Fast Women: Rachael Rudel’s long road back
Wins for Agnes Ngetich, Emily Venters, Makayla Paige, and Courtney Dauwalter.
Issue 411
How Rachael Rudel became one of America’s fastest road racers
Three months ago, Denver’s Rachael Rudel was unknown to most distance running fans. Then she started showing up near the front of some of the country’s most competitive road races.
On Memorial Day, Rudel, 32, kicked to a third-place finish at the Bolder Boulder 10K, running 32:46, the fastest-ever time by an American woman at the event. A month later, she finished only three seconds behind two-time Boston Marathon champion Sharon Lokedi of Kenya at the Boston 10K, running 31:31, a significant personal best.
From the outside, Rudel’s rise seemed to happen almost overnight. In reality, her breakthrough is the product of years spent rebuilding her physical and mental health, and finding balance outside of the sport, which has allowed her to train consistently and reach a new level.
A multi-sport athlete
Rudel grew up in Fort Collins, Colorado, in an athletic family. Her father was a standout college decathlete and football player, who was briefly with the Dallas Cowboys in the 1980s. Her mother was a gymnast, marathoner, power lifter, and, later, a triathlete. Rudel followed suit, playing basketball, soccer, volleyball, and competing in track.
Initially, she wasn’t a fan of distance running. She joined the cross country team as a freshman at Fort Collins High School but got a migraine in her first race and quit the sport. During track season, Rudel specialized in the triple jump and long jump, but she dreaded the 200m and 400m. “I wish I was joking about this,” she told Fast Women. “But I would hide in the bathroom and cry because I hated it so much.”
Rudel finished fourth in the triple jump at the Colorado 5A State Track & Field Championships as a sophomore. One year later, she was constantly sick. She didn’t tell her parents how severe her symptoms had become, because her mother was undergoing treatment for breast cancer and Rudel was reluctant to speak up about her own struggles. A doctor initially suspected Rudel had an eating disorder and encouraged her to eat more, but doing so only made her sicker.
Further testing showed that she was dealing with a severe case of celiac disease, and her treatment involved going on an elimination diet. Restricting her diet eased her GI symptoms, but she became afraid to reintroduce certain foods. What began as treatment for celiac disease evolved into an eating disorder that would last for years.
Hitting rock bottom
Rudel took a medical leave from school during what would have been her first year at Colorado State University, and while visiting family for Thanksgiving in Arizona, she suffered acute pancreatitis, which required her to spend 10 days in the hospital and stop eating to heal her body. “I didn’t know until years later, but the doctors told my family I might not make it,” she said. “They said I needed to put weight on before flying home or I would likely die.”
Rudel gained weight but she continued to struggle. Having lost so much strength, she was unable to do the explosive events she once loved, so she took up distance running instead. When she returned to CSU in the fall of 2013, the cross country and track coaches took note of how well she ran in a 5K road race and added her to the team’s roster. “I don’t think I even loved running then,” she said. “I think the eating disorder loved running at that point.”
Because of her illness, much of Rudel’s college experience remains a blur. But she remembers her coaches and teammates being thrilled when she won the Mountain West Conference 10,000m title during her first year of college competition and not sharing their joy. Later that night, she watched a replay of the race at her parents’ house and barely recognized herself. “I remember hearing some girls in the background saying, ‘Oh my God, that girl is so thin. She looks like she’s going to die.’ That hit me so hard. I remember going to the bathroom and just sitting in there and crying.”
Two days later, she checked herself into eating disorder treatment. Once again, she gained weight, but the treatment did not last long enough to resolve the underlying issues.
At the end of her junior year, Rudel suffered an injury and her coaches began to urge her to eat more and work with a nutritionist. “That’s when I gave up on them,” she said. “They wanted to help, but I still wasn’t ready to help myself.”
Going into her senior year, Rudel learned that she had a BRCA1 gene mutation that put her at high risk of developing breast cancer. She had watched her mother make a double mastectomy and hysterectomy look easy, and she had also seen her grandmother struggle through the side effects of chemotherapy and radiation. The decision seemed like a no-brainer. She opted to get a prophylactic double mastectomy during her final year of college, and though her recovery went smoothly, that was the end of her collegiate running career.
Finding a way forward
After graduating from CSU in 2017, Rudel worked briefly in the restaurant industry and stayed active through spin classes, weightlifting, and other high-intensity workouts. She still ran occasionally, but not because she loved the sport. “It was what fed the eating disorder,” she said.
The following year top local runner AnnMarie Kirkpatrick approached her about helping start a post-collegiate team based in Fort Collins. Rudel loved the concept. “I told her, ‘I’m all in, but you’ve got to give me time to get my shit together, because if our goal is to be inspirational for younger runners, I can’t look like this.’”
Much of that work happened during the pandemic. Rudel initially took on a behind-the-scenes role with Front Range Elite, while she focused on her health and happiness. She found that slowing down gave her the space she needed to recover. “It was exactly what I needed,” she said. “I needed the quietness. I needed to bond with people…and realize that life is beyond food, life is beyond stressing about every little thing, life is beyond running. And when I finally learned that, I started to realize that I truly love the sport and the people that are involved with it.”
