Grayson Murphy - Trail Runner Profile
Grayson Murphy is an American mountain runner and two-time World Mountain Running Champion, winning in 2019 and again in 2023 at the World Mountain and Trail Running Championships, where she also took bronze in the vertical race the same week. A former steeplechase and marathon trials qualifier, she
Grayson Murphy quick facts
- Nationality: United States
- From: Salt Lake City, Utah
- UTMB Index: 741 (as of 6 October 2026, UTMB profile)
- Key results: World titles: 2 (2019, 2023); USATF Mountain Ultra Trail titles: 4; Also a two-time: XTERRA trail running world champion
UTMB Index and ITRA scores change after every race. The dates are when each number was read from the official profile.
Country: United States · Team: Saucony · Specialities: Vertical, Sky & mountain, Under 42km
Right now: Racing for Saucony on the mountain and short-trail circuit.
Key facts
- World titles: 2 (2019, 2023)
- USATF Mountain Ultra Trail titles: 4
- Also a two-time: XTERRA trail running world champion
- ITRA profile: Grayson Murphy
Two world titles, four years apart
Murphy won her first World Mountain Running Championship in 2019, then won it again in 2023 at the Mountain Classic race in Austria, crossing the line in 1:04:29. In the same 2023 championships she took bronze in the vertical race, over a 7.5km course with more than 1,000m of climbing, making her the only athlete at that year's championships to medal twice.
A track and road background applied to the mountains
Before mountain running, Murphy made the final of the steeplechase at the 2021 US Olympic Trials and qualified for the 2024 Olympic Trials in the marathon with a half marathon time of 70:34. That road and track speed underlies her mountain running: four USATF Mountain Ultra Trail titles between 2019 and 2024, and two XTERRA trail world championships.
Where she is right now
Murphy signed with Saucony to build out her trail racing and finished third at the Speedgoat 50k by UTMB in 2025. She lives and trains in Bozeman, Montana.
How Grayson runs
Murphy brings a track athlete's efficiency to steep mountain terrain. She made the steeplechase final at the 2021 US Olympic Trials and qualified for the 2024 Olympic Trials in the marathon, and that speed and running economy underpin everything she does in the mountains.
On climbs, her quick turnover and strong aerobic engine let her hold a high pace on runnable gradients. She has learned to convert her track speed into results on vertical kilometres and uphill-format championship races, where sustained aerobic power matters more than technical descending.
She is also durable and versatile. Two world mountain running titles four years apart, a world championship vertical bronze in the same week as her 2023 title, and wins on the US mountain and XTERRA circuits show an athlete who performs across formats and seasons.
Where Grayson is strongest
Uphill-format championship races and vertical kilometres, as well as classic mountain races with significant climbing. Her two world titles, in 2019 and 2023, came in exactly these formats.
She is relatively newer to longer, more technical trail races such as the Speedgoat 50k, where she was third in 2025, and is building her experience on courses where technical descending matters more.
The edge. A road and track base most mountain specialists do not have, which shows up in her pace on runnable climbs.
What you can learn from Grayson
1. A track and road base transfers to the mountains
Murphy's speed comes from years of steeplechase and marathon training. If you have a road running background, it is an asset in mountain racing. Keep some faster running in your training and add hill-specific work to put it to use.
2. Train runnable climbs at tempo effort
Her advantage shows on climbs she can run. Practise sustained tempo efforts on moderate uphill grades of 5 to 10 percent, so you can keep running on gradients where others start to walk.
3. Uphill races are a great entry point
Crossing over from roads or track is often easiest at short, steep distances. If you are new to trail running, uphill races and vertical kilometres let you use your fitness without needing advanced technical skills.
4. Durability over years beats one peak season
Winning world titles four years apart shows long-term consistency. Train in a way you can sustain, with recovery and variety, so you can keep improving over many seasons rather than peaking once.
Selected results
| Year | Race | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | World Mountain Running Championships, classic race | 1st (1:04:29, Austria) |
| 2023 | World Mountain and Trail Running Championships, vertical | 3rd |
| 2019 | World Mountain Running Championships | 1st |
| 2025 | Speedgoat 50k by UTMB | 3rd |
A selection, not a complete race history.
Official profiles
Compare yourself with Grayson
- ITRA index calculator: estimate the km-effort and an indicative performance band for your own race result (not an official ITRA Performance Index).
- Trail pace calculator: turn your road pace into a trail pace and finish time for a given elevation profile.
Frequently asked questions
How many World Mountain Running Championships has Grayson Murphy won?
Two, in 2019 and 2023. In 2023 she also won bronze in the vertical race the same week, becoming the only double medalist at that championship.
What is Grayson Murphy's running background?
She competed on the track and roads before moving to mountain running, making the 2021 US Olympic Trials final in the steeplechase and qualifying for the 2024 Olympic Trials in the marathon.
Runners with a similar profile
- Mădălina Florea (Romania): Golden Trail World Series champion, Sierre-Zinal winner, and the most consistent short-trail racer in the world right now.
- Judith Wyder (Switzerland): Five-time orienteering world champion who became one of the best short-trail racers on earth.
- Rémi Bonnet (Switzerland): The fastest climber in history: 1,000m of vertical gain in 27:21, and back-to-back Golden Trail World Series titles.
- Elhousine Elazzaoui (Morocco): Back-to-back Golden Trail World Series champion and the first African man to win the circuit.
Sources and verification
Checked against the following sources on 2026-08-27:
- iRunFar: Grayson Murphy wins the 2023 World Mountain Running Championships
- COROS: How Grayson Murphy mastered the trails to win a world title
- ITRA runner profile
- UTMB Index profile (official)
- USATF: Murphy’s world trail title earns her USATF Athlete of the Week
Canonical page: https://trailia.run/best-trail-runners/grayson-murphy
Published by Trailia (https://trailia.run), a personalised trail running coaching platform. This profile is a factual reference, not a ranking.