KAYLEE
FREDERICK
HYK chose Kaylee Frederick as our first Founding Athlete because she embodies what endurance is really about — the willingness to keep pushing when the easy option is to stop. From her first runs as a seven-year-old to becoming one of the youngest athletes to accomplish extraordinary things in ultrarunning, Kaylee has built her journey around discipline, ambition, and an unwavering belief in what is possible.
She doesn't just chase the next mile.
She chases what's possible beyond it.
BUILT FOR
THE LONG HAUL.
Kaylee Frederick has been an athlete for as long as she can remember. What began with running alongside her mother at seven years old quickly became something much bigger — a lifelong pursuit of endurance, competition, and discovering just how far she could go.
THE SPORT
FOUND HER EARLY.
Growing up in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, Kaylee was immersed in sports from a young age. Soccer, basketball, martial arts, track and field, cross country, and CrossFit all became part of her athletic foundation.
Running, however, was different. At seven, she began running on her own while her mother completed a Couch to 5K program. By 13, she had run her first half marathon. At 14 came her first marathon, 50K, and 50-mile race. At 16, her first 100-miler. At 17, her first 200-miler.
It's saved my life.”
FROM YOUNG
RUNNER TO
COMPETITOR.
Kaylee's progression through ultrarunning happened quickly, but the ambition behind it has remained consistent. She became the youngest person to finish Badwater 135 and later competed alongside Team USA at the 24-Hour World Championships at age 20.
At the World Championships, Kaylee was the youngest competitor and finished 12th overall female and 2nd American female.
MORE THAN
THE MILES.
Away from racing, Kaylee is balancing an equally demanding life. She is a senior at the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown, double majoring in biology and secondary education-biology, with a minor in chemistry, an English as a Second Language certification, and a STEM endorsement.
She also coaches CrossFit and works 45–60 hours a week while attending school. Her long-term plans may point toward teaching, but Kaylee has never been particularly interested in doing only what she is supposed to do.
She'd rather keep believing what's possible.
THE PERSON
BEHIND THE MILES.
The results are easy to see. The work, the doubt, the mindset, and the reasons behind them are harder to capture. We sat down with Kaylee to talk about the parts of the journey that don't show up on a race result.
WHAT HAS BEEN THE HARDEST THING YOU'VE HAD TO OVERCOME?
In ultra-running specifically, when I was younger, I had to deal with a lot of haters/doubters due to my young age and running at a young age.
Dealing with injuries has also been a challenge, more so mentally than physically, because not running is just not a part of how my head functions.
HAVE THERE BEEN ANY MENTAL OR PHYSICAL HURDLES THAT CHANGED THE WAY YOU APPROACH YOUR SPORT OR LIFE?
My brain is my greatest strength and my greatest weakness.
Definitely learning how to deal with my brain has changed my life. Working with my therapist and my coach has made a HUGE difference in how I go into training, racing, and life in general.
WHAT MOTIVATES YOU WHEN THINGS GET REALLY HARD?
I know what my goals are.
I know that I have to train harder and more than the average person because my goals aren't average.
WHAT ARE YOU MOST PASSIONATE ABOUT OUTSIDE OF RUNNING?
Outside of running, I'd say I'm most passionate about the people I love. My sister is my best friend and I love getting to spend time with her.
WHAT DOES LIFE LOOK LIKE WHEN YOU'RE NOT TRAINING OR RACING?
To be honest, there isn't a life that doesn't involve training and racing. That's a constant thing.
But when I'm not running, I'm either working, at the gym, or at school. Free time doesn't really exist in my life.
WHAT IS SOMETHING PEOPLE MIGHT BE SURPRISED TO LEARN ABOUT YOU?
A lot of people don't realize how much I work. I come from a single-parent, low-income family, so paying for these races and travelling for them hasn't been easy.
I work anywhere from 45-60 hours a week, even during school. It's never easy to balance, but it's what I have to do to make this all work.
WHAT ARE YOU CHASING RIGHT NOW — BOTH PERSONALLY AND ATHLETICALLY?
Personally, I'd say I'm trying to become the best version of myself. I'm trying to learn how to control my anxiety and especially get a hold on the depressive voices in my head. I've been doing a lot better and working with my therapist and coach has made a huge difference.
I want to be remembered as a good human as much as I want to be remembered as a good runner.
Athletically I'd probably say the same, just becoming the best athlete I can. I want to become the best one day, so that's who we're chasing, the best.
WHAT ARE YOU CHASING
IN 2026 AND 2027?
My main short term goals are to run 150 miles in 24 hours and make the 24-Hour USA National Team to compete in the 24-Hour World Championship in 2027.
HOW FAR DO
YOU WANT TO GO?
These are maybe wayyy too out there, but I like to dream big, because if you don't dream big, you'll never accomplish anything big.
Setting the world record in the 24-Hour and 100-mile distance. Winning and setting the course record at UTMB and Western States 100.
WHY DO YOU
DO THIS?
There's so many reasons why I do this. This sport saved my life. This sport is my biggest passion. I love this sport SO much.
I want to inspire someone, even just one person. My goal is to help and inspire someone to be themselves.
THE EXTRA MILE
ISN'T A DISTANCE.
It's a decision.
It's the decision to keep going when the easy option is to stop. To keep showing up when nobody is watching. To believe there is something more on the other side of the effort.
THAT'S WHY
WE CHOSE KAYLEE.
HYK was built around the same mindset. Not simply getting through the miles, but being prepared for what the miles demand.
Kaylee represents that mindset every time she trains, races, struggles, adapts, and comes back ready to chase something bigger. She's not defined by one race or one result. She's defined by the decision to keep pursuing what's possible.
Hydration.
Energy.
Focus.
Recovery.
BUILT FOR
WHAT'S NEXT.
Kaylee's journey is still being written. So is ours.
HYK gives endurance athletes two purpose-built formulas designed around the demands of the effort — from everyday hydration and electrolyte replenishment to long, demanding training and race-day performance.
SHOP HER FUEL