Karen Wiltin

Karen Wiltin is a physician's assistant who made her rookie debut in American Ninja Warrior 10. She is a mother of two daughters, Etta and Mary, who are inspired greatly by her.

American Ninja Warrior 10
Witlin first competed in Dallas in American Ninja Warrior 10. In qualifying, she was the first athlete of the night to get past the Tuning Forks, but she fell on Crank It Up and placed 25th overall and advanced to the city finals. She became one of two women to make the top 30, along with Quest O'Neal.

In the city finals, her run was digested but it was shown that she shockingly failed the Archer Steps and did not advance to Vegas.

American Ninja Warrior 11
She made a return appearance in Oklahoma City as the first competitor of the night. She had a few close calls, but was ultimately able to repeat her qualifying performance last season, making it to the fifth obstacle before failing.

She was one of five women to attempt Coconut Climb, and as such, secured a spot in the womens' top 5. She placed 5th overall there, advancing to the city finals for a second straight year. However, out of the five women that attempted Coconut Climb, she was the only one to not be in the top 30, as she technically placed 31st at the end of the night.

In the city finals, she was hesitant on the first obstacle, not wanting to repeat the same fall as last season. Although she needed to take a couple extra swings, she got past the Shrinking Steps. She then bested the Coconut Climb, and scaled the Warped Wall on her third and final attempt, becoming just the third mom to do it, and the second oldest woman, behind Sandy Zimmerman at 44. However, she failed the trampoline jump to the Salmon Ladder and did not advance to Las Vegas. Despite this, it was still a significant moment for her, as it was the best performance of her career.

Trivia

 * Her run in the Oklahoma city finals is remarkably similar to Michelle Warnky's in American Ninja Warrior 6's St. Louis finals. Both instances involved them failing to get enough bounce on the Salmon Ladder, toppling in the water. Both competitors in question also reached the back half of a city finals course in their respective runs.