This year, as part of our Ultra 50:50 initiative, we are on a mission to excite, empower, and engage 500+ women who have never taken part in an ultra before to join our events.
To help us achieve this, we recently 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 results may surprise you!
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.
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.
Louise Strong, our final finisher at Race to the King 2024, crossed the finish line in 26 hours and five minutes, having walked 100km
As part of our commitment to support walkers, we also work with Clare Maxted of Wild Ginger Running to provide walking-specific training plans for both the 50k and 100k distances, designed to make training as accessible and flexible as possible for first-time participants.
In addition to highlighting the significance of a walker-friendly approach, our survey also showed that more than half (57%) of female runners view positive mental health as the main benefit of long-distance trail running events. This further cements our determination to welcome more women into the sport, by helping them to build the confidence and knowledge to tackle their first ultramarathon and enjoy the mental health benefits of ultramarathons.
Penny Welch, our CCO here at Threshold Sports said: “In 2025, the Threshold Trail Series will continue to invest in female participation, with a focus on first-time ultra participants. We want to bust the myth that ultramarathons are only for elite runners. Our aim is for walkers, joggers and runners alike to cross the finish line, as the sense of achievement can be truly life changing.
“The survey results show us that our walker-friendly cut-off times, walking training plans and fully serviced aid stations all help first-timers tackle an ultra. We’re committed to championing this important topic, empowering even more women to take on greater distances so they too can realise the physical and mental health benefits of trail events.”
Even runners walk most of the uphills during an ultra!
Additional Findings
The survey highlighted additional physical and psychological barriers faced by women when stepping up from shorter distance events such as 5k, 10k or half marathons to ultramarathons (50k+). In the spirit of our mantra, ‘Ultras For All’, we recognise these challenges and are implementing a series of key strategies to encourage first-time ultramarathon participation.
- Over 40% of women with children say lack of time and family commitments have prevented them from signing up for trail events in the past.
As many women have to train in the dark to fit things around family care commitments, we are providing free head torches to the first 100 women that sign up to Race to the Stones or Race to the King in January 2025. - Over 40% of women say local connection would inspire them to train for an ultra.
To encourage peer-to-peer support and connect people who might not have a training network in their local area, we have launched a virtual community on Heylo to help people connect with one another ahead of our events. - 25% of women have safety concerns regarding running at night/in the dark.
We give all our participants the option of hiring a GPS tracker for the duration of the event, to provide accurate location data, available online throughout the race for your friends and family to view. We also provide support to solo runners at night to help coordinate groups from pit stops and make sure you buddy up if you are on the route at night so you are not walking alone. - Half of women (50%) want better nutritional advice to take on an ultra.
We offer our participants a series of free training webinars with professional athletes, running coaches and industry experts to discuss how to go about preparing your mind and body for an ultramarathon including mastering food, hydration, and kit.
In addition to the initiatives outlined above, throughout the year in the build-up to our events, we’ll be following and supporting ten remarkable women as they take on their first ultra next summer – our Ultra 50:50 Challengers. Coming from a range of backgrounds and experience levels, each has a unique tale to tell about their own journey towards the finish line in the hope of inspiring other women.
