Cat Runner, winner of HBO’s ‘The Climb’ honored for LGBTQ+ activism

Louisville’s Cat Runner is best known for winning “The Climb,” an elimination climbing series that aired on HBO Max in 2023.

Like any reality show contestant, Runner has enjoyed some notoriety thanks to “The Climb,” but the transgender athlete is also known for using his platform to elevate the queer climbing community in Louisville, Kentucky’s Red River Gorge and beyond.

In addition to founding the Queer Climbers Network, a project aimed at helping LGBTQ+ climbers across the country find each other, the 26-year-old is the co-founder of Trans Climbers Belong, a grassroots coalition formed in response to discriminatory policies implemented by USA Climbing, the sport’s national governing body.