Keely Henninger

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! 🤍

📢📢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!

Western States 100 mile: F9 17:57 💖 🌺

It has been quite the wild 4 years since my last Western States finish. This race has haunted me for too long and when I saw that we had our week long “summer break” from medical school the week of WS this year, I made it my goal to make it back to the start line. I’m so glad that I finally got to the track in Auburn and landed another top 10 finish in a super speedy year.

After 2 DNFs, it has been hard mentally to feel like this race doesn’t control me. I’ve spent years putting back the pieces of my heart and mind that have been broken by this silly sport. On Saturday, I ran confidently by the spot where I tore my medial ankle tendons in 2022, cried when I passed the spot where I laid on the ground for 20 minutes with a dislocated shoulder in 2023, and zoomed through the section that destroyed me in 2021. I executed the race that I’ve always wanted, and while it didn’t lead to the top 3 or 5 finish I had dreamed of, it was the best I could give, and that’s all I could ever hope for. I did it for myself, the past versions of myself, and the future versions of myself to look back on. I did it to remind myself what I am capable of when I put my mind to something in the face of adversity.

My pacers pushed me and we ran hard from foresthill to the finish line. It was so special to finally run with who has supported, trained with me, and planned to pace me throughout my long saga with this race. We celebrated down cal street in the heat of the day. Cranking the final 20 miles with my girl Marianne was amazing. I followed her feet when I was feeling low and we pushed hard when we could.

Crew : has seen the ugliest and prettiest sides of this 4 year journey, and has stood by my side through it all. is one of the smartest, strategic, and calming human beings, & Mike is thoughtful and thorough. who signed on in early 2024 for a knowingly challenging road to get me here.
S/o to my parents who flew from PA 💖, the volunteers who make this race possible & the competition- HOLY COW THESE LADIES ARE FAST(final vid shows how excited I was for .k.hall )
📸:

👋 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.

However, I want to do more. I am returning to 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!