Interest in trail running for women continues to grow through advocacy participation, community support, and inspiring elite role models. Women are finding their place on the trails through connection, personal growth, and a deepening relationship with movement and nature. It’s become more than a sport — a space where women are reclaiming strength, joy, and self-trust on their own terms.
