Keely Henninger

👋 everyone! I’m Keely Henninger. For those of you who don’t know me, I’ve been a professional trail runner for over 7 years and have worked as a scientist, coach, and advocate for the health of female athletes. I worked as a scientist for Nike for 7 years where I got to study everything from the 4% marathon shoe, sports bras and breast mechanics, pregnancy, and the menstrual cycle’s impact on performance. As someone who’s been in the sport of running for a very long time, I have both personally experienced and witnessed countless females enter the sport, train too hard, eat too little, suffer season ending injuries, and never return again. The prevalence of low energy availability, disordered eating, and RED-S in the sport of running is extremely high and I have dedicated my latest research efforts to helping raise awareness in this space. I have coached athletes back from times of disordered eating, amenorrhea, and LEA by collaborating with physicians, dietitians, and physical therapists. And I host a podcast @trail.society that aims to help change the narrative in our sport of trail running to one that embraces fueling and healthy training. However, I want to do more. I am currently in medical school to become a physician who can hopefully help make changes in the space of women’s health, sports medicine, and hormonal health. Thanks for following along over the years! And 👋 to all the new followers!

06.21.24 💫 Our wedding was the perfect incarnation of our love. We are beyond grateful for everyone who celebrated with us in our favorite place. ❤️ KJ 📹: @kalefitchfilms

Our latest study was published in the International Journal of Exercise Science! We surveyed 1,899 trail runners between the ages of 18-40 and our goal was to examine fueling behaviors and risk of things like Low Energy Availability and Disordered Eating to raise awareness around the importance of fueling for long term health and performance. We found that most runners met the fueling recommendations of 30 to 60 grams of carbohydrates for training and racing lasting 1 to 2.5 hours. However, a significant portion of trail runners did not increase their carbohydrate intake and meet the recommendations for 60 to 90 grams of carbs for training runs and races lasting longer than 2.5 hours. Additionally, female runners were more likely to fuel insufficiently when compared to males and were more likely to be at risk for LEA if they did not fuel properly during their runs. Thanks to everyone that participated in this study! Read the full article here:https://digitalcommons.wku.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=3692&context=ijes

The 2026 @runinrabbit x @trail.society collection is here 🌸 Being part of Trail Society Podcast has always been about sharing a bigger story in trail running. Real conversations. Highlighting women in sport. Making science actually usable. And sharing the stories behind the miles. You all showed so much love to last year’s florals, so this time we went all in 💐 Head-to-toe pieces you can mix, match, and actually put through real miles. The kind of gear you forget you’re wearing… until someone asks you about it mid-run and you realize how cute you look 💁🏼‍♀️ Check it out now while supplies last 🩷 🩵 #trailsociety #runinrabbit #trailrunning #run #trail

Something bright is coming…👀 Fast, floral, fun 🌸⚡️ We teamed up with @runinrabbit , our official apparel partner, to create a collection that feels like summer on the trails: bold prints, vibrant colors, and pieces built to move. Feminine, but fully trail-ready. Playful, but made for real miles. Designed for the days when you want to feel strong and a little bold. When your kit matches your energy. When fast meets fun. Trail Society x rabbit 🌸 Launching April 23 🌸 📸: @banta.visuals @somerrunner

Lexy & Andrew, we love you both so much! 💫 Watching your little sister and best friend marry such a top-notch guy is one of the most special and surreal moments, and last weekend is something I’ll be holding onto for a long time. I can’t wait to keep making memories with the two of you. I hope you continue to stay the goofballs you are, keep supporting each other’s dreams, and showing up for each other (& Beau Beau) as the incredible team you already are. Welcome to the Henninger clan, Andrew! 🤍 📸: @yvonnetranphoto

Not every workout is going to click and that doesn’t mean it’s a failure. This is especially true when getting back into the swing of things after some time off. On this week’s episode of the Trail Society Podcast, we talk about the middle ground - the space between forcing it and skipping it altogether. Maybe the intervals turn into a steady tempo. Maybe the long run becomes a shorter effort by feel. Maybe you start the workout and check in halfway through instead of judging it before it begins. There’s power in leaning into effort without demanding perfection. There’s growth in showing up, adjusting, and giving yourself the grace to meet your body where it is. You don’t have to strike the workout just because it won’t look good on paper. Sometimes the win is trying. Sometimes the win is modifying. Sometimes the win is simply staying in the conversation with yourself. Effort > ego. Consistency > perfection.

