Jasmine Paris’ recent triumph at the Berkely Ultra has rightly caused a stir. Both the first female to ever finish the race and her previous win at Montane SPINE race (whilst pumping to feed her daughter) are each immense achievements for her. But these acts of endurance have become so much more than personal accomplishments- they’ve set the bar in the endurance word and caused a total storm.
Now I haven’t worked with Jasmine, but right now I coach a growing number of female athletes. And quite honestly, they’re smashing it. They’re working hard and they’re meeting (and often exceeding) their goals, pushing past what they think they’re capable of. So what’s going on? Where have they all been hiding? And what causes them to succeed?
From the sample of individuals I have worked with (that’s well into the 100s for both men and women) many of my female athletes are intensely focused on their goals, with a real willingness to make their training sessions happen. They’re efficient, want to maximise the output from their time and honestly show a commitment that often surpasses their male counterparts. There’s less excuses and more of a “head down and crack on” attitude- a greater need to succeed perhaps. Many don’t take their training time for granted, but more of an opportunity to focus on themselves and their abilities.
Whilst the world of adventure and ultra-endurance is still fairly young, clearly men have had a head start. Perhaps this imbalance prompts our female athletes to push harder. Perhaps men are a little lazy and women push further. Perhaps women are there to prove a point. Perhaps they’re there to switch off from the rest of life! Like all my athletes, they all have a “why” that is unique to them. But the fact remains, female athletes have a focus and determination that is often better than men.
To me, it’s no surprise that women are taking the lead, because I believe they often want it more than the men do. 60% of my client base are female and they’re covering all areas of endurance adventure sport- ultras, triathlons, solo trips in cold climates, multi day races that cover numerous sports, bike packing events. They all push themselves to achieve great things and they’re quite frankly smashing it.
If you keep a person or animal suppressed for too long, 3 things can happen.
1. They stay within the status quo.
2. The drop below and disappear,
3. The rise above and show what they can really do.
I think we all know which one is going on.
