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She uses her track and cross-country training to help her physically and mentally climb the world’s highest peaks.

After running year-round for 11 years, Lucy Westlake recently joined the track and cross-country team at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. 

In high school, she ran the 5K cross-country event and 3200-meter track distance with a few career highlights including becoming the Illinois State Team Champion in 2018 and 2019. Now, she’ll compete in the 6K cross-country event and 5,000-meter and 10,000-meter track distances.

While the direction of her adult running career has yet to unfold, Westlake, 18, tells Runner’s World that her lifelong athleticism as a runner has already helped her reach tremendous heights. 

In fact, on May 12, 2022, the Chicagoan became the youngest American woman to summit Everest, the world’s highest peak at 29,032 feet, right before her high school graduation. (Westlake was 18 years, 6 months, and 8 days old, beating out the last record holder who was 18 years, 7 months, and 9 days old.) 

Climbing Everest took 27 days, and every single step was worth it, says Westlake. 

“It was definitely the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life—physically, mentally, and emotionally. Looking up at the summit from Camp 4 the day before our summit push, it truly looked impossible. At 9:00 p.m., my Sherpa and I began our climb and 8.5 hours later we stood on top of the world together,” she says.

A Start in Two Sports

Raised in Louisville, Kentucky, Westlake started running with a team at age 6. In January 2016, during 6th grade, her family relocated to Naperville, Illinois, a western suburb of Chicago.

While attending Naperville North High School, Westlake’s weekly training routine included one 90-minute long run, three to four strategic workout runs, like tempo workouts, which totaled six to eight miles each, and easy runs in between. She also made sure to have a complete rest day every two weeks, while hitting a weekly mileage of 40. 

Core workouts and yoga were also a big part of Westlake’s high school routine, as well as weight training for 50 minutes, four to five days a week. 

Despite growing up in cityscapes, her first-ever run was on trails—not pavement—near her family’s cabin in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, when her grandpa challenged her to a dual to see who could first reach the top of a nearby slope. 

“I love trail running and want to explore that more after college. You get to see beautiful scenery and it’s challenging,” says Westlake, who also took a roadtrip to the Grand Canyon with three teammates this summer to run and hike the 24-mile Rim-to-Rim, which is the furthest distance she’s covered on a run in one effort. 

Prior to setting the world record on Everest, Westlake became the youngest female, at age 17, to climb the highest peaks in all 50 states. She and her dad, Rodney Westlake, completed the goal together over the course of a decade. That journey included a 21-day summer expedition to the summit of Denali, in Alaska, which was the most challenging summit to reach in the U.S., she says, due to the required mountaineering skills, weather window, risk management, and time commitment.

“I was always running on a team and in school, so my family did one or two short road trips out west to climb mountains every year,” says Westlake, who was first introduced to high altitude while visiting family in the city of Puebla, Mexico, at age 6, when she hiked the 14,636-foot La Malinche.

Climbing Everest

On April 15, 2022, Westlake, her dad, and seven friends flew to Kathmandu, Nepal, where they met their guides to trek to South Everest Basecamp. Two days later, they flew to Lukla, where they started the eight-day, 38.5-mile trek to basecamp, camping overnight at tea houses along the way. 

South Everest Basecamp is a collection of primitive campsites at the base of Everest, where mountaineers stage their ascent and descent of a climb up the southeast ridge. Westlake’s dad and their seven friends stayed one night at basecamp before returning to Lukla the same way they’d hiked in, and they all flew back to the United States. They did not continue with Westlake up Everest, which she ascended with her Sherpa guide for the next 16 days. 

On the day of Westlake’s summit, prosperous conditions quickly aligned: As mentioned, the out-and-back took Westlake 27 days (a climb that takes 40 days, on average, to complete).

“We got lucky with the first good weather window of the year, and I was one of the first people to summit,” Westlake says. “I didn’t have any unusual problems with how my body reacted to the altitude, so I didn’t need very many rest days. My Sherpa and I moved well together and had a great chemistry, so the climb was perfect.”

To help cover the cost of her climb, Westlake received a $12,500 scholarship from Grape-Nuts, the breakfast cereal brand. In March 2022, the brand donated a total of $115,000 to 10 female adventurers pursing expeditions to celebrate Women’s History Month. 

How Running and Mountaineering Go Hand-in-Hand

Westlake credits her mountaineering fitness and endurance to her lifelong running routine. 

