This weekend marks International Women’s Day, a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women.
No doubt you will have seen marketing materials from every organisation under the sun showcasing their commitment to supporting and empowering women. At Threshold, the subject of gender inclusivity is something we’re committed to, all year long.
Since 2013, we’ve consistently welcomed a higher proportion of female athletes to our Threshold Trail Series ultramarathons than the industry standard. In the last two years, we’ve been working hard to build upon this legacy, and inspire more women than ever to take part in ultras via our Ultra 50:50 initiative.
In order to do this, we’ve been working with SheRACES, industry partners, grassroots running groups and female runners, as well as those not already in the running community, to not only understand the challenges that prevent women from taking part in ultras, but to address these challenges head on.
The Challenges
In September 2023 we surveyed more than 500 female ultra runners about the challenges they face.
We asked them about their perception of ultras in general, how the Threshold Trail Series compares to the competition, and about the challenges they face when preparing for and participating in ultra marathons.
The findings highlighted five distinct themes:
- Representation and Perception: Women make up 32% of ultra participants in the UK, compared to 50% of 10k runners, according to data from Let’s Do This. The sport has historically been positioned as brutal and macho, and can appear male-dominated or judgmental. These factors, in combination with the perception that they are not “good” or “strong” enough, can deter women from taking part.
- Training and Preparation: 23% of female ultra participants identify as walkers, not runners. Despite this, there are limited training resources for walkers and athletes mixing running and walking. And even when those plans exist, for women with children, balancing childcare responsibilities with the demands of ultra training can be challenging, especially for those who work full-time.
- Event Access and Support: 92% of past female participants we surveyed felt Threshold events were inclusive. But, of course, they could only feel this way after they’d already taken part! Many women pointed out that, for first-time participants, anxieties related to logistics – including transportation, accommodation around events, and cut-off times – could be a deterrent, especially to women who are taking part on their own.
- Safety and Harassment: 34% of female ultra runners said safety was the number one barrier to female participation. Concerns about running alone, especially at night, due to safety issues and fear of harassment often lead women to avoid running in remote or secluded areas, impacting their training opportunities and limiting their enjoyment of events like ours when traversing such areas at night.
- Menstrual Health and the Menopause: Menstrual health was consistently cited as a concern for female ultra runners. Menstrual cycles, pregnancy, and the menopause can affect energy levels and performance whilst preparing for and participating in ultra endurance events. These problems can be exacerbated when event organisers fail to ensure the availability of clean toilets, sanitary products, and private spaces.
After identifying these Challenges, we conducted a systematic review of our events and how we promote them. Working in collaboration with SheRACES, we put together a white paper exploring the impact of our initiative in 2024, and setting our intentions for 2025.
The Challengers
Last year, we recruited a team of (extra)ordinary women – our Ultra 50:50 Challengers – and documented the highs and lows of their journey towards Race to the King. We share their stories on social media in the build-up, and afterwards we released a short documentary about their experience.
Our hope is that by showcasing the real stories of six women from different backgrounds and experience levels, we can inspire more people to take on the challenge of completing an ultra.
This year, we’re continuing our Challenger initiative, following the journeys of ten women towards their first ultramarathon with us at Race to the King.
Coming from a range of backgrounds and experience levels, each has a unique tale to tell about their own journey towards that distant finish line in West Dean Gardens.
The Community
At the outset of our Ultra 50:50 initiative, we recognised that, whilst we could change the way we marketed and organised our events to be more inclusive, there were already people out there doing amazing work to allow more women and people from diverse backgrounds to access trail and ultrarunning.
We’ve been fortunate enough to partner with many of these groups and help to support them in the crucial work they are doing, including:
- Black Girls Do Run UK: An England Athletics-affiliated London-based running club founded by Tasha Thompson, working to show that black women can and do run. We welcomed a number of the BGDRUK community to our ultras in 2024 and can’t wait to do the same in 2024.
- SheRaces: Led by GB 24-hour athlete Sophie Power, SheRaces are working to level the start line for women at races, across all sports (with a current focus on road and trail running, cycling and triathlon) by working with sponsors, athletes and race directors to identify and dismantle the barriers that prevent women from competing in races and events. We have worked closely with SheRaces to implement their guidelines across our events and ensure they are as inclusive as possible.
- SheRUNS: A Hackney-based community advocating for more ethnically diverse women to run and move, founded and led by our 2024 Challenger Nazrin. We partnered with SheRUNS to deliver a free track session at the London Marathon Community Track in February 2025, designed specifically for women considering their first ultra.
Focusing on Walkers
We know that our work in this area is far from over. This year, to continue to move our Ultra 50:50 initiative forwards, we commissioned a survey of over 1000 women from across the UK, to better understand the barriers to participation when it comes to taking part in ultramarathons.
The survey highlighted the importance of catering to walkers when encouraging more women to take part in ultras. Over half of women surveyed (54%) told us they’d be more likely to take on an ultramarathon event if they knew walking was an option.
Louise Strong, our final finisher at Race to the King 2024, walked her 100km in 26 hours and 5 minutes
For many ultra events, walking is unfortunately not possible, as strict cut-off times mandate a minimum pace that is faster than walking pace. Our inclusive approach, however, means walkers are more than welcome, and our walker-friendly cut-off times, well-marked routes, and plentiful aid stations are designed to cater to the full spectrum of participant paces.
