Among 100-mile races, the Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc rises as the pinnacle of ultramarathons. A 104-mile loop that circumnavigates 15,771-foot Mont Blanc, passing through France, Italy, and Switzerland, the route includes ten climbs and 31,500 feet of elevation gain. In 2013, an unknown 29-year-old pediatric intensive-care nurse from Lake Tahoe wearing a TNF Eat My Dust Skirt ran across the finish line in Chamonix in record time, and two hours ahead of the next woman. Rory Bosio (pronounced “bo-zee-oh”) finished in seventh overall, becoming the first woman to place in the top 10 at the world’s toughest running race. The following year, she repeated her win, the first woman to do so, and eliminated any “beginner’s luck” doubt.
While many ultrarunners stick to highly scientific approaches to training and nutrition, the 34-year-old part-time nurse prefers to keep things simple, unstructured and fun. Rory runs because she loves it, and it shows in her accessorized athlete kit (think puffy paint and glitter), her training (run when she feels like it, rest when she’s tired), her nutrition (homemade pouches of avocado and sweet potatoes and gummy bears) and her season goals, which always include running rugged traverses or remote coastlines in far-flung locales. Rory’s extracurricular activities include SUP, yoga, skiing and biking, and the self-proclaimed “eternal nerd” spends her indoor time doing crossword puzzles and reading historical non-fiction.
Accomplishments:
- Two-time winner, Ultra-Trail Du Mont-Blanc, 2013, 2014
- Corsica GR 20 expedition, May 2018
- Top 5 most viewed TNF content piece: Curiosity
- 1st and course record, Tahoe Rim Trail 50 Mile, 2017
- 1st, Atacama Extreme 100, 2015
- 1st, The North Face Utah 50, 2014
- 1st, Lavaredo Ultra Trail, 2014
- 2nd, Western States 100, 2012
- Winner of a Beer Mile
- Female Ultrarunner of the Year, Trailrunner Magazine, 2013, 2014