“Running is a super cardio sport. In mountaineering, your heart rate at high elevation is naturally higher, and you’re climbing for hours on end. Running is a great way to train,” Westlake says. 

It’s not just the physical aspect of running and mountaineering that make them complementary sports for Westlake. 

“Running has taught me a lot about mental toughness—that’s the reason I’m able to summit mountains,” she says. “I’ve become used to accepting pain. You have to be able to push your body and stay focused.” Summit day on Everest was long, she adds, so being able to work through the physical and mental hardships is a crucial skill, which running helps her hone. 

In fact, Westlake says the skills she gained on the run, particularly not so good runs, helped her make it to the top of Everest. “I’ve had great races and bad races, great seasons and bad seasons. I’ve learned along the way that patience, consistency, and believing in yourself lead to long-term success—it’s the same on a high-altitude mountain. It takes patience to allow your body to acclimate, consistency of putting one foot in front of the other no matter how hard it gets, and always believing that it’s possible,” she says. 

Learning to take the rough patches as they come and continue moving forward also carries from her mountaineering adventures back to her run miles. “During tough running workouts when I was struggling and felt like finishing was impossible, I remember back to when I was climbing fixed ropes up vertical walls in the Khumbu Icefall on Everest and had no idea how I was going to reach the top. And when my wake-up call to start a summit push is at 4:00 a.m. and I am completely exhausted from not being able to sleep well at high altitude, I remember back to all those early morning running practices, and it feels like second nature.” 

Westlake’s Future Goals

Westlake’s new goal? Become the youngest person, male or female, in the world to complete the Explorers Grand Slam within the next two years. This challenge includes reaching the North Pole and South Pole and summiting the Seven Summits—the highest peaks on each of the seven continents.

“My mountaineering goals are driven to help close the gender gap in the mountains. If an 18-year-old, 5’4” 105-pound girl can climb Mount Everest, so can a lot of other women,” says Westlake. “I want the next generation of girls to see mountaineering as a sport they can pursue and strive to become the best they can be.”

In addition to her climbing goals, Westlake also has her sights set on running victories. “I want to see how far I go in college and if I can pursue a running career, especially in distance running,” she says. “I’d love to try a marathon after college, because endurance is my strong suit. My strongest aspect is my mental toughness, which marathons lend themselves toward.”

Climbing to Support Human Health and Female Athletes

Westlake uses her expeditions to raise awareness and funds through LucyClimbs, an Etsy shop with merchandise like sweatshirts and t-shirts, to support WaterStep, a nonprofit that teaches water treatment practices and provides filtration resources to communities in need worldwide. 

“I love the mountains and running for myself but need to have that higher purpose. I don’t want my gifts to be selfish, I want to give back,” she says. 

Westlake also received the 2022 Billie Jean King Youth Leadership Award at the annual ESPY Awards, thanks to her summit of Everest. The award is categorized as an ESPN Sports Humanitarian Award, and was designated to five women for using their athleticism for a positive influence on society.

“Mountaineering is a sport dominated by men twice my age and size. When I’m in the mountains, I don’t see many people like myself. The mountains have shaped me into the person I am today—so has running—and together they give me purpose,” Westlake says. “My Everest climb was dedicated to promoting women in the outdoors and inspiring girls to follow their dreams not only in mountains but in any sport and aspect of life. There’s a huge gender gap in mountaineering, and the best way to combat that reality and stereotype is to see other women in mountains and eliminate the cost barrier.” 

Most Olympic marathoners spend their youth focused on running. They join track clubs, compete in national championships, and pursue the sport from an early age.

Julia Mayer’s journey was very different.

Today, Mayer is Austria’s marathon record holder, a multiple national record holder on the roads, and an Olympian. Yet for much of her athletic life, running was not her primary sport.

For 16 years, she played soccer.

Then she discovered something that would change her life.

“I noticed that I was really fast in the fun runs and that it was really, really fun,” Mayer said when reflecting on her transition from soccer to distance running.

What began as curiosity quickly became a passion. She eventually made the bold decision to leave soccer behind and focus entirely on running. It was a move that surprised many people around her, but Mayer believed she had found her true athletic calling.

The decision proved to be the right one.

Within a few years, Mayer developed into one of Europe’s top marathon runners. Her steady improvement carried her from local races to the international stage, where she began rewriting Austria’s record books.

