Ultra running has boomed in popularity in recent years with increased interest in big events such as the gruelling Barkley Marathon, sweltering desert ultra Marathon Des Sables, and the mountainous Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc. Champion female athletes such as Jasmin Paris, Carla Molinaro and Courtney Dauwalter are proving that women can excel in these races, but it seems a lot of us feel we can’t follow in their footsteps. Recent research has revealed that female participation in UK ultra running events has declined since 2019. In 2023, less than a third (30 percent) of UK ultra runners were female. So, what can be done to boost participation and show more women that ultra running is for them? We asked ultra-running converts, event organisers and coaches for their advice.
Which ultra race is right for me?
There’s no doubt that ultra running is tough and the races that have gained the most notoriety have done so because they are so difficult. Running through the night over mountains, keeping going across a desert with the sun pounding down, trying to race sleep deprived while navigating your path through a hilly forest, or going round and round a monotonous athletics track for 24 hours, requires super-human physical and mental strength. But not all ultras are like this. There are plenty of beginner-friendly races in beautiful surroundings where your experience can be more lifeaffirming than survival of the fittest.
Women’s Running columnist and co-founder of Black Trail Runners Sabrina Pace-Humphreys (sabrinapacehumphreys.com) has the following advice for picking your first ultra: “I always tell anyone to do a trail ultra as their first, as they are a feast for the mind and body. For me, trail running is the most joyful, beautiful and soul-nourishing form of running there is. It doesn’t need to be super hilly. There are various different kinds and plenty of flat ones.”
She adds: “Distance-wise for a beginner, I would recommend making 50K (31 miles) your first one. A lot of people have run a marathon of 42K and are thinking ‘what is the next step’? So 50K is a good place to start.”
While some ultras involve getting from one checkpoint to another (sometimes within a certain time), others are about doing as many laps as you can of the same route within a certain number of hours, eg 24. The latter is a good shout as your first experience, as you’ll quickly learn what the loop has in store so you can be better prepared for each lap. You can easily call it a day when you have completed the number of laps you feel you can do, and you could do it as part of a team to increase your on-the-day support and camaraderie.
How fit do I need to be for an ultra?
One of the barriers to participation is a lack of confidence in being able to run what is such a long way. But Lily Canter, an England Athletics coach specialising in women’s running and ultra running (@lilycanter) points out that you don’t need to be able to run the whole distance, as walking is a big element of ultra racing.
“The beauty of ultra running is that, given enough time to prepare, it really is achievable for anyone,” she reassures. “That’s because it is generally a much lower effort than road running, and, outside of the elites, is a far more relaxed sport. Most ultras are run off-road, sometimes with a lot of elevation, meaning they are actually a mixture of running and hiking, rather than just pure running. Some of the UK’s best ultra runners started out as hikers.”
She continues: “Prior to doing your first ultra, running experience will inevitably help but it is not vital. Being able to hike for two or more hours is going to be more conducive to completing an ultra than smashing out parkrun PBs every week. Experience in endurance exercise like cycling or cross country skiing is equally beneficial. Depending on the types of events you do, skills in navigation and orienteering can also be very useful.”
Hester Scotton, 40, a mum-of-two from London, who has run numerous ultras, agrees. “Ultra running is all about walking!” she says. “A good walker can do really well. Walk up the hills, jog the rest. The only barrier is your mind so keep telling yourself you can do it. It doesn’t have to be fast. Just one foot in front of the other.”
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