Chasing North Stars: A Conversation with Abby Hall

When Abby Corridor gained the 2025 Western States 100, it was simply the comeback story of the yr: A runner on an upward trajectory to success derailed by a damaged leg throughout a freak coaching accident returns to win one of many greatest races in ultrarunning.

The efficiency got here as a shock to many. And Corridor says that for a lot of her working profession, “I bought actually used to being on this place of somebody who’s on the sting of a breakthrough but by no means truly doing it.” However Corridor’s strategy to working, and her dedication to the game over practically a decade of ultras, it looks as if it possible wasn’t a matter of if, however when her breakthrough would occur. She says, “I discover my new north star yearly or two and simply go all in.” After fracturing her tibial plateau in a coaching accident a few week earlier than the 2023 Western States 100, but nonetheless attending the race to observe her buddy and teammate Tom Evans win that yr, the occasion grew to become her guiding gentle throughout the powerful instances of harm, surgical procedure, and a protracted restoration.

The Western States 100 wasn’t the primary star she’s chased. Earlier than Western, it was the Leadville 100 Mile. Earlier than that, the quickest recognized time on the John Muir Path, and even earlier than that, the elusive summit of Longs Peak in Colorado — as a toddler. Whatever the objective, Corridor has frequently been keen to place every thing on the road to succeed in it.

Early Persona

Corridor grew up within the Chicago, Illinois, space, with a few-year stint in Vermont throughout center college and summer season household journeys to Estes Park, Colorado, the latter of which particularly allowed her to develop into immersed within the open air. An solely youngster, Corridor says her earliest recollections are of her household’s “annual pilgrimages out within the minivan to Estes Park,” Corridor says that in these one- to two-week tenting journeys, a few of her core character traits had been already displaying. She tells a narrative about how, when nonetheless very younger, she proudly proclaimed to the house digital camera that she’d hiked 5 miles. “I used to be already monitoring miles,” she laughs.

Left: Corridor and household in entrance of Longs Peak in Colorado. Proper: Corridor crying as a result of she needed to flip round on the path. All pictures courtesy of Abby Corridor except in any other case famous.

Her mother and father shortly realized they’d an intrinsically motivated youngster on their fingers. Corridor says, “If I used to be ever lagging behind, they found that in the event that they instructed me to paved the way, then all of the sudden I used to be marching to a brand new drum beat.” Reflecting on it, Corridor says, “I recognize, in hindsight, that at an early age, my mother and father gave me alternatives for these small moments of possession.”

Longs Peak, a 14,258-foot mountain towering over Estes Park, grew to become a distinguished fixture in Corridor’s life as her mother and father would take her farther up the path towards the summit annually. Corridor says, “My mother has household pictures of me crying each time we must flip round.” Round fifth grade, Corridor remembers the turnaround being particularly tough, “I took a rock again with me, and it was like my penance. I used to be like, ‘Keep in mind, you needed to flip round and let this rock remind you all yr of how arduous you wish to work to return again and make it larger on the mountain subsequent yr.’” Corridor laughs with the sidenote of, “I wouldn’t condone taking rocks from the path now, however I used to be a child.”

It wasn’t till after faculty that Corridor would finally make it to the highest of Longs Peak, a childhood dream fulfilled.

Corridor on Kiener’s Route on Longs Peak in 2016, her first journey with future-husband Cordis Corridor.

A Love of Working

Round fifth grade, after the household moved to Vermont, Corridor began becoming a member of her mother for brief neighborhood runs. As a pre-teen, Corridor was desirous to discover her environment. “I believe working grew to become a enjoyable method for me to develop some autonomy at that age whenever you’re on the cusp of with the ability to begin performing some issues by your self,” Corridor says. “I bear in mind loving that independence of, ‘I’m going to plan a route, and I’m going to go do that route, and it’s going to be three miles.’” Corridor was already monitoring her coaching, and says, “I had my little working log and was writing down what I ran every day.”

That yr, her household signed up for a summer season race sequence, and Corridor cherished it. She’s fast to level out that it was arduous to not like it at that age, saying, “They actually incentivize you as a result of there would be the 13-and-under class, and if there are two children that present up and also you beat the opposite child, you’re a winner, and also you get a pie!”

Corridor working middle-school cross nation.