She now holds Austrian records in the marathon, half marathon, and road 10K. Her marathon best of 2:26:08 established her as the fastest female marathoner in Austrian history. Her performances in the half marathon and 10K have further cemented her place among the country’s all-time great distance runners.

Her rise culminated with qualification for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.

Competing in the Olympic marathon represented the realization of a dream. On one of the most challenging marathon courses ever used for the Olympics, Mayer ran courageously against the strongest field in the world and finished 55th in her Olympic debut.

Behind the scenes, success has come through extraordinary dedication. During marathon preparation, Mayer trains twice a day and covers approximately 200 kilometers, or 124 miles, each week. The workload demands discipline, patience, and a deep commitment to continuous improvement. 

What makes her story especially inspiring is not simply the records or the Olympic appearance.

It is the fact that she found her greatest talent later than many elite runners.

In a sport where athletes are often identified at a young age, Mayer’s journey serves as a reminder that potential does not always reveal itself early. Sometimes it takes years of experience, a willingness to try something new, and the courage to follow a different path. 

The former soccer player who once chased a ball across a field is now chasing history on the roads of Europe.

And according to those closest to her, her best performances may still be ahead.

For runners of every age and ability, Julia Mayer’s story delivers a powerful lesson: it is never too late to discover what you are capable of.

From soccer player to Olympian, her journey proves that remarkable achievements can begin when least expected.

Megan Keith produced the performance of her career in Oslo on Thursday night, shattering one of Scotland’s longest-standing distance running records and cementing her place among Britain’s greatest female 3000m runners.

The 24-year-old clocked a sensational 8:28.35 over 3000m, breaking the Scottish outdoor record that had stood for nearly four decades. In doing so, Keith eclipsed the previous mark of 8:29.02, set by Scottish legend Yvonne Murray back in 1988, ending a record reign that had lasted 38 years.

Keith’s breakthrough run was more than just a national record. The performance also propelled her to third on the UK outdoor all-time list, placing her behind only two of Britain’s most celebrated distance runners — Paula Radcliffe, who leads the rankings with 8:22.20, and Laura Weightman, whose 8:26.07 remains the second-fastest outdoor mark by a British woman.

The significance of Keith’s achievement is amplified by the calibre of athletes she now joins in the record books. For decades, Murray’s mark stood as one of Scottish athletics’ most untouchable records, surviving generations of elite competitors. Keith has now succeeded where many outstanding runners have fallen short, announcing herself as one of the leading distance talents in British athletics.

Her time also compares favourably with the best performances produced indoors. Olympic medallist Laura Muir ran 8:26.41 indoors in Karlsruhe in 2017, underlining just how exceptional Keith’s outdoor effort in Oslo truly was.

The run continues a remarkable rise for the Scottish star, whose progression over recent seasons has transformed her from a promising prospect into a genuine force on the international stage. Running with confidence and composure against elite competition, Keith demonstrated both the speed and endurance required to challenge the very best in Europe and beyond.

With the World Championship season gathering momentum, Keith’s record-breaking display sends a powerful message. Not only has she etched her name into Scottish athletics history, but she has also established herself as a serious contender in one of the sport’s most competitive events.

In Oslo, Megan Keith did far more than break a record. She ended a 38-year wait, climbed into the upper echelon of British distance running, and delivered a performance that may prove to be a defining moment in her career.

British middle-distance talent Phoebe Gill took another significant step forward in her return to top form, producing a determined victory over 800 metres at the Meeting de Marseille in France on Wednesday.

Competing in challenging, wind-affected conditions, the 19-year-old demonstrated both resilience and composure as she held off a late charge from Switzerland's Veronica Vancardo to secure the win in 2:00.81. Vancardo finished just three hundredths of a second behind in 2:00.84, underlining the fiercely contested nature of the race.

While the margin of victory was narrow, the result represented another encouraging milestone for Gill as she continues to rebuild momentum following her injury setback. The young Briton showed impressive race awareness and strength in the closing stages, maintaining her advantage despite the difficult conditions that made fast running a challenge throughout the evening.

The Marseille triumph adds to a growing body of evidence that Gill is steadily progressing toward her best form. Earlier in her comeback campaign, she clocked 2:01.50 for 800m in Bydgoszcz before demonstrating her versatility with a strong 4:05.53 performance over 1500 metres at the BMC Grand Prix meeting in Trafford.

Those performances have highlighted not only her improving fitness but also her ability to compete across multiple distances as she carefully builds her season. The Marseille victory now provides further confirmation that the European junior star is moving in the right direction.

