Women's History Month spotlight: Race director Angie Lake is changing trail running for women (from Runspirited)

This interview was originally published by Henry Howard on Runspirited.com in March 2026.  Here’s the original! Below I copied Henry’s words.

For Women’s History Month, I wanted to give a special shoutout to a race director focused on events for women ultra runners.

I could think of no better choice than Angie Lake, one of three co-RDs for Wild Woman Trail Runs, who are prioritizing trail running for women.

Lake, Stephanie Irving and Susan Elliott have oversee Wild Woman Trail Runs, which are “all-women races, adventure runs, and community experiences for wherever you are on your trail journey.”

In her bio, Lake writes, “Angie's fascinated by the intersection of outdoor adventure and womanhood. She blends her passions into her work as a creative director helping outdoor brands advance women's equity and inclusion. Angie's also a nerd when it comes to menstrual cycles — she even wrote a book about how they mirror nature! As a multi-passionate athlete, Angie does the typical Columbia Gorge thing of trying to fit three sports into a day. When not running trails, she's skiing, gravel biking, mountaineering, or scream-crying in her kayak. She ran her first 100-miler in 2024 and wants more self-supported adventure in 2026.”

Their premier event is the Wild Woman Trail Marathon, Relay, and 50K, which became the first all-women's marathon in the United States, trail or road. It is held at Mt. Adams, a 12,276-foot volcano in the Columbia River Gorge.

The race is held in June. According to their website, “the weekend would be about more than just racing. It would be a retreat. A celebration. A chance for women of all levels to test themselves, support each other and prove that they're stronger than they think.”

For her contributions to the trail and ultra running community, Lake is my featured race director for March, the 27th in this series. In January 2024, I kicked off this monthly feature to pay tribute to the trail and ultra race directors who make the sport great.

Q+A With Angie Lake, Wild Woman Trail Runs co-race director

Question: Why did you get into race directing?

Answer: I dream of a world with no gender gaps, where women are free to express themselves without barriers or judgment from themselves or others. Outdoor sports are a gateway to confidence, expression and leadership for women. So fostering an encouraging, enthusiastic space for women to show up, push their limits and make new connections was an obvious YES! I’m honestly not sure if I would’ve ended up becoming an RD if it were a co-ed race. Women’s sports has been my focus all along.

Question: How did you get your start as an RD?

Answer: I’ve been running for over half my life, but never planned to become an RD. Like many of my best projects, this one started serendipitously! I met Stephanie Irving, Wild Woman co-founder, at the time her other co-founder was ready to move onto other projects. It was an obvious fit for me: I’ve spent most of my career increasing access to outdoor sports for girls and women, and I already worked in event planning and running media.

Question: What’s the most interesting thing you’ve learned about yourself since you became an RD?

Answer: I thrive when creating new partnerships between values-aligned brands! We just launched the First 50K Sisterhood, a program between Wild Woman and The Cairn Project (a nonprofit I work with to expand women’s outdoor adventure and storytelling). Fifteen women are going to run their first ultramarathon in June 2026, getting free training/coaching/gear, sharing their journeys in media, and fundraising for future scholarships too. There is SO MUCH grunt work when it comes to building a scholarship — yet I found myself totally in flow with every form, every spreadsheet, every double-check on a link, because it felt so aligned with my strengths and interests.

Question: What’s your best piece of advice for someone who wants to RD?

Answer: Know how to tell impactful stories. It’s not just about promoting your race anymore. People — runners, consumers, women — want to relate to a deeper story, a transformation that inspires them. We want to see the messier, relatable stories of getting up at 5 am to run before childcare, of getting your period mid-race, of finally learning to not be afraid of carbs. Those are often more impactful than the summit selfies and vague advice.

Question: What’s your favorite race to direct?

Answer: Wild Woman has a 50K, marathon, half marathon and 26.2 relay. But I have a special place in my heart for the 50K distance, since many of our 50K runners are running their very first ultra. It’s an ideal first ultra course: gentle, forgiving, beautiful. Not “easy,” of course, but so worth it!

Question: What’s your favorite race to run?

Answer: My first 100-miler was the inaugural Hood Hundred by Daybreak Racing. I think about it daily: the beauty, professionalism and stoke of the volunteers forged infinite positive memories for me.

Question: Tell me about a funny experience as an RD and what you learned from it.

Answer: Stephanie, Susan and I were having a directors’ meeting at a cafe a few months ago. Mid-conversation, a man came over with a bottle of wine. He said he heard us talking about expanding our business, and got excited because he’s also a small business owner. He wanted to congratulate us with a bottle of wine and left us with some kind words! It was SO unexpected but showed me how many people are cheering on women in leadership.

Question: If a runner can only do one of your races ever, it would be .... (and why)

Answer: RUN THE 50K!!! My hot take is that if you’re signing up for the marathon, you can totally extend to the 50K and finish strong. :)

Question: What exciting project do you have in the works (new race, updated race, etc.)?

Answer: The winning cohort of the First 50K Sisterhood will share their training and race stories over spring 2026 as we prepare them for the big weekend. I cannot WAIT to help them share their stories with the world, to cause a ripple effect getting more women into running. If you join my email newsletter, you’ll get updates on that and other programs to get women outdoors and on trails! It’s bloodsweatfear.substack.com, with free posts every Tuesday.