Stress is stress. Your body doesn’t care if it’s coming from mileage, work deadlines, family stuff, or the world being on fire — it all lands the same. When life cranks up the pressure, cortisol rises right along with it. And while that’s not inherently bad, staying in that high-alert state for too long can tip the scales. Hormones shift. Recovery lags. Sleep gets weird. Motivation dips. Small niggles turn into bigger issues. It’s a cascade. That’s why scaling training during high-stress seasons isn’t weakness — it’s wisdom. Sometimes the run needs to become a walk.
Sometimes the walk needs to become sitting on a rock in the woods, breathing, letting your nervous system catch up. Fitness isn’t built in a single workout. But burnout can be. On this week’s episode of Trail Society, we’re talking about how to adjust your training when life is loud — and why doing less (for a minute) might actually protect your long game. 🌲

📢📢We’re recruiting Portland women (athletes with ovaries) between the ages of 18–35 who are currently training or competing in sport at a high level. Any sport counts. If you’re training hard, you qualify! Sessions take place at Spring Fertility (NW Portland) and last ~1 hour. Athletes will participate in a physician-led discussion on reproductive health + training, complete a brief survey and blood draw, receive a 1:1 call with Dr. Sacha Krieg to review results, and be entered into a raffle for free sports nutrition. Multiple dates available over the next few months — sign up at the link via the QR code or in my bio (more dates on weekends hopefully coming soon!). As a medical student, former professional runner, and former Nike scientist, I’m deeply committed to female athlete health and performance. This study explores the links between menstruation, low energy availability, athlete perceptions, and fertility to help improve future care. Please help spread the word in the Portland community! #femaleathleteresearch #fertility

REDs in Ultra Endurance Athletes! It’s a huge topic but does the current REDs mode adequately cover the unique circumstances and demographics of this community? Read my latest research paper on this topic (in collaboration with @runwidkeel !!) at the link in my bio. Let’s talk about it!!

Highly recommend finishing final exams of another term of medical school and immediately getting on a plane to this magical place 😍 Couldn’t have asked for a more invigorating, challenging, beautiful, and refreshing trip. I spent 4 days exploring Alaska with some of the coolest ladies. 🏃‍♀️ We ran at Crows Pass and Lil O’Malley 🏔️ We did a 2-day (~25 mi 12,000’) fast pack up Bomber pass—> Seth Holden Hut—> Snowbird pass through ice, snow, boulders, and tundra 📕 We read the log books of those who traveled to this remote hut before us (disclaimer: it’s a bit spicy) The biggest shoutout to @susannaelaine for planning this trip and showing me your favorite place, breaking me out of my comfort zone, and being full on high stoke woman the entire trip 💕 And another shoutout to @aklaurenfritz and @frankowitz for joining us on this adventure, teaching me how to not slide off snowy glaciers, and being the best adventure companions I could ask for! You ladies are such baddies 💃🏻💃🏻 I suppose I’ll go back to school now..

Introducing the rabbit x Trail Society collection 🌸 We’re proud to team up with the Trail Society Podcast on this exclusive gear drop. Known for their honest takes and deep expertise, the trio covers everything from training and physiology to trail safety, mindset, and what it means to show up fully as a female athlete. When we asked your favorite podcast hosts what they wanted in running apparel, pretty and bold were the first two words that came to mind. This limited-edition collection includes some of our most popular items–the UPF Deflector, Go Time Singlet, Muscle Tank, Crew, Leggy Smashems, Ice Hat, and Ice Bandana. We know that trail runners, just like nature, can be feminine and tough at the same time and that’s why we paired the performance of rabbit products with a floral print you want to wear. And while they may look pretty, don’t underestimate the grit required when wearing them…witness Keely herself in some of the gear at the 2025 Western States 100, where she raced her way to a strong 9th-place finish. Shop the collection at the link in bio and check out Trail Society wherever you listen to your podcasts. 📸: @noahklabin