She dealt with a series of setbacks, including a foot injury that she suffered while dancing barefoot at a Christmas party, which required surgery. Imaging showed that her bone density was low, so her coach at the time, Craig Depperschmidt, prescribed a lot of cross training and, until this year, she ran only three days per week most of the time, usually totalling around 25 miles.
Rudel eased her way back into competition by training for a half Ironman. Over time, she gravitated back toward running, but in the process, she learned how to cross train and that it worked well for her.
Still running about 25 miles per week, Rudel continued to improve. She finished second at the 2023 USATF Trail Half Marathon Championships, ran 16:09 for 5K at altitude in 2024, clocked 26:25 at the 2025 Shamrock Shuffle 8K, ran 1:11:33 at the Indianapolis Monumental Half Marathon, and placed 17th at the 2025 USATF Cross Country Championships.
The breakthrough years in the making
When Rudel began working with coach David Roche in February 2026, she was swimming twice a week, biking three or four times a week, and running only three days most weeks. Now her running mileage hovers in the 50s. She still bikes, but she also takes one day completely off each week. “David is very strict about that,” she said, “especially because of my past.”
Rudel has also become more deliberate about her fueling during training, which has been a game changer for her. She now takes a gel any time she runs for more than an hour, and she prioritizes carbohydrates immediately after training, which helps her recover faster post-workout and sleep better.
The results have followed. Rudel’s first big performance of the season escaped the notice of many outside of Colorado. Racing at roughly 5,000 feet above sea level, Rudel shattered the event record at the Horsetooth Half Marathon, running 1:12:29 on a hilly course.
Two weeks later, she finished second behind Kassie Parker at the Bloomsday 12K, running 39:39. On Memorial Day, she finished third at the Bolder Boulder 10K, and on June 6 she finished second to Parker again, running 20:23 at the USATF 4 Mile Championships, hosted by the Steamboat Classic.
Rudel doesn’t spend a lot of time sizing up her competition, but she did know who Lokedi was heading into the Boston 10K. “She was the coolest person to talk to the night before,” Rudel said. “She was so chill, she was the last person at dinner, just laughing and talking to the racing directors and having a good time.”
Rudel doesn’t get intimidated by her competitors; she considers it an honor to race them. She did wonder if she would pay for her decision to go out with the lead pack in Boston, though. Lokedi made her move with 1K to go and Rudel temporarily dropped to fourth, but then she outkicked 1:05 half marathoner Veronica Loleo and Winfred Mbithe, both of Kenya, to take second.
Before the Boston race, Rudel was feeling a bit run down from her racing schedule and work travel, and she was feeling it in her foot and her hip. She took a week off from running, but she’s already back to training. She has her eye on the USATF 20K Championships on September 7 and the USATF 10K Championships on October 3. She’d also like to target a fast half marathon this fall.
Shortly after Bolder Boulder, Rudel signed with agent Josh Cox, but as of now, she remains unsponsored and buys all of her own shoes and gear. ““I’ve never had a shoe brand reach out and offer to send me shoes,” she said. “So it’s more fire underneath my butt to run a little bit faster and prove myself more.”
Regardless of her sponsorship status, Rudel has no plans to quit her day job. She works remotely as a strategic partnerships manager for CompanyCam. “I love what I do right now, and it’s working well so far,” she said. “Running can be taken away at any point and I’m the type of person that needs other distractions.”
Rudel’s brain has had to quickly catch up to what her legs are now capable of doing. “A few months ago, I was just planning to do the Olympic Trials in the marathon for fun with my friends,” she said.
Rudel knows that maintaining the balance she’s built over the past several years will be crucial. She relies on her Denver training partners, her Front Range Elite teammates, and other family and friends help keep her accountable.
For years, Rudel’s running was tied to illness and obligation. Now she wakes up excited to train and has learned to keep her running in perspective. “I’ve been through enough that if the thing I’m stressing about now is how to compete with the best,” she said, “that’s a pretty damn good thing to be stressing about.”
News and Results
The Monaco Diamond League meet featured only one women’s women’s distance event, but Kenya’s Agnes Ngetich made it worth watching. Paced by Australia’s Jessica Hull, Ngetich broke away from the field early and ran a solo 8:08.95, the third-fastest performance of all time. Kenya’s Faith Kipyegon, who is returning from injury, lined up for the race knowing that she might not be at her best and ended up fourth in 8:24:21. Cassandre Beaugrand, the reigning Olympic triathlon champion, finished eighth in a French record of 8:32.86. (Results | Replay)
Following a great run at the New York Mini 10K last month, Emily Venters won her first national title at Saturday’s USATF 6K Championships in Canton, Ohio. Venters pulled away 12 minutes into the race and finished in 18:08 (4:51/mile for 3.73 miles), earning $6,000. Making a rare appearance on the roads, Elise Cranny finished second in 18:12, and Annie Rodenfels took third in 18:16. Venters said afterward that she also plans to race Saturday’s USATF 8K Championships in Kingsport, Tennessee. (Results)
Racing in her UNC uniform, Makayla Paige (1:58.14, PR) edged out Emily Mackay 1:58.14), Lithuania’s Gabija Galvydyte (1:58.28) and Meghan Hunter (1:58.43) to win the 800m at Sound Running’s Sunset Tour. Kayley DeLay used an excellent kick to win the 1500m in a PR of 4:04.64, and China’s Wuga He won the 5,000m in 15:22.23. Madie Boreman won the steeplechase in a solid 9:30.82, and running her first steeplechase in three years, World and Olympic medalist Courtney Frerichs finished fifth in 9:40.95. I appreciated her post about her race. (Results)
Courtney Dauwalter won the Hardrock 100 in 26:03:10, breaking her own clockwise course record by eight minutes. For more on her race, she was on The Freetrail Podcast.
