Grayson Murphy (born June 28, 1995) is an American

mountain runner Mountain running is a sports discipline which takes place mainly off-road in mountainous terrain, but if there is significant elevation gain on the route, surfaced roads may be used. In this it differs from fell running; also its courses are more ...

. Representing the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

, she is a two-time world champion in mountain running and trail running, as well as a four-time US national champion in mountain running and vertical kilometer. At the

University of Utah The University of Utah (U of U, UofU, or simply The U) is a public research university in Salt Lake City, Utah. It is the flagship institution of the Utah System of Higher Education. The university was established in 1850 as the University of De ...

, Murphy competed in

cross-country Cross country or cross-country may refer to: Places * Cross Country, Baltimore, a neighborhood in northwest Baltimore, Maryland * Cross County Parkway, an east–west parkway in Westchester County, NY * Cross County Shopping Center, a mall in Yo ...

and

track and field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping events ...

and was a five-time All-American.

Early life and education

While a student at

West High School (Utah) West High School is the oldest public high school in the U.S. state of Utah. It was founded in 1890, and it is part of the Salt Lake City School District. Its original name was Salt Lake High. The school colors are red and black and the school mas ...

, Murphy never competed on any of her school's running teams. She instead was focused on soccer, and began her college athletic career as a member of the

NCAA Division III NCAA Division III (D-III) is a division of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States. D-III consists of athletic programs at colleges and universities that choose not to offer athletic scholarships to their stu ...

soccer team at

Sweet Briar College Sweet Briar College is a private women's college in Sweet Briar, Virginia. It was established in 1901 by Indiana Fletcher Williams in memory of her deceased daughter, Daisy. The college formally opened its doors in 1906 and granted the B.A. deg ...

. After one year, she transferred to

Santa Clara University Santa Clara University is a private Jesuit university in Santa Clara, California. Established in 1851, Santa Clara University is the oldest operating institution of higher learning in California. The university's campus surrounds the historic Mis ...

and competed in track for the first time, as a walk-on for the

Santa Clara Broncos The Santa Clara Broncos are athletic teams that represent Santa Clara University. The school colors are red and white. The nicknames for teams is The Broncos and the student fans are referred to as the "Ruff Riders". The Broncos compete in the NC ...

. She spent the remainder of her collegiate career with the

Utah Utes The Utah Utes are the intercollegiate athletics teams that represent the University of Utah, located in Salt Lake City. The athletic department is named after the Ute tribe of Native Americans. The men's basketball team is known as the Runnin' ...

, where she became an All-American in cross-country, indoor track, and outdoor track.

Professional career

Murphy captured her first

USA Track & Field USA Track & Field (USATF) is the United States national governing body for the sports of track and field, cross country running, road running and racewalking (known as the sport of athletics outside the US). The USATF was known between 1979 and ...

national title at the 2019 USATF Mountain Running Championships. She repeated her title in 2021 and 2023, while also adding another victory in the Vertical Mountain Running division in 2023. Internationally, Murphy won the 2019 World Mountain Running Championships in her debut at the event. She is also the XTERRA trail run world champion. Murphy also won the 2023 World Mountain Running Championships in the Up and Downhill Mountain class.2023 World Mountain Running Championships Up and Down Results: U.S.’s Murphy and Uganda’s Chemutai Win Big in Innsbruck
/ref> Murphy is sponsored professionally by

Saucony Saucony is an American brand of athletic footwear and apparel. Founded in 1898, the company is owned by Wolverine World Wide. Products commercialised by Saucony include footwear and clothing ranges, such as athletic shoes, jackets, hoodies, t-sh ...

References

1995 births Living people 21st-century American sportswomen American female mountain runners Santa Clara Broncos athletes Sweet Briar College alumni Utah Utes athletes World Mountain Running Championships winners Sportspeople from Utah {{US-sport-bio-stub