Think you couldn’t be an ultra runner? Think again! Here’s how to take your first steps to a big adventure
Words: Lucy Waterlow
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 life-affirming 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 s
