ABOUT US

“Our mission is to empower ALL runners to be the best they can be, trying hard things and pushing their limits, inspiring growth and creating new adventures!”

Empowering You & Building a Path

The goal for all of our races is to give our runners an amazing experience including superior swag, great food, a well marked course, and a super fun atmosphere. All of our events are family friendly and runners, crew, and family are welcome to hang out, cheer, and join in the party! There are often playgrounds by the finish line for little ones to enjoy and nice hiking trails for crew to explore while waiting. We hope to see you soon at one of our events and we will cheer for you with our whole hearts!

Who We Are

  • Empower Ultras is women and immigrant-owned.

    Women and Immigrant-Owned

    Empower Ultras is led and owned by Aneta (Nettie) Zeppetella and Jennifer Russo. Originally from Poland, Nettie immigrated to the United States in 1999. Together, these two fierce and passionate women oversee all aspects of Empower Ultras including race design and planning, trail maintenance, designing awards, finding the best available swag, purchasing food, building and growing relationships with local parks, and land owners etc.

    We take great pride in our events, and strive for our races to be accessible to8 all runners. We feel extremely fortunate to live in the area with such an expensive trail network, and are passionate about getting more people on trails.

    Jennifer has lived in the Cincinnati area her entire life, and Nettie has called Ohio home since 2002. We partner with other local businesses and support local charities. The money you spend on our races stays in SW Ohio.

  • Empower Ultras is disability-inclusive.

    Disability-Inclusive

    Our races also offer Athletes With Disability (AWD) divisions. We are some of the area’s first races to recognize mobility and visually impaired athletes in their own division. The following guidelines have been adapted from the Vermont 100 race. Thank you Amy Rusiecki, Kyle Robidoux, and Dee Char for your help and inspiration!

    AWDs must be able to run/walk/hike the course. Tethers may be used for athletes with a visual impairment Leg prosthetics may be used for amputees. Crutches, braces, or poles may be used if indicated/necessary, with approval from the RD. Due to the nature of trail running, unfortunately the courses are not suitable for athletes in wheelchairs. AWDs will follow the same registration process as the general registration, and will register for the distance race they plan to run on Ultrasignup.

    Based on International Paralympic Committee impairment descriptions, and following Vermont 100 categories, Empower Ultras will recognize two types of AWD athletes based on clearly defined eligible impairments: visually impaired and mobility impaired.

  • A photo of the Trail Sisters logo.

    Trail Sisters-Approved

    All of our races are Trail Sisters approved. Trail Sisters’ mission is to increase women's participation and opportunity in trail running through inspiration, education and empowerment. Our co-owner, Nettie, is a local Trail Sisters Group Leader and co-owner Jennifer is involved with youth running groups. We are passionate about bringing more people into sport. As a Trail Sister-approved race, we offer the following:

    * Equal podium spots

    * Equal prize money & awards

    * Women’s specific swag & apparel (no unisex t-shirts)

    * Feminine products at all aid stations

    * Equal opportunity/space for women on the starting line

    * Three year pregnancy deferral

Meet the Co-Owners

  • Aneta Zeppetella

    Aneta Zeppettella

    CO-OWNER

    Aneta (Nettie) grew up in Poland, but has been living in the US since 1999. She has been lucky enough to experience and finish some of the most iconic ultras – including Western States Endurance Run 100, Badwater 135, HURT 100, and Fat Dog 120. Nettie is an accomplished ultrarunner and has way over thirty 100 mile or longer race finishes and was also only the second female ever to complete the Potawatomi 200 mi race. Besides being a co-owner of Empower Ultras, she volunteers as a Chapter Leader for Trail Sisters, having founded the Dayton outpost.

  • Jennifer Russo

    Jennifer Russo

    CO-OWNER

    Jennifer is a co-owner of Empower Ultras, an accomplished ultrarunner, and a legend in backyard ultras. She completed 308 miles at Capital Backyard Ultra in 2023, setting the new Women’s World record as well as the American 72-hour women’s record. She has competed in Big’s Backyard a few times including representing Team USA in the backyard international competition since 2022. Jennifer has also completed several major 100+ mile events including Bigfoot 200, Tahoe 200, Hellbender 100, Cruel Jewel 100. She has won Burning River 100 and Mohican 100.

Inclusivity Statement

Runners of all races, ethnicities, and gender identities are welcome at Empower Ultras events and races. We are a women-owned and immigrant-owned company and inclusivity is very important to us. We encourage everyone, regardless of ability, age, body type, educational background, ethnicity, gender, gender expression/identity, nationality, political affiliation, race, religion, or any other demographic to participate in all our events. We support diverse groups through our donations. We are proud to offer Athletes With Disability divisions in our races. We are constantly learning and we encourage input into our efforts to improve diversity at our events.