In accordance with Corridor, working was a social and lighthearted exercise. “I actually simply cherished the enjoyable of going off with my pals after college and working within the woods, and possibly we’d throw a pair bucks in our pockets for a Slurpee or a Coke at 7-Eleven, and sneak it on the best way again.”

By highschool, Corridor had moved again to Chicago, and working had her full consideration. She says, “Highschool working is the place I developed an actual self-discipline and construction for pursuing objectives. I lived and breathed cross nation and monitor.” Working was all-immersive, and she or he says, “My teammates had been my finest pals, and my coach was a vastly influential a part of who I’m now.” Today, she nonetheless thinks of the teachings he taught, together with, “It’s what we do when no one’s watching.” She pauses, reflecting on the thought, and laughs, “ I believe he primarily stated this in order that we wouldn’t drink once we had been on spring break.”

Corridor ending a cross-country race in center college.

The teachings caught, although, and she or he says, “I believe he actually instilled this work ethic of champions are in-built these quiet moments, these runs you don’t wish to do, ending sturdy on that final interval, these small moments.” Of the time interval, Corridor says, “It was like the primary time I felt like I used to be selecting excellence for myself.”

Discovering Path Working

Nonetheless in Chicago, Corridor ran by means of the primary three years of school, and she or he took her senior yr off to give attention to her capstone artwork present. She spent a part of that yr in Italy and began to take possession of her working after years of structured coaching. She says, “I bear in mind I might do my studio time all day after which simply run in Florence within the late afternoon, early night. It was the primary time that I felt like I used to be selecting how far I needed to run and what felt good.”

After commencement, Corridor took a job as a graphic designer in Chicago, and her working consisted of evening runs alongside the shore of Lake Michigan. Nevertheless it wasn’t lengthy earlier than the draw of the U.S. West grew to become too sturdy, and after a visit to the Lollapalooza music competition in California, her choice was made. She says, “I used to be like, ‘California is nice. I’m transferring to California.’ And I believe a month later, I packed up my automobile and moved, just about on a whim. I simply knew I needed to be out West.”

Nonetheless dwelling within the city surroundings of Los Angeles, Corridor had but to comprehend that she might take her working, which she did on the roads and thru racing marathons, to the mountains, the place she’d go to climb and camp on weekends.

Corridor throughout her 2016 quickest recognized time try on the John Muir Path.

It was a visit up Mount Whitney that finally allowed her mind to attach the 2 actions. She bought a allow to climb the mountain, and as she places it, “I stuffed up my pack like a complete fool. I stuffed up my bear field with recent fruit and was only a complete novice. I introduced a hardcover guide with me and did Mount Whitney over two days. I ran out of water, bought caught in a storm on the best way down, and discovered loads. I simply bear in mind calling my mother traumatized on the drive residence, being like, ‘I’m by no means doing that once more.’”

It solely took per week of restoration earlier than Corridor began digging into how briskly different folks might do the mountain, which led to her discovering the thought of a quickest recognized time try on the 214-mile John Muir Path, which began down the opposite facet of Mount Whitney. That very same digging led Corridor to find the world of ultrarunning. “I used to be Googling and I distinctly bear in mind listening to at least one podcast, a Method Too Cool 50k preview. I used to be like, ‘I don’t even know what Method Too Cool is. What do they imply? A preview of the course?’ And so they’re speaking to all these completely different athletes, and I had found this complete new world for the primary time.”

Corridor says the thought of a velocity try on the John Muir Path was additionally “quickly taking root over my complete character.” She left Los Angeles in 2016 and moved to Boulder, Colorado, to place herself higher for coaching and pursuing her dream.

The John Muir Path and Ultrarunning

Corridor instantly immersed herself within the Boulder working scene. She says her strategy was to go to group runs and “simply mainly be like, ‘Hey, I’m Abby. Wish to be pals?’” Nonetheless new to extremely distances and with the John Muir Tral in her sights, Corridor says, “I got here up with what I believed was a bulletproof plan of my first 50-kilometer race in June, first 50 miler in July, after which one other 50k in August, after which the velocity try in September.” By way of the group runs, Corridor quickly met her future husband, Cordis Corridor, and supplied to purchase him a aircraft ticket to California if he’d come assist her on the John Muir Path.

