Cristina Regalado, daughter of El Salvadorian and Mexican immigrants, trail runner, and co-founder of the Wasatch Trails Collective based in Salt Lake City, UT, completed the historic 2026 Western States 100 Mile Endurance Run not only for her own personal running goals, but to expand opportunities for underrepresented communities in the sport. Regalado, one of two recipients of GU’s sponsored bib program for the 2026 Western States 100, was awarded entry into this classic American trail running competition from Olympic Valley to Auburn, CA, for her work as a leader in BIPOC inclusion.
This was Regalado’s first time competing in the Western States 100 Mile Endurance Run. After completing the race, she expressed her appreciation for GU’s support, “When I first started trail running, I very quickly learned about the Western States 100 and my ultimate goal became to run this race one day…getting the spot through GU left me feeling very grateful. They not only provided the entry, but comprehensive support of gear, nutrition, coaching and mentorship. Now, after completing this race, I have to pinch myself because I can’t believe it all just happened! It was truly a dream come true.”
Outdoor dangers and brotherly love
Regalado grew up believing the outdoors were not a safe space, so she lived mostly sedentary, and did not compete in sports. She describes her early aversion to the outdoors, “I had a very non-traditional course into trail running. I was brought up believing the outdoors were not safe…my mom told me it’s not safe to be outside alone because she grew up in El Salvador during a civil war, where she experienced that women often were sexually assaulted, kidnapped or murdered. That was her reality. She immigrated to the US feeling violence.This theme of the outdoors being unsafe is a common theme amongst immigrants or children of immigrants.”
But in adulthood, Regalado’s perspectives on the outdoors shifted. She wanted to improve her health and took up the habit of running. Regalado signed up for her first race, the 2017 Canyonlands Half Marathon, with her little brother, who was also a distance runner. The two raced their first half-marathon together finishing in under two hours, but shortly afterwards something tragic happened. Her brother had his first of many episodes of psychosis; he was eventually diagnosed with a severe form of Schizophrenia. This had a profound impact, creating immense grief, trauma and ambiguous loss. Schizophrenia psychologically robbed her brother of the person he used to be and the person her family thought he would grow up to be. Regalado felt the impacts of this on a daily basis. She describes her relationship with her brother and their shared passion for running, “Running shifted to a way for me to still feel connected to my brother. I kept running even after he got sick, and thought that maybe I could run a marathon for him because I knew he had always wanted to.”
As Regalado continued to train, she became increasingly curious about her own abilities in the sport, and never lost sight of her connection to her brother, “I completed my first marathon and started to dream about going farther. Why couldn’t I do 100 miles?…I became curious about my abilities, but was also fueled by this connection I still had to my brother through running.”
Strength in numbers
While Regalado was mostly a road runner, she began to explore the trails more and feel safer outdoors when she began showing up to group runs in 2016 organized by Women of the Wasatch. This group, “a Utah-based running community for women, LGTBQ+, BIPOC, and allies,” hosted weekly group runs in the Salt Lake City area, catered to runners of all ages, abilities and backgrounds. Regalado felt an instant connection to the group. She was amazed by the women she met at these group runs, “All these women I met were so inspiring. There was a wide range of women just starting out like me, all the way to women doing 100 miler races and everything in between. I felt empowered being in that community, surrounded by other women doing incredible things. They helped me push my own limits and beliefs of what I was capable of, as well as the belief about what women were capable of in general.”
In addition to strengthening her self-belief and perspectives on female empowerment, Women of the Wasatch also made the outdoors feel safer to Regalado, “There’s safety in numbers, and so showing up to a space where there were other women, I felt safe, you know, in our community. So having that space really helped deconstruct the idea of the outdoors not being a safe space to be a woman.”
Representation lagging
As much as Regalado enjoyed joining the community of Women of the Wasatch, she noticed a lack of other women of color, such as herself. One such runner of color, Siana Weston, who was also in the group joked that the pair should start their own group dedicated towards BIPOC runners. Regalado describes how this joke became reality, when the pair founded the Wasatch Trails Collective in 2023, “We recognized this was a space that didn’t really exist in our community and was vital in bringing more people of color out on the trails, so we decided to start Wasatch Trails Collective, a trail running group for people of color. It’s a community where people of color can come be their authentic selves, push themselves, while feeling safety in numbers.”
