Dr Leonie Ansems de Vries is an academic, ultrarunner and mother. She loves being out in nature on hilly trails. She discovered ultrarunning in 2023 and has completed 6 ultras since, with 5 podium finishes. She has won the 7 Valleys Ultra twice, beating the course record both times. She co-leads the 13 Valleys Women’s Group, which seeks to support women on their trail- and ultra-running journeys.
Leonie works as a Reader in International Politics at King’s College London. She is an expert on forced migration, borders and sanctuary. Her second book, Politics of Exhaustion, will be published in April 2026. She currently works on the project Run, Walk, Welcome in collaboration with Kendal Mountain Festival. The project seeks to change the hostile narrative on migration in the UK by bringing runners, walkers and people with experiences of migration together in the outdoors.