CYNTHIA DYWAN CLAIMS THE WIND: THE DRIFT 2025 WOMEN'S TITLE IN 41:28

The Drift does not reward speed alone. It rewards sustained movement — 100 miles through Wyoming's southern Wind River Range in March, self-supported, with competitors choosing their own mode of travel: skis, fat bike, or foot. In 2025, Cynthia Dywan made it to the finish line in 41:28:53, claiming the women's title in one of the most demanding endurance events in the American West.

Dywan's time reflects the conditions of the 2025 edition. For context, Shalane Frost set the Women's Ski course record of 23:21:36 in 2024 — becoming the first woman and first skier ever to win the race outright. The 18-hour gap between Frost's record and Dywan's winning time speaks to what Wyoming can impose when the mountain does not cooperate. The origins of the race and a full year-by-year breakdown are covered in the history of The Drift 100.

The Course

The point-to-point route originates in Big Piney and moves north through Sublette County, skirting Bridger-Teton National Forest land. There are no aid stations, no crew access, no drop bags. Every competitor carries everything needed to survive the route — food, shelter, navigation — from the first step to the last.

Three modalities share the same course. Fat bikers typically lead the field in absolute time. Mitch Helling holds the Men's Ski course record at 21:36:00, set in 2022. Justin Kinner owns the Men's Run record at 29:36:00 from 2020. Ginny Robbins holds the Women's Run mark at 30:43:00, set in 2021. Records in each division are tracked independently — the modalities are incomparable by design.

The Women's Race

Dywan's win continued an unbroken American hold on The Drift's podium. The race draws almost exclusively from a domestic field of endurance veterans — athletes who have finished conventional 100-milers and come looking for something without the infrastructure of the modern ultra circuit. No timing mats. No finisher medals handed out by volunteers at the finish. Just the end of the route.

Dywan's 41-plus-hour effort required at least two nights of movement in sub-freezing temperatures. Caloric management, layering decisions, and navigation all carry consequences at that pace and duration that a faster race simply does not impose.

Historical Context

The Drift has been building a record book one brutal March at a time. The course records span from 2020 to 2024, each reflecting a specific year's conditions. Helling's 21:36 ski record from 2022 has stood for three years. Frost's 23:21 women's ski record is a single edition old.

Past women's winners include Pam Reed in 2023, who finished in 52:55:00 — the longest winning effort in the race's recorded history, marking 2023 as a year the mountain offered no quarter.

What's Next

The Drift 2026 is scheduled for March in Big Piney, contingent on continued permitting with the Bridger-Teton National Forest. The race has navigated fire-related course changes in recent years, and a hold on registration pending government land access reopening created uncertainty heading into 2026. For anyone considering an entry, monitoring official communications is not optional — The Drift's start is never guaranteed until it happens. For how those challenges ultimately resolved, read the 2026 Drift 100 recap.