On International Women's Day, here's what you need to know about Lululemon's women's-only ultra
Last year, activewear brand Lululemon announced a brand new initiative hoping to demonstrate 'how far women can go when they’re supported with resources and product innovations typically reserved for men'. Further, ran in partnership with the Canadian Sport Institute Pacific, would see 10 women take on a six-day ultramarathon, the aim being to advance women’s-first research and addressing the existing sex and gender gap within endurance running.
Now, almost a year later, the ultramarathon is underway. From 6 to 12 March, all 10 women are attempting to run the furthest distance of their careers on a certified looped course (2.6 miles/4.18km) at Lake Cahuilla in La Quinta, California. RW attended the launch – here's all the info you need to know.
Who are the women taking part in Further?
All 10 women taking part in the ultramarathon are Lululemon ambassadors from around the globe:
Montana Farrah-Seaton, Australia (age: 27)
Stefanie Flippin, USA (age: 34)
Camille Herron, USA (age: 42)
Kayla Jeter, USA (age: 34)
Xiaomeng Jia, China (age: 38)
Yoon Young Kang, South Korea (age: 44)
Vriko Kwok, China (age: 32)
Mirna Valerio, USA (age: 48)
Devon Yanko, USA (age: 41)
Leah Yingling, USA (age: 32)
Each woman is joined by seven crew members of her choosing. Throughout the next six days, the women have the opportunity to set distance and time-based personal and world records. Some of them are brand new to multi-day racing, while others, like 42-year old Camille Herron, are more experienced.
Herron is the women’s world 48-hour record holder (the third best performance in the world behind only two men) and the first athlete to have won all three road IAU World Championships for 50K, 100K and 24 hours. During Further, she has her eye on breaking the six-day world record. Currently, this stands at 644.23 miles (1036km) and was set by Yiannis Kouros of Greece in 2005.
In order to break the record, Herron will need to complete 41 laps of the Further course each day. If her 48-hour pace is anything to go by (10.39 min/miles or 6.30 min/km), that equates to a staggering 17 hours of running each day (yes, really).
Enhancing women's-first research
But the initiative isn’t just about the athlete’s personal goals. It also aims to better understand human performance through the lens of research. An audit of select sport science and sports medicine journals found 4% to 13% of published studies were female-only, with around 90% of these studies using incorrect methods to review a women’s menstrual cycle.
All of the Further athletes have been rigorously studied in the lead up to the event. Over the next six days, researchers will use various testing methods to explore questions, including whether female ultrarunners have superior fatigue resistance to male ultrarunners, as well as the physiological and biomechanical effects of six days of running. Initial findings are due to be published in Autumn 2024.
What will the athletes be wearing during Further?
The shoes and apparel worn by the athletes have also been specifically designed to meet the needs of female ultrarunners. And the good news? Many of the 36 new items will be available for general purchase from Autumn 2024.
New products include the all-in-one Runsie suit, which features an easy access back-waist design to simplify bathroom breaks.
The Support Code sports bra, available later this year, is also designed to provide high support, with an anti-chafe construction. The bra includes pockets for storing fuel or hydration, as well as ice cubes for mid-run cooling.
The brand’s new hydration vest has a women’s-first fit, too. It includes a custom fit pouch, lined with insulation, to store ice cubes for cooling during endurance events.
'As an ultrarunner, one of the things I've learned over my years competing in really hot races is the importance of topical cooling,' Further athlete Leah Yingling told RW. '[The athletes] have helped to design a lot of the topical cooling you'll see on the course. There's an ice bandana, an ice shirt and a bucket hat with pockets in it for ice. I'm excited to put these innovations into practice, because what exists for ultrarunners right now on the market doesn't even scratch the surface.'
When it comes to footwear, the Further athletes are wearing Lululemon's latest Beyondfeel running shoes. According to Simon Atkins, senior vice president of footwear at Lululemon, there are seven key differences between the men’s and women’s shoe. These include an additional 2mm foam in the insole, extra flex grooves in the forefoot of the outsole (to accommodate for a slightly different toe off) and a different crash pad in the heel.
Can you track the Further athletes?
Yes! This link allows you to see how far and how many laps the athletes have covered in real time throughout the event.
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