How Jodi Horton co-founded the Women’s Epic race – Utah Business – Utah Business

The Founder Seriesis a column by and about Utah founders and how they got to where they are today.Click here to read past articles in the series.

My family moved from Arizona to Utah when I was seven years old. My parents assumed everybody in Utah knew how to ski, so they signed my little brothers, my sister, and me up for skiing lessons right awaythe beginning of my love affair with Utahs great outdoors.

Ashlee Hinds and I launched our first Womens Epic race in 2021. We each bring different things to the table in a collaborative and creative way that has worked for us since day one. We have 10 years between us, and the age difference has worked out really wellI only notice it when building our playlist for the races. Ill ask her, Do you like this song by Fleetwood Mac or Nate Dogg? and shell say, Ive never heard of them, and then I remember were a decade apart!

Ashlees background is in fitness and marketing. I credit so much of our current path to Ashlee and her ability to think so far outside the box. Several years ago, Ashlees family owned Crazy Bobs Bair Gutsman, one of the hardest races on the Wasatch Front. She wears many hats and also serves as the race director for Womens Epic.

On founding a wool blanket company

I stepped away from the workforce after welcoming my daughter and son to the world. I had always wanted to start my own business. Doing it from home, in between naps and feedings, seemed like the perfect time to do so.

I began deep diving into the research of different trending markets, and thus, Lane & Mae, a luxury merino wool blanket brand, was born. I thrive on building a businessthe creation of a new brandand I love the early stages! My focus was on the quality of the merino wool while building a beautiful online and social presence. I was incredibly particular about the colors I carried, the dyeing process, and all the outsourcing details.

I launched, and numbers grew quickly on Instagram. Within a year, I caught the attention of a major luxury brand retailer. They were interested in carrying the brand, but to do so, I would need to scale in a big way. At that time, I didnt know how I was going to lead a team with two young babes at home, nor was I interested in doing so. However, I wanted to see it go to the next level. Offers started coming in, and I eventually sold my business within a year and a half of launching. Fast forward to 2019, I was busy consulting for small businesses to help ensure they had a social footprint, all the while continuing to research market trends hoping to find something new to spark my interest.

The launch of Womens Epic

In the spring of 2020, Ashlee and I were talking about our summer plans and the races we were hoping to participate in. That conversation was the aha moment. I had finally found another business opportunity that not only excited me, but I saw the long-term potential of it right away. Many brainstorming sessions followed.

Ashlee and I feel very fortunate that with Womens Epic, we have been able to create an environment where women can feel comfortable yet do something incredibly challenging together. I think weve really honed in on creating a memorable experience.

Weve often been asked why we launched during a pandemic, and I believe it comes down to knowing that humans, to their core, crave deep and meaningful connectionsmyself included. We believed sharing that connection on a mountain with so many incredible women was very much needed for so many that year.

There were so many unknowns, but when you believe something will be successful, you pull from that excitement and find a way. We started Womens Epic with the intention of getting more women in the mountains. It wasnt until after our first race that we truly realized how many women living in Utah, with mountains in their own backyard, had never experienced hiking or the feeling that comes with summiting a mountain.

Womens Epic really began to evolve from there. We discovered a gap in the trail running world, and we have become very proactive to start filling that void by giving more women the opportunity to get out on the trails.

Our first race was on July 31, 2021, at Brighton Resort up Big Cottonwood Canyon here in Utah.

Womens Epic sold out months in advance, unheard of for a first-year race. We also scored some big sponsors, including On Running and Pit Viper, from the get-go. I believe we were able to show them our vision in a way that resonated. Partnering with these major brands was a massive accomplishment that first year, and developing our relationship with them has been rewarding.

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How Jodi Horton co-founded the Women's Epic race - Utah Business - Utah Business