Gill emerged as one of Britain's most exciting middle-distance prospects through a series of breakthrough performances as a teenager, earning widespread recognition for her fearless racing style and remarkable maturity. Injury temporarily interrupted that upward trajectory, but her recent results suggest she is steadily rediscovering the form that made her one of the sport's brightest young talents.

With each race, the signs of progress become increasingly evident. Winning in difficult conditions and under pressure from a quality field is often a stronger indicator than a fast time alone, and Gill's latest success demonstrated exactly those qualities.

As the summer season gathers pace, the Marseille victory offers another confidence boost for the British teenager, whose return continues to gain momentum. If her recent progression is any indication, Gill could soon find herself back among the leading names on the European middle-distance circuit. 

The NCAA Track and Field Championships delivered a moment few could have predicted as Ja’Kobe Tharp produced one of the most astonishing performances in the history of sprint hurdling, rewriting the record books in spectacular fashion.

Competing in the opening round of the men’s 110-meter hurdles, the Auburn star stunned the athletics world by clocking an incredible 12.75 seconds, becoming the first athlete ever to break the 12.80-second barrier. In doing so, he eclipsed the long-standing world record of 12.80 set by Aries Merritt in 2012, a mark that had stood as one of the sport’s most revered achievements for more than a decade.

What makes Tharp’s breakthrough even more remarkable is the scale of his improvement. Entering the championships, the defending NCAA and U.S. champion had recorded a season-best of 13.05 seconds. Yet under the brightest spotlight, he unleashed a performance that exceeded every expectation, slicing an extraordinary 0.26 seconds from his personal best in a race that instantly became one of the greatest ever run.

The achievement sent shockwaves throughout the track and field community. While Tharp arrived in Eugene as one of the leading contenders for the NCAA title, few envisioned a performance capable of redefining the limits of the event. Instead, the American hurdler delivered a race for the ages, combining flawless technique, explosive speed, and impeccable rhythm from the first hurdle to the finish line.

The historic run not only secured his place in athletics history but also transformed the outlook of the championship. With the world record now in his possession, Tharp advances to the final as the overwhelming favorite, carrying momentum that could make an already unforgettable weekend even more extraordinary.

For years, the 12.80 barrier appeared untouchable. On a stunning day at the NCAA Championships, Ja’Kobe Tharp proved otherwise, producing the kind of performance that reminds fans why sport remains so unpredictable. In a matter of seconds, he turned a routine qualifying round into a landmark moment that will be remembered for generations.

The world record no one saw coming is now a reality—and Ja’Kobe Tharp is the man who changed history.

A new chapter in middle-distance running may have begun in Oslo after American teenager Cooper Lutkenhaus produced one of the most remarkable performances of the season, narrowly defeating reigning Olympic champion Emmanuel Wanyonyi in a thrilling men's 800m contest at the Diamond League meeting.

The 17-year-old sensation shocked a world-class field by crossing the finish line first in a race that came down to the smallest of margins. After an intense battle over the final metres, Lutkenhaus held off Wanyonyi by just one hundredth of a second, producing a dramatic finish that left the packed stadium in disbelief.

From the opening lap, the pace was relentless as the leading contenders positioned themselves for a fierce showdown. As the athletes entered the home straight, Wanyonyi appeared poised to unleash his trademark finishing kick. However, Lutkenhaus refused to be intimidated, matching the Olympic champion stride for stride before producing a perfectly timed lean at the line to secure a historic victory.

The result marks a breakthrough moment for the young American, who continues to establish himself as one of the brightest talents in global athletics. Defeating an Olympic champion at a Diamond League event is a feat many athletes spend entire careers pursuing, yet Lutkenhaus achieved it before reaching adulthood.

For Wanyonyi, the narrow defeat does little to diminish his status as one of the world's premier 800m runners. The Kenyan once again demonstrated his exceptional class and competitiveness, pushing the race to a world-class standard and forcing his young rival to deliver the performance of a lifetime.

Beyond the result itself, the race offered a glimpse into what could become one of the sport's most exciting rivalries in the years ahead. With established stars and emerging talents now pushing each other to new heights, the men's 800m continues to evolve into one of athletics' most captivating events.

On a memorable night in Oslo, the spotlight belonged to Cooper Lutkenhaus. At just 17 years old, he stood toe-to-toe with an Olympic champion and emerged victorious, announcing himself to the athletics world in spectacular fashion.