Most of us have run a race at some point—whether it’s a turkey trot 5K, a World Marathon Major, or even a desperate sprint to catch the bus. But Nicole Teeny? She didn’t just run any regular race. She ran a race… against horses. Yep, actual galloping, four-legged speed machines (I mean, there’s a reason we call it horsepower). And here’s the kicker: she wasn’t just horsing around—she beat most of them.
Let’s rewind for a second. Nicole Teeny isn’t your average runner. A filmmaker from New York City, Teeny found herself on an unexpected mission after a diagnosis of epilepsy turned her life upside down. For someone who thrived on independence, this was a huge blow. But Nicole decided she wasn’t going to let her epilepsy limit her. Instead, she decided to do something so wild and so bold, it could only be described as…well, epic.
Enter the idea of running an ultramarathon against… horses.
Inspired by Christopher McDougall’s Born to Run, Nicole latched onto the theory that humans, with our somewhat crazy endurance abilities, can actually outlast horses over long distances (short distances are out of the question, obviously). It wasn’t just about proving science right—it was about proving to herself that she could still take on big challenges after her epilepsy diagnosis.
“One day, I was sitting on the couch, and the next second, I was in an ambulance,” Teeny said. “When these things that are so absurd happen to you, it makes you reconsider the rules of the universe . . . There are things that can truly happen out of nowhere, and if anything can happen, then anything can happen.”
Teeny looked to find a long-distance horse riding race that would accept a runner, herself, into the race (which was much easier said than done). Eventually, she found her way into Ride Like The Wind, a 50-mile endurance ride around Big Hill Lake in Cherryvale, Kansas, where she would compete on foot against the other riders on their trusty steeds.
Training for this wasn’t a casual “let’s jog a few miles” situation, either. Nicole put in the work, hiring trail running coach Sarah Scozzaro and reaching out to Diane Van Deren, a renowned ultrarunner with epilepsy, who mentored her along the way.
The day of the race was anything but smooth. Battling brutal weather, fatigue, and some seriously tough terrain, Nicole pushed forward while the horses trotted along. Slowly but surely, Teeny began to make up ground while the horses were stopped for their mandatory vet checks. By the time she crossed the finish line, she had beaten most of her four-legged competitors. Out of 18 horses, she finished ahead of 14 of them.
“I don’t know if I’ve ever felt so strong, so powerful,” she said. “It was one of the most joyous events of my life where I just felt very content and content in my body.”
Teeny’s story is also featured in ESPN’s 30 for 30 podcast series titled Girl vs. Horse, which you can listen to all the episodes below:
