Cat Runner
Ambassador · Rock climbing · ⚡

Cat Runner

Red River Gorge, Kentucky@catlikeacat

“Tiny but mighty.”

Cat Runner

Shop what Cat usesThe whole team
The story

Proudly on #TeamShorty.

Standing five feet tall, Cat Runner is proudly on #TeamShorty. Known for an unrelenting stubbornness, Cat has taken down some of the country’s most notorious anti-shorty climbs, among them Dogleg at the Red River Gorge, Biggie Shorty in Chattanooga and Atari in Bishop, California.

Cat is widely known from HBO’s The Climb and splits time between climbing trips, working in outdoor affinity spaces with other community leaders, and a day job as a photographer. Cat serves on the board of directors of the Red River Gorge Climbers’ Coalition, is part of the founding leadership of Trans Climbers Belong, and helps queer climbers find their way in the climbing community through the Queer Climber’s Network.

Cat is a member of the Rhino ambassador team.

Who

Cat Runner

Cat Runner is a member of the Rhino ambassador team.

The brain

Inside the head of Cat Runner.

  • Tiny but mighty
  • Anti-shorty crusader
  • Fake it til you make it
  • Photographer
  • Board member
Five feet, by choice

The bio says five feet. The ID says 4’11”. Both are on the record, and Cat will win the argument from either side.

A project list built against the odds

Dogleg. Biggie Shorty. Atari. The routes Cat goes after are the ones set up for someone else’s reach, and the next one on the list is already being shopped for.

Shoot the shot

The advice is the whole operating system: shoot your shot, fake it til you make it. It reads like a joke until you look at the tick list.

Builds the room, not just the route

Board of directors at the Red River Gorge Climbers’ Coalition. Founding leadership at Trans Climbers Belong. A hand in the Queer Climber’s Network. Cat spends the hours off the wall on who gets to feel at home at the crag.

Honest about the skin

Licking your tips mid-climb is “not ideal,” so there is Hydrate. Chalk wrecks cuticles, so Repair goes on after the wash. Practical, a little gross, never precious.

Behind the lens too

The day job is photography. A person who spends the workweek looking after other people’s moments and the weekends making their own.

Soundtrack

Performing BBNO$

In the bag

What Cat actually uses.

Pick a size, hit Add.

Repair

My go-to for keeping my skin healthy and hydrated.

$18.95
Split

The big guns for gnarly sandstone rash, or when it is too cold and dry for Repair.

$4.95
Split+

The big guns for gnarly sandstone rash, or when it is too cold and dry for Repair. Goes on after washing, too.

$18.95
Massage Cream

For forearms and sore joints after a session.

$18.95
Shop the line

Build a routine around it.

Pro Pack

The full system: prepare, perform, recover.

$125.99$99.95
Rhino Starter Kit Bundle

The essentials with a handmade pouch. The easy first order.

$55.75$45.95
Dry Spray

Night before. Hands sweat less for about eight hours on dry skin.

$18.95
Hydrate

Aloe-based spray for glassy, dry skin. Spray on before you climb and let it dry tacky.

$18.95
Tip Juice

Fingertip antiperspirant for very sweaty tips. Brushed on the pads, once a week.

$25.00
Performance

Conditions skin and cuts sweat. Night before, and fine for several days running.

$18.95
Prefer a shop?

Find Rhino near you.

Where to find RhinoStores and gyms that carry Rhino, on a map.Nature Climbing, EuropeRhino for European climbers.REIRhino at REI, in store and online.
The routine

Before, during, after.

During

Sometimes Hydrate if the temperatures are cool and humidity low. Licking my tips mid climb is not ideal.

After

Repair and/or Split+ goes on after washing my hands to reintroduce some moisture into my skin. The dryness of chalk kills my cuticles, and hydration keeps them from cracking and bleeding.

The reel

Cat in motion.

Open on Instagram ↗
Open on Instagram ↗
Open on Instagram ↗
Open on Instagram ↗
Off the wall

The rest of Cat.

Performing musicBBNO$
Current projectShopping for that next anti-shorty, or maybe a 14b
Best advice

“Shoot your shot and fake it til you make it”

Something people don't know

My ID says I’m 4’11”.

Skin Abuse Specialists

Meet the rest of the team.

Pro athletes, ambassadors, and the grassroots crew who beat up their hands so you know what works.

The team Apply to join

The Rhino Deep Dive

Want the long version?

What is in each bottle, what it does, and when to reach for it. Ingredient by ingredient, sport by sport, in one book you can flip through.

Read the Deep Dive