She shares several ways in which BIPOC runners still lack inclusion in the outdoor community, “As a woman of color, it’s unfair to say the outdoors are completely safe because there are people in the community that can’t run outdoors because they fear of getting targeted and kidnapped by I.C.E., or if they go to a race, they feel they have to run carrying some sort of identification with them at all times. These are added barriers for people of color and runners from marginalized communities.”
While there have been an increasing number or organizations and initiatives supporting BIPOC inclusion in trail running, Regalado has found that much more work needs to be done to diversify the sport, “With how quickly the sport’s growing, there’s really not a whole lot of work being done to get more voices of marginalized communities on race start lines. There’s definitely some groups out there doing good work, but it’s a really complex issue. There has been a lot of talk, but not enough action being taken.”
She describes several initiatives from the Wasatch Trails Collective to combat these issues of BIPOC inclusion and safety, “We have created space that is welcoming to new trail runners by providing clinics, mentorship and made it very approachable for runners of all backgrounds. We have had brands donate gear and nutritional products to help with runners in financial need. We’ve been slowly trying to address those barriers, and others that keep marginalized communities from participating. There’s also a new initiative for women of color specifically, with a monthly meetup, and we’re providing mentorship and even coaching to a select number of these athletes to help them achieve their goals and dream big in the trail running space.”
In addition to the work of the Wasatch Trails Collective, the Women of the Wasatch promoted the Start Line Project” at the 2026 Speedgoat 50K, which began a multi-year initiative, “to increase female and nonbinary participation in challenging ultramarathons by providing race scholarships, subsidized childcare, and community support.”
Trail running life lessons
Regalado is not running to set records or win races, as much as she is appreciating the life lessons trail running is teaching her. She describes her greatest learnings on the trail that she’s applied to her life, “Growing up, I’ve struggled with depression and anxiety. But when I’m trail running, specifically when I’m putting myself on the start lines of all of these challenging races, I feel that it brings a strength out of me that I am slowly learning to bring into everyday aspects of my life. It brings me confidence and helps me feel all of my emotions. Trails give me joy and a sense of playful adventure.”
Trail running has also helped Regalado manage what she refers to as her, “personal dumpster fire.” She describes this idea in more detail, “Everybody has it, their challenges that I call it a personal dumpster fire. But the pain that comes with trail running, when you’re at mile 80 in a 100 mile race and things are hurting, is a hurt you choose. It’s a controlled dumpster fire that you’ve created and that you can harness and become friends with. You can make something joyous out of this pain that you choose. In real life, you have to deal with dumpster fire that’s out of your control, but I’ve been able to use those tools that I’ve learned from mile 80 to apply to real life scenarios. The tools that I’ve learned on the trail have helped teach me how to put out “real life dumpster fires” and have helped me become a better human. I am more calm, confident, peaceful, and filled with joy.”
The major life skills and the adventure of trail running are aspects that Regalado hopes more trail runners come to appreciate. But as the sport continues to professionalize, she’s noticed shifts towards data and records. Regalado believes trail running goes much deeper, “I’ve seen people in my community get really sucked into the technicality of the sport. If they’re not meeting certain time or place goals (or if they’re playing the comparison game on Strava!), they start to feel that they’re not doing so well. I don’t care about pace or place. The main goal is to get outside, be curious, adventurous, and joyful. Have fun and spread joy. Nothing else matters. Life is short.”
Rapid fire questions
[TAYTE POLLMANN] What’s your favorite trail running podcast? Or another type of podcast?
[CRISTINA REGALADO] I really like the SWAP (Some Work All Play) podcast but often listen to non-running content. I like Ologies with Alie Ward for funny science content. I also listen to a lot of audiobooks while I run.
[TAYTE] What’s your favorite aid station foods/beverages?
[CRISTINA] Quesadillas and broth! I crave salty foods with a bit of protein in them. This always sits well.
[TAYTE] What’s your preferred training shoe?
[CRISTINA] HOKA Mafate
[TAYTE] What’s your current racing shoe?
[CRISTINA] HOKA Rocket X
[TAYTE] Do you have any pre-race rituals?
[CRISTINA] I journal the morning of to set my intentions for the day. Then, I’ll blast something like Missy Elliot or Bad Bunny and just shake ass until I no longer feel nervous. This also makes me feel confident and excited going into a race.
Curious to learn more about Regalado? Follow her on Instagram here. Watch the mini-documentary, Beyond the Miles: Cristina Regalado below.
Enjoy Sarah Barber’s review of GU Energy which includes details on the GU Gives Program