The try didn’t go as deliberate. Corridor says, “I believe I bought it about 45 miles in earlier than I used to be like, ‘I’m in no way prepared for this. That is very superior.’” The expertise supplied a brand new perspective and motivation, and Corridor says, “It left me completely heartbroken, and I used to be instantly keen to enhance on the areas that I felt like I wanted expertise in.”

Corridor realizing the John Muir Path was “very superior.”

Working ultras appeared just like the logical method to get higher on the distances she’d want to have the ability to cowl for the John Muir Path. On the time, Corridor was regularly working with Cat Bradley and Clare Gallagher. Early on of their friendships, Gallagher gained the Leadville 100 Mile in 2016, and Bradley gained the Western States 100 in 2017. Corridor shortly bought immersed in high-level working, and massive performances had been normalized in her working circles. She says, “In Boulder, particularly throughout that period, I believe racing at a excessive stage felt extremely accessible.”

In accordance with Corridor, working with the likes of Gallagher and Bradley could have given her a false sense of confidence on the 2017 Leadville 100 Mile, her first try on the distance. She says, “I went into Leadville with this fever for extremely, and I used to be, ‘Cool, I can win this factor.’” She laughs, “I bought completely rocked by it, and I used to be the fourth-to-last-place girl.” Heartbroken and humbled but once more, she determined to dedicate the subsequent yr of her life to enhancing on the occasion. She employed Jason Koop as her coach and began coaching.

Cordis Corridor escorting Abby by means of the Winfield support station on the 2017 Leadville 100 Mile.

She went again to Leadville in 2018 and admits, “I bought completely rocked once more. I believe I improved by possibly a half hour.” Koop didn’t sugarcoat his analysis of the efficiency, and Corridor says, “He warmly identified that it was kind of the identical type of efficiency because the yr earlier than, and we nonetheless had work to do.”

Successes and Setbacks

Within the years since these fateful Leadville 100 Mile performances, Corridor has slowly risen within the ranks of ultrarunning with notable successes together with putting second on the 2021 Canyons 100k, two top-three finishes at CCC in 2021 and 2022, a win on the 2022 Transvulcania, and second-place on the 2022 Transgrancanaria. Then, in an accident involving a hyperextended knee throughout a routine coaching run, she fractured her tibial plateau and broken the tendons and ligaments round her knee. The harm was repaired in a severe surgical procedure, and a number of years of therapeutic and rehab adopted.

Corridor coming into Pointed Rocks at mile 93 of the 2025 Western States 100, paced by husband Cordis Corridor.

If that wasn’t sufficient, she additionally had a big blood clot type within the aftermath. She says that when her well being care supplier discovered it, they stated, “This was in all probability a matter of a day or so earlier than it will have made its method to your lungs and coronary heart.” Reflecting on it, Corridor says, “That was actually scary and took the harm to an entire new place of fearing for my general well being. It added quite a lot of emotion to an already difficult time.”

However simply greater than two years after what might have been a career-ending accident, Corridor lined up for the 2025 Western States 100 and gained with the fourth quickest girls’s time within the historical past of the occasion.

Classes Realized for the Future

Corridor says that getting back from the harm was the toughest factor she’s ever finished, however that it modified the best way she considered working. She says that returning to coaching, “There’s a sure ease that I believe I’ve been capable of transfer by means of issues that beforehand felt arduous to me. The harm in all probability influenced me in way more methods than I’m even perceiving.”

She continues, “What it did was elucidate how pure and deep my love for working was. It stripped away quite a lot of the BS that may so simply cloud our working, whether or not that’s overly specializing in extrinsic outcomes or evaluating ourselves to others, which might be detrimental. All of these issues can so simply get in the best way of remembering the enjoyment and the straightforward act of placing one foot in entrance of the opposite.”

Corridor within the lead throughout the 2025 Western States 100.

When Corridor traces up for the 2026 Black Canyon 100k this February and the 2026 Western States 100 this June, it’ll be with quite a lot of classes discovered over time. She says, “The largest factor my harm has taught me is the preciousness of now, and that this doesn’t final without end. I’ve had that extra entrance of thoughts than ever.”

And as for a John Muir Path try later within the yr, chasing the north star that first introduced her to trails? Corridor positively hasn’t taken that off the desk.

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A younger Corridor able to chase her north stars. Photograph courtesy of Abby Corridor.