GU Energy Labs Announces Faith Akioyamen and Miki Sawada to Run WSER

June 12, 2025

Berkeley, CA (June 12, 2025) /ENDURANCE SPORTSWIRE/ – GU Energy Labs is pleased to announce the selection of ultra-runners Faith Akioyamen and Miki Sawada for the brand’s two sponsor entries for the 2025 Western States Endurance Run (WSER), the iconic 100-mile footrace from Palisades Tahoe to Auburn, California in late June. Faith and Miki each represent historically excluded communities and were chosen based on their compelling personal stories as well as their qualifying criteria. GU is the official sports nutrition sponsor of WSER and provides its products to all racers at every aid station along the course.

2025 marks the fourth year of GU’s commitment to provide WSER race entries to increase representation and promote inclusivity at premier trail races. “It’s an honor to support Faith and Miki as they take on the challenge of Western States this year,” said Amy Cameron, VP of Marketing at GU. “We believe our industry, sport, and wider communities are stronger when more voices and experiences are welcomed in. We hope that Faith and Miki’s participation is powerful inspiration for future generations of runners.”

GU also donated a third WSER entry to its GU Gives partner Rising Hearts, an Indigenous-led organization focused on representation in running. This year, Apsaalooké ultrarunner and health educator Scott Flatlip was selected by Rising Hearts to carry their community to the start line.

In addition to a free entry, the runners will also receive GU sports nutrition products for training and race day and a $5,000 scholarship to offset travel and related costs.

Born in Nigeria, Faith moved to the United States when she was seven, and now lives with her two children in Houston, TX, where she works as a nurse. She discovered running 15 years ago as a way to stay fit and soon after completed her first half marathon, shortly followed by her first full marathon. “I stumbled upon trail and ultra running largely by chance, coming from a background where neither running nor hiking was common,” she explained. “I became a 100-mile finisher six months after becoming a first-time mom. Often, I’m the only black woman I see while climbing a mountain peak or lining up at the start of trail races. I share my journey on social media to inspire others who might not have been exposed to the outdoors growing up. Seeing someone like them in these spaces can be a powerful motivator.”

An immigrant from Japan, Miki is a classically trained pianist who has built her own career path through her “Gather Hear Tour,” which involves traveling the country with a piano in a van and playing. “I perform in places where classical music doesn’t usually exist – with an emphasis on rural America – and seek to find human connection across the political, social, and racial divides that exist in this country. The project is about finding hope in these divisive times, and it is about finding my place as a Japanese immigrant in this country.”

Trail running in the United States became Miki’s way to push the border of what is considered “reckless” and, “[is] at the edge of the line of what I am ‘supposed’ to do as an Asian and a woman. I want to run Western States for the opportunity to show other Asian women and girls what there is to be gained when we defy what is expected of us, and I commend GU for sticking with DEI initiatives and showing their commitment to their values in a time when the government and many companies are quick to abandon or attack them.”

About GU Energy Labs 

GU Energy Labs strives to help athletes reach their highest potential with products that deliver the right nutrients, in the right amounts, at the right time. Since its founding in 1993, GU has been committed to increasing access to sport for all. To that end, GU Gives – the company’s philanthropic arm – supports organizations and initiatives centered around 3 pillars: physical movement, environmental stewardship, and food awareness. Headquartered in Berkeley, CA, GU Energy Labs produces all of its Energy Gels onsite, largely through sustainable solar power. Learn more at www.guenergy.com.