Pam Reed, the ultra running legend, is going the extra mile in 2021. Pam is turning 60 and is still runnning.
In a career that spans over 3 decades, Pam Reed reigns as one of the most accomplished ultra runners ever, with multiple wins at the Badwater 135, dubbed the “Toughest Foot Race on Earth” by Outside Magazine, World Records in the 24Hour and 48 Hour Races and well over 80 finishes in 100 mile races.
In 2012, ESPN Sport Science selected Pam to compete in an online competition to determine the best athlete of all time. While she did not win, she was selected to compete in the Endurance category and go head-to-head with athletes such as Mohammed Ali and Michael Jordan. Her 2002 Badwater victory stunned the running world; she defeated the entire field by nearly five hours, and broke the existing women’s record by 1 hour, 51 minutes. She defended her title in July 2003, becoming the first woman to win two consecutive overall titles in the history of the world’s most difficult running race. Since then, she has broken the American women’s record in the 24-hour run, 48-hour run, and the 6-day race.
Pam was selected to run on the USA National Team for the 24-Hour run and three times for the 48-Hour run and has raced in Taiwan and the Netherlands, Czech Republic, and France.
Pam continues to be an age group finalist in multiple Ironman events each year and a top finisher in ultra marathon events.
Age: 53 (born Feb. 27, 1961)
Birthplace: Palmer, Michigan
Home: Jackson Hole, WY
Family: Husband (Jim), three children (Timothy, Andrew, Jackson), two stepsons (Jonathon, Greg)
Education: Bachelor of Science, Business Administration, Univ. of Arizona 1984;
Attended Michigan Tech University
Occupation: Race director / owner, Tucson Marathon Events LLC; motivational speaker; role model using running and an active lifestyle to promote healthy living
Hobbies: Running, cycling, swimming, tennis, hiking, traveling
Passions: Helping children and young adults with obesity and eating disorders
Qualified for World Ironman Championships 2010 – 2013 and World Ironman 70.3 Championships in 2010 – 2014
Gold Ironman 2013 All World Athlete (top 1% age group in Ironman)
38-time Ironman finisher
2-time champion and only woman to win the 135-mile Badwater Ultramarathon (2002 and 2003)
Badwater Ultramarathon 40 – 49 age group record holder (27:42:52 in 2008)
24-hour American women’s record holder: 138.96 miles (2003)
48-hour Ultramarathon women’s record holder: 212 miles (2004)
The only woman to ever run 300 miles without stopping (2005)
Ran 491 miles at the Self-Transcendence 6-Day Race (2009); unofficial American record
Has run more than 90 ultramarathon events
Marathon PR = 2:59
2003 USA Track & Field Women’s Ultra Runner of the Year
2003 Competitor Magazine Endurance Sports Athlete of the Year
Author of The Extra Mile, Rodale, 2006
Race director, Tucson Marathon (since 1995)
Mother / stepmother of five
2015 Race Schedule
Time | Result
January 26 – 28 Arrowhead 135
February 14 Moab Red Hot 55k
March 7 Old Pueblo 50 Mile
March 28 Pole Peddle Paddle
April 4 – 5 Zion 100
May 2 Ironman 70.3 St George
May 16 Ironman Texas
June 27 – 28 Western States 100
July 10 Hardrock 100
July 28 – 29 Badwater
August 2 Ironman Boulder
September 18 – 19 Run Rabbit Run 100
September 27 Ironman Chattanooga
October 10 Ironman Hawaii Kona
November 7 Ironman Florida
2014 Race Results
Time | Result
January 19 San Diego 50 mile 8:49 3rd woman
March 2 Old Pueblo 50 mile 11:37:50 2nd woman
March 8 Pemberton Trail 50K 4:37 6th woman
March 15 Monument Valley 50 mile 10:31:43 2nd woman
March 21 Antelope Island 50K 5:49 7th woman
April 4 Zion 100 mile 26:29:50 6th woman
April 21 Boston Marathon 3:34:18
May 3 St. George 1/2 Ironman 5:45:24 8th age group
May 19 Ironman Texas (qualified for Kona) 11:41:10 2nd age group
June 14 Jackson Hole Half Marathon (race director)
July 12 Beaverhead 50K 9:26 5th woman
June 21 Big Horn 50K 6:43 25th overall
July 21 Badwater Ultramarathon (135 miles) 29:30 2nd woman
August 31 Jackson Hole Marathon 3:42 2nd woman
September 7 Ironman Wisconsin (qualified for Kona) 11:36 2nd age group
September 27 Ironman Chattanooga 11:04:21 2nd age group
October 12 Ironman Hawaii 12:39:15 30th age group
November 1 Ironman Florida 10:14:08 2nd age group
ESPN: The Magazine
Her Sports
Fitness Plus
Runner’s World
Running Times
Sports Illustrated
Ultrafondus
Ultrarunning
Ultramarathon World
Women’s Running
Arizona Daily Star
Arizona Republic
Associated Press
Chicago Tribune
Fitness Plus
Los Angeles Times
New York Times
San Diego Union-Tribune
Tail Winds
Tucson Lifestyle
The Capital Times
Washington Post
Pam is a survivor of anorexia nervosa, an eating disorder that affects over 3 million people in the U.S. She recognizes many parallels between her life race to conquer this condition and the challenges of competitive racing. She writes very openly about it in her book, The Extra Mile.
Pam is proud both personally and professionally of her accomplishments in these areas and discusses her history with anorexia without reservation. She hopes that others will find strength in her example, strive to overcome similar difficulties, and strive to achieve their personal best.
One year after her astonishing victory at the Badwater Ultramarathon, Pam Reed again made distance-running history when she braved the hottest weather in years–125 degrees–to successfully defend her title. How does this 100-pound mother and stepmother of five muster the endurance and courage for the 28-hour climb from the hottest desert floor on Earth to the shadow of the continental United States’ highest point?
In The Extra Mile, we watch this ultramarathon champion seek balance in her life as a wife, mother, athlete, and entrepreneur. With astonishing candor, Reed tells of her 15-year battle with anorexia. And she helps us to understand her passion for ultrarunning–to discover how far the human body can be pushed.