WHAT A WEBINAR (NO. 2 ‘WOMEN IN ULTRA RUNNING’)

A few weeks ago we had our second AURA webinar in the series which was based around women in ultra running. We had another fantastic panel on board for our chat, and being such a broad topic we unfortunately didn’t get to cover all the things we wanted. But rest assured we are putting in place more webinars to go into further detail of the main topics our members wanted to discuss.

We acknowledged many of the challenges women faced when tackling an ultra for the first time but also those that have been running ultras for many years. The main topics discussed were:

• The growth of participation of females in ultra events
• How do I fit in training around family and work
• Finding a support network to train with
• Running solo or with a group – safety concerns and the fun factor
• You are never too old to start
• Can you have it all, i.e. running, family and work?
• Menopause and how it affects your running. This was a BIG one and one we plan to dedicate a future webinar to this
• Nutrition and RED-S – also to be followed up
• Body image perceptions – what shape is the perfect runner? The answer = any shape!
• Confidence – how to tackle or step up to an ultra
• Do I need a coach and how can they help?

Our panel of experts consisted of elite runners, mid packers, Australian representatives, a ‘super grandma’ that is about to run her 10th Coast 2 Kosci and also mums that love to run and participate and love the sense of community that running brings.

We hope that this varied experience shows that if you want to be a runner, the only boundaries are the ones you put on yourselves. The choices you make around your own lifestyle are yours to make – you can run a lot or you can run a little, you can start young or you can start in your 40s – it doesn’t matter. The main thing is this sport has opened its arms to women of all ages, abilities, shapes and sizes and if you are willing to have a go, there is an army of people waiting to help you.

Contact any of your AURA reps to get friendly and helpful advice at any time.

In the mean time, if you would like to watch and listen to the webinar, click here.