Hebah Hefzy Becomes 1st Hijabi Runner to Finish World’s Oldest 100-Mile Ultramarathon

On Sunday, Hebah Hefzy, a neurologist and mother of three, became the first hijab-wearing athlete to complete the Western States Endurance Run, the oldest 100-mile ultramarathon in the world with a route from Olympic Valley near Lake Tahoe to the suburbs of Sacramento.

Hefzy said she didn’t feel certain about her finish until she began the final steep climb in Auburn. At that point, she was ready to walk it in, but her pacer, Jessie Gipe, forced her to run 30 seconds at a time. Despite the highs and lows of the race, Hefzy said she could execute the strategy she and her coach, Sydney Devore, crafted for her.

She reconnected with her crew at mile 99 so they could run the final mile together to the finish line at Placer High School. Hefzy was nearing exhaustion but picked up her pace once she heard the cheers from the crowd waiting on the high school track.

As she started the customary lap around the school’s track, she fully sprinted toward the finish line, carrying all the emotions from the past 100 miles with her.

Hefzy completed the race in 28 hours and 52 minutes — well under her goal of making the 30-hour cutoff.

“I love showing up to something like this where you don’t necessarily look like you fit, and you’re not the typical demographic, and nobody would expect that you would do something like this and then be able to accomplish that,” Hefzy said.

As outdoor sports like trail running continue to grow in popularity, according to one industry report, there’s a declining frequency of outdoor outings among Black, Indigenous, and People of Color [BIPOC] participants. This shrinking number of participants is troubling for outdoor brands and races like the Western States, which serve as foundational events for the sport.

“The kind of continued access that you need to start loving the sport or even become good in the sport is something that is not accessible for people who live in cities and far away from mountains,” said Alison Mariella Désir, co-founder of the Running Industry Diversity Coalition and the author of “Running While Black.”

Desir said that for someone from Detroit like Hefzy, it’s remarkable she’s gotten to this point.

But for a moment during the race, it looked like Hefzy’s race was in jeopardy when a forest fire erupted adjacent to the course. At no point did the Creek Fire threaten the runners, but it closed off crew access to a crucial aid station at mile 79.8 of the race.

Hefzy’s crew of friends and running partners had planned to resupply Hefzy and provide her with a dry pair of shoes following the race’s iconic river crossing. They had to adjust their well-coordinated plans on the fly to ensure Hefzy had enough time to finish the remaining 20 or so miles.

And it wasn’t just Hefzy’s crew that had to adjust. She set out with 375 other runners to test their endurance on snowy mountain passes and steep canyons with sweltering heat.

The road to Western States

The race takes its name from the historic Western States Trail.

Billy Yang, a Western States board member and filmmaker who helped to popularize the race, last ran the course in 2015. He now serves as a commentator for the race’s livestream. Yang said that when you’re out on the trail, “it’s almost like running through a natural museum.”

The modern incarnation of the trail was established by prospectors coming to California during the gold rush. However, prior to the establishment of the state, the Washoe and Nisenan tribes called the area home and moved throughout the region on their own trails.

This history is part of what makes the race so popular among ultrarunners.

For elite and non-elite runners alike, getting a chance to run in the Western States is a dream. Runners must run a series of qualifying races to make themselves eligible for the race lottery. As runners complete more qualifying races, they increase the chances that their name will get selected, earning them an entry spot.

Western States board member Magdalena Boulet estimates that there are 20,000 people on the waiting list.

“There have been people that have waited up to 16 years to get an opportunity to run the race,” Boulet said.

Boulet is also the 2015 women’s champion of Western States and serves as the president of sports nutrition company GU, which sponsored Hefzy’s entry into the race.

For runners like Hefzy, the race can seem especially out of reach. Hefzy received just one of four entries reserved for runners from underrepresented communities.

Hefzy noted, “Out of the 375 registered runners, only 100 are women. And out of the women, a handful are minorities like me.”

‘Cannot pour from an empty cup’: Reasons for running

Hefzy started running after she was inspired by her patients. Her subspecialty in neurology is stroke, and she said, “I was such a hypocrite, telling people that they needed to wake up early and exercise, and I wasn’t doing it.”

Hefzy’s parents are from Egypt, and she acknowledges that it’s unusual for people with her background to be so immersed in a sport, especially when they have a demanding career.

But running gives Hefzy so much more than just health.

“I feel strongly that you just cannot pour from an empty cup, and I think the best way that I can take care of my kids and my family and my patients and everybody who relies on me is to also take care of myself,” she said.

Within two years, she said she started to feel like a runner and began training to qualify for the Boston Marathon. Not long after that, she entered her first ultramarathon.

But for a long time, Hefzy said she felt ashamed about committing so much time to running.

“I almost had an affair with running because I had to do it secretly,” she said.

She felt conflicted because of the expectations placed on Muslim women.

“It’s hard because you don’t want to stand out when there are negative associations with your appearance, and people kind of place you in a box, and God forbid you’re not in the box they place you in.” she confided.

Eventually, she joined a run club called Zaman Run Team and connected with other Muslim runners in Detroit.

Training for Western States

Training in Detroit posed its own set of challenges. She not only had to balance her running and strength training schedule with her familial obligations and career, but the closest “trail” to her was over an hour away.

The city offered her no way to simulate the kinds of conditions she would face in the Western States.

To prepare for the heat, she could only spend time in a sauna immediately after her training runs.

Hefzy’s lack of familiarity with the mountainous terrain became apparent when a blister on her heel began to form after repeated uphill climbs in the first half of the race.

Her heel began rubbing the back of her shoe in a way she wasn’t used to from running in the city. And at long endurance events like these, small things like a blister can quickly compound throughout the race to become much bigger problems.

Hefzy’s medical background came in handy when she requested a scalpel at an aid station and sliced the blister herself, providing momentary relief.

At various points along the course, Hefzy had to contend with multiple falls, which tore open her running tights, gastrointestinal issues and poison ivy.

Bouncing back on the course and crew members along the way

Hefzy’s ability to bounce back from these low moments was a testament to her strength and to her crew, who served as her lifeline out on the course.

Crew member Zahraa Boussi said she volunteered to be part of Hefzy’s crew to witness Hefzy’s “strength in action.”

“As soon as she told me that she had this opportunity, I did not hesitate to be there for her,” Boussi said.

Agreeing to be a member of a runner’s crew requires extensive coordination between its members and following a detailed schedule. Because the course passes through very remote areas, a runner might cover five miles between aid stations on the course while the crew vehicles have to drive over an hour to transport supplies between those same points.

Being a crew member presents its own challenges. Often, you get little to no rest while you chase your runner to ensure you make it to the next aid station in time.

Some parts of the course are so remote that they require a hike-in to meet your runner. By one crew member’s estimate, they walked 18 miles throughout the race, all while carrying Hefzy’s supplies and backup gear.

Not a second is wasted while they go over Hefzy and complete a checklist of more than 20 tasks.

Hefzy hopes that her presence on the trail encourages more women like herself to challenge themselves and not worry about stereotypes. She wants her accomplishment to make it easier for anybody who comes after her.

At the awards ceremony following the race, Hefzy waits for the race director to call her name and then walks up to accept her belt buckle, the signature award signifying the completion of Western States.

She carries herself with pride as her open-toe sandals show off her blisters to the crowd.