Age Does Not Define Your Limits: Lou Clifton Is Just Getting Started

After discovering trail running in her mid-40s, Australian ultra-runner Lou Clifton built a career that has taken her to races around the world. Now she will bring her experience, resilience and “strong and focused” mindset to the 120K start line at the I feel Slovenia Julian Alps Trail Run by UTMB.

Many runners worry that they have started too late or that their strongest years are already behind them. Lou Clifton’s journey tells a very different story.

Originally from London, Lou now lives in Australia’s Blue Mountains. She only discovered trail running around 2014, but in the years since, she has represented Australia twice at the World Trail Championships, achieved age-group records and victories, and completed some of the world’s most demanding ultra-trail races.

Yet the results are only part of her story. What makes Lou’s journey so powerful is the resilience behind them: the hard training, the injuries, the setbacks and her continued willingness to explore what she is capable of.

That journey will now bring her to Slovenia for the first time, where she will take on the 120K race at Julian Alps Trail Run by UTMB.

A trail-running journey that began unexpectedly

Lou’s introduction to trail running came through a chance encounter. She and her husband, Steve, hosted a Dutch runner at their home through Airbnb. He was planning a 40-kilometre trail run, and because Lou and Steve had hiked many of the local tracks, they helped him map the route.

“I couldn’t believe he was going to run, as the trails are pretty steep and technical,” Lou recalls.

The encounter inspired her to enter her first trail race. Although she had run 1,500 metres on the track and competed in cross-country at school in London, she had never raced at a high level. After her first few trail events, she started working with a coach and her running gradually became more serious.

What drew her in was simple: “I just love moving places by my own two feet, seeing places that are hard to get to.”

Her original goal was to complete the North Face 50 in the Blue Mountains, now known as UTA50. She was not looking beyond 50 kilometres, let alone imagining a future filled with 100K races, 100-milers and international championships. But strong early results encouraged her to keep testing her limits.

Achievements beyond her wildest dreams

Over the past 10 to 12 years, Lou has built an extraordinary list of achievements. At UTMB in 2022, she finished 17th and won her age group. A year later, she also won her age group at CCC. She placed second at Ultra-Trail Mount Fuji in Japan and won Cappadocia Ultra-Trail in Turkey, setting a course record.

In Australia, she finished Coast to Kosciuszko’s 240-kilometre race under the existing course record despite experiencing eight hours of severe nausea. She also achieved the Australian women’s 50–59 records for both 24 hours and 200 kilometres on the track and represented Australia twice at the World Trail Championships.

She has recorded the fastest known times by a woman of her age at several races, including Leadville, where she finished ninth; UTA100, where she finished sixth this year and has twice placed third; and UTA 100 Miles, where she finished seventh. One of her proudest results came at the 2025 GPT 100 Miler, where she finished as the second woman on her third attempt. Her first attempt ended in a DNF after a serious ankle injury, while the following year the race was stopped because of the weather.

But when Lou reflects on what makes her proudest, she does not begin with rankings or records. “I am most proud of my resilience—committing to the hard training and getting over injuries, especially on top of a heavy workload with my job—and having achieved things beyond my wildest dreams in the last 10–12 years,” she says.

Knowing that her journey inspires other women of her age makes those achievements even more meaningful.

“I feel like I am just getting going.”

Lou began trail running in her mid-40s. At the Salomon Ultra Running Academy in 2017, she was the oldest runner by a considerable margin. “I felt old when I started running,” she says. “Now I look back and think I was actually young!”

Despite years of racing, Lou does not feel as though she has been doing it for very long. “Having started in my mid-40s, I feel like I am just getting going, even though I cannot run quite as fast as I did a few years ago.”

Her motivation now comes from far more than competition. Running supports both her physical and mental well-being, helps her manage stress and allows her to spend time in nature. She is motivated by staying as fit as possible, having fun, sharing experiences and forming connections through the sport.

With consistent training, her fitness, endurance and strength have continued to develop. At the same time, experience has taught her to focus on what she can do now instead of comparing herself with younger runners—or with a younger version of herself.

Her understanding of success has changed too. “I still want to push myself as much as possible but am probably less focused on outcome goals and more on process goals than I used to be,” Lou explains. “Now I want to see what I can do in my 50s and break through ceilings.”

Resilience is required—and built—by ultra running

There is no single race or result that Lou believes changed her most. Instead, every event has added to her knowledge and growth. No matter how carefully a runner prepares, an ultra always contains an element of the unknown. Learning to respond to difficult moments with composure is one of the most rewarding parts of the sport for her.

“Ultra running requires resilience, but builds it too.” That resilience has also carried Lou through injuries and periods of doubt. Starting or continuing to run in the late 40s and 50s can be especially difficult for women experiencing major hormonal changes. When the body is changing dramatically, it can become difficult to believe that the things once possible are still within reach.

Lou is honest about how she has dealt with those moments: through stubbornness and a refusal to be forced to stop doing what she loves. “I have had a lot of injuries that have been hard to get over, and each time I think, ‘Is this it for running?’ But I don’t give up and try to find the way through.”

She also credits the support around her—especially her husband, as well as her physical therapists and coaches, who remain positive and encouraging. She is grateful to La Sportiva Australia, Curranz and Fenixlight for supporting an older female athlete. Her experience has taught her that hard work can overcome a great deal

Her advice to women considering their first ultra

For women who are new to running and considering their first ultra, Lou recommends taking the time to build a solid base so that the body is ready for the training load.

Her advice is clear: “Be patient and consistent, set goals and go for them!” And to anyone who believes they are too old to begin, her answer is equally direct: “No one is too old to start.”

Lou suggests visiting a masters athletics meeting for proof. Masters competition begins at 35, and watching fit, strong and fast athletes in older age groups can transform the way we think about ageing and performance. She is encouraged to see the same shift happening more frequently in trail running.

A new country and new mountains at I feel Slovenia Julian Alps Trail Run by UTMB

Lou chose Julian Alps Trail Run by UTMB because she wanted to discover somewhere new. “I have never been to Slovenia and was interested in the race. I have been told how friendly and beautiful Slovenia is. I wanted to go to a new country and experience it for myself.”

The distance appealed to her as well. At approximately 125 kilometres, it offers the depth of a long ultra without being as gruelling as a 100-mile race or something even longer. Most of all, Lou is looking forward to meeting new people and travelling across unfamiliar mountains—whether running or power hiking. Even after all her years of racing, standing on a start line still carries enormous emotion.

“On any start line I have worked hard to get to, I get emotional and feel goosebumps: ‘Wow, I am really here, about to do it!’ It is such a great feeling after all the training and planning, and a huge success just to make it to the start.”

Strong, focused and ready to run her own race

During the hardest moments, Lou returns to a few simple reminders: “Strong and focused.” “Run your own race.” “It isn’t over until it is over.”

She consciously shifts the story she tells herself. Instead of thinking, “I am too old to race these women,” she chooses a different belief: “Age does not matter. I am here to do my best.”

And when things become especially difficult, she remembers to “smile like Eliud”—inspired by Eliud Kipchoge’s ability to smile even while suffering. Lou will arrive at the JAT 120K start line with years of experience behind her and another unknown journey ahead. Her story is a reminder that potential does not disappear with age. With patience, consistency and the courage to keep going, it can continue to grow.

Follow Lou’s journey as she takes on the 120K at the I feel Slovenia Julian Alps Trail Run by UTMB—and let her story inspire you to discover what might still be possible for you.