Jessie Diggins has added a new headline to her post-skiing career: winner of the Superior 100 Mile Trail Race, in her first attempt ever at the 100-mile distance.

The retired American cross-country skiing star, who stepped away from World Cup racing in March, took on the race over the weekend on her home turf in Minnesota. The Superior 100 runs along the Superior Hiking Trail from Gooseberry State Park to Lutsen, covering roughly 163km with about 5,290 meters of elevation gain. Diggins completed the course in 25 hours, 9 minutes and 46 seconds.

It was a fitting stage for the milestone. Diggins grew up in Minnesota, and choosing the state for her first 100-miler carried extra meaning for her, as she made clear once she crossed the finish line.

She posted about the win on Instagram, thanking the people who got her through the race:

“We did it – ran 101 miles!! Running is a team sport, and there’s no way I could have crossed the finish line without all the cheering, support and amazing pacing and crewing from my friends. Thank you so much to my crew for getting me through some serious lows where I couldn’t string together one coherent sentence, and for keeping me moving along – and for sharing all the highs and laughs along the way.”

Diggins also had some fun with one detail that survived the ordeal better than she did:

“It seems fitting that even when it felt like most of my body was shutting down or falling apart, the glitter stayed in place right to the finish line!”

She closed her post with thanks to the race community as a whole, from the organizers to the volunteers to everyone cheering along the course, and to the aid stations that kept her going over more than a full day of racing:

“A huge thanks to the incredible community surrounding this race – from the directors to the volunteers to the cheering all along the course and aid stations – you all make this something everyone wants to be part of. It meant so much to me to do my first ever 100 mile race in Minnesota, where I was born and raised!”

The story continues below.

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A post shared by Jessie Diggins (@jessiediggins)

The Superior 100 is the latest step in Diggins’ move toward ultrarunning since retiring from skiing. She had already tested herself over long trail distances this summer, including a run at Sierre-Zinal in Switzerland in August, before targeting the 100-mile distance for the first time in her home state.

Also Read: Diggins trades skis for trail shoes in Switzerland

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