When Colleen was a kid, her mom read her a story about a family stranded in a storm on Kilimanjaro. Most kids would have been scared. Colleen thought: “I have to go there.”


Colleen MacDonald is a mountaineer and ultrarunner specializing in 50 and 100-mile ultras. Her unshakable grit and love of flying down technical descents has led her to many adventures and advocacy projects (which you can hear about in our past two episodes together!).


In 2025, that focus took Colleen to Mt. Kilimanjaro, where she set an FKT on a route she and her partner established. She turned this adventure into an advocacy project to raise thousands of dollars for women’s wilderness scholarships.


Colleen and Angie talk about:


  • Years of planning this high mountain adventure, with logistical challenges
  • How a childhood fascination with the mountain led her here
  • Turning her FKT attempt into a fundraiser for women’s wilderness scholarships
  • The FKT recap: 62 miles and a new route
  • BTS of Kili: guides, porters, female leadership, and support from her partner
  • The ascent and descent play-by-play, then health effects after the feat
  • Finding a voice in advocacy and representation for women outdoors
  • Getting comfortable with visibility and speaking up for others


Other conversations with Colleen:

Check out these resources:


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Brought to you by the Alliance for Gender Equity in Outdoor Adventure (GEA Alliance). Hosted by Angie Lake and edited by Alyson Castonguay.

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