Emma Bates and Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone both announced the arrival of their babies. Bates’ son arrived a bit early, on her birthday.
Annie Frisbie is recovering from a stress fracture in her tibia, according to her latest Instagram post.
Great Britain’s Jemma Reekie won the 800m at the British Milers Club Grand Prix, running 1:58.41. (Results)
McKenna Keegan, who’s in the midst of her best season yet, won the Meeting Lignano 800m in a personal best of 1:58.54. Australia’s Claudia Hollingsworth won the 1500m in 4:00.70, and Annika Reiss took second in a big PR of 4:03.54. (Results)
Ethiopia’s Tsigie Gebreselama won the Boilermaker Road Race 15K in 47:29. (Results)
Ireland’s Sophie O’Sullivan edged out Chloe Foerster, her former University of Washington teammate, to win the 1500m at the Morton Games, 4:08.26 to 4:08.47. (Results)
Turkey’s Şilan Ayyildiz won the Folksam Grand Prix Karlstad 1500m in 4:06.87. (Results)
Shafiqua Maloney of St. Vincent and the Grenadines won the 800m at the Ed Murphey Classic, running 1:58.72. (Results)
Amina Maatoug of the Netherlands edged out Taylor Werner to win the Cork City Sports 3,000m, 8:45.72 to 8:45.85. (Results)
Sinclaire Johnson launched a YouTube channel and her first video is available here. On a recent episode of the Axel’s Personal Best podcast, Johnson briefly talked about the injury she suffered around the USATF Indoor Championships, which originally got misdiagnosed. She said that because of her late start, she won’t be surprised if she’s not at 100 percent fitness by the USATF Outdoor Championships. But she has traditionally been able to get fit quickly.
Northeastern Global News featured 2028 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials qualifier Hannah Rowe, who is an assistant professor at the school.
Podcast Highlights
Alyssa McElheny qualified for the 2028 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials by running a 2:34:28 at the Indianapolis Monumental Marathon last November. Two weeks later, at the urging of a friend, she tried her first Hyrox competition, which turned out to be a life-changing experience. In June, she became the Hyrox Elite 15 World Champion and is now an Adidas-sponsored athlete. She was on both the Ali on the Run Show and D3 Glory Days last week.
I appreciated the chance to hear from Peninsula Distance Club coach Dena Evans on the Sideline Ascent podcast recently.
Additional Episodes: Des Linden said on Hurdle that she hopes to run the Chicago Marathon and rim to rim to rim in the Grand Canyon as she builds up for the Javelina Jundred, her first 100 miler, on Halloween | Jennifer Lichter on I’ll Have Another | Sarah Carter and Dani Moreno on Women of Distance | Lexy Halladay-Lowry on Pending Ratification | Steph Bruce on Out and Back | Canada’s Rachel Cliff on The Fueling Forward Podcast | Liv Paxton on Women’s Running Stories
Thank you to all of you who reached out in response to last week’s newsletter. I’m working on becoming someone who responds to my messages once again, but I still have a little ways to go. And I am so grateful to those of you who became Patreon supporters or sent money via Venmo. (I’m usually able to thank people directly in the Venmo app, but despite a bunch of troubleshooting, that feature isn’t working for me right now. Instead, I am just shouting a big blanket thank you to all of you here.) Because of your support, I can rationalize putting my time into this venture.
I’m still figuring out how much work I can handle in a week with my current schedule. This week, I had pretty extensive gum surgery on Tuesday, and talked to Rachael Rudel while I was still numb. Putting out this week’s newsletter would have all been very doable if everything else had gone to plan, but it did not. So I learned that I need to build a lot more wiggle room into my schedule. (The surgery went fine. My face is swollen and bruised, but my recovery is going smoothly. The only hard part is that I need to consume a liquid diet. I am really looking forward to chewing again.)
Many of you have encouraged me to take my time coming back, and I appreciate that. Especially since my boss (me) can be kind of stubborn. I hope you all have a good week.
Alison
What a joy to see the newsletter pop up this morning! But also I echo the closing comments and say take all the time you need.
Thank you for sharing Rachael’s story! I’ve met her several times and know many of her amazing teammates. Reading her full story brought me to tears several times. I’ll add that Rachael is also one of the most joyful, boisterous, and fun people to be around, with an infectious and uplifting energy for anyone lucky enough to meet her. Go Rachael!