Olympic Skier Jessie Diggins Tackles Ultramarathons

Jessie Diggins knows a thing or two about pushing through pain, and she's not done yet.

The 34-year-old Olympic gold medalist hung up her racing skis in March after a storied 14-year career that made her the most decorated American cross-country skier in history. She finished her final competitive race at the World Cup Finals in Lake Placid, New York, marking the first time in decades the event was held on U.S. soil.

"I thought for sure I'm gonna finish at some race in Europe," Diggins says. "But to finish at home was just so special."

Now she's lacing up trail running shoes for her first ultramarathon this fall. These aren't your neighborhood 5Ks—ultramarathons push runners for hours across rocky terrain and steep mountain climbs. It's a sport she always wanted to explore but never had time for during her skiing career.

"I'm excited to keep challenging myself physically," she says. "Can I do this distance? Can I climb this many vertical kilometers in the mountains?"

Her timing couldn't be better. Diggins is partnering with NOW Foods on their Start NOW campaign, which encourages people to jump into wellness journeys with proper nutrition support. The Minnesota native credits her supplement routine with keeping her healthy through four years of racing during cold and flu season without getting sick.

Why This Inspires

Diggins' fearless approach to new challenges comes from hard-won wisdom. She's been open about her battle with an eating disorder, revealing a relapse in 2023 after 12 years in recovery. Now she serves as an ambassador for the Emily Program, an eating disorder treatment organization.

"If you break your arm, it's easy to see," she explains. "But when it's an injury on the inside and it's invisible, it's hard sometimes for people to find that empathy and compassion."

Her advocacy work extends to mental health and environmental causes. She wants people to know that talking about struggles "literally saved my life."

The world watched Diggins push through seemingly impossible pain during the 2026 Winter Olympics, where she crashed at the start of the weekend and severely injured her ribs. She still competed in the 10-kilometer race, earning a bronze medal before collapsing at the finish line.

"For me, it's not about avoiding the discomfort or the challenge, it's embracing it," she says. "It's shaking hands with pain and saying, 'Look, this is a signal that I'm exactly where I wanna be.'"

Whether conquering mountains on skis or on foot, Diggins proves that retirement is just another word for reinvention.