Abby Hall and Caleb Olson won the Western States 100! Read our 2025 Western States 100 results article for the full race story, and watch Abby and Caleb’s post-race interviews.

Kristin Zosel

Kristin Zosel

Title: Gear Reviewer

Location: Denver, Colorado

Expertise

  • Topics of Experience: Trail running, ultrarunning, gear reviews, physical therapy, pilates
  • Amount of Expertise: 32+ years trail running, 26+ years ultrarunning, 10+ years writing gear reviews, 24 years as a physical therapist, and a pilates instructor 2018 with over 100 gear reviews published after having tested hundreds pieces of gear.

Education and Certifications

  • Education: Doctorate in Physical Therapy (University of Montana, 2022), Master of Science in Physical Therapy (Washington University St. Louis, 1998), Bachelor of Science in Biology (University of Nebraska, 1996), 500-hour comprehensive certification in Pilates (2018)
  • Years of Professional Experience Relevant to iRunFar: Gear Reviews (10+ years), Gait Analysis and Running Related Injury Treatment and Prevention and Gear “Prescription” (26 years), Pilates Instruction (7 years), Transcription (11 years)
  • Certifications: Current PT License, Pilates Certification
  • Clubs or Associations: Perpetual Volunteer
  • Other Relevant Positions, Current or Past: Physical Therapy—treat friends and family/consult; Pilates teacher—group and private classes

A Word from Kristin Zosel

  • Why do I choose to review gear? I love offering the mid-to-ever-approaching-back-of-the-pack view on comfort, performance, and utility of women’s specific gear, clothing, and footwear available to us as trail ultrarunners and adventurer.  I believe those of us who spend more time on the trail per distance experience our gear, clothing, and footwear in different ways, and our perspective can offer companies valuable insight.
  • Personal Interests: Trail and ultrarunning as a vehicle for self-improvement, celebrating and seeing all the incredible places in “the nature,” and finding my inner whirled peas (peace). Pilates to promote mobility, connection, resilience, and a sense of humor. Weight lifting to build bones and strength for life. Ultimate Frisbee to promote the joy and the spirit of the game. Disc Golf because my son is leaving me in the dust. Paddleboarding to bring balance to higher energy pursuits. Fat biking because, like moon boots, cheeser-grins are the BEST. Anything else outdoors, particularly with my fabulous dergs. Travel to expand my horizons. Encouraging people to experience movement and the great outdoors in many, many ways. Espresso and pastries because life is short.