Scottish woman credits Dolly Parton for her 100-mile race win

Running 100 miles is hard enough, but one Scottish ultrarunner found a way to pass the time with a little help from American country music legend Dolly Parton.

Anna Rutherford of Peebles, U.K., won Scotland’s inaugural Rat Race 100 on July 13, covering the route from Bamburgh Castle in Northumberland to Edinburgh Castle in 17 hours and 23 minutes. She finished two hours ahead of the first male competitor and five hours ahead of the next fastest woman.

Scottish Ultra-marathon runner finishes two hours ahead of closest male competitor

Anna Rutherford has won the inaugural 100-mile [160km] Rat Race from Bamburgh Castle to Edinburgh Castle in 17 hours and 23 minutes, finishing before any other runner, male or female, and making… pic.twitter.com/m2aWhfeabH

— the female athlete project (@femathproject) July 21, 2025

After the race, Rutherford told BBC Scotland that she stayed focused by repeatedly singing Parton’s 1980 hit country anthem “9 to 5.”

Parton’s song, a spirited tribute to the daily grind of working-class women, apparently helped Rutherford push through some of the race’s toughest moments. She also credited British ultrarunning legend Jasmin Paris, the first woman to finish the Barkley Marathons, as a source of inspiration to mastering the mental side of ultrarunning.

“As I got closer to the finish at Edinburgh Castle, I started singing it out loud,” Rutherford said. “Some of the crowd even joined in.”

The 43-year-old mother of three said her strategy was to stay mentally positive no matter what. “About 80 percent of the way through, it’s going to feel really hard because you’re getting tired, but there’s still a long way to go,” she told the BBC. “In a way, I just embraced it.”

So, the next time you find yourself knocking on the door of the pain cave, whether in a 5K, marathon or ultra, consider taking a page out of Rutherford’s playbook: sing your favourite song and let the lyrics carry you through.