Ultra-endurance and adventure athletes: A sport calling for more women and why we're all tougher than we think

And just like that we’re back for season 2!

We’re kicking off the new season with a truly awe-inspiring woman and athlete; adventurist and ultra-endurance specialist Jenny Tough.

Jenny Tough is currently involved in a project to run solo and unsupported across a mountain range on every populated continent. Jenny was the first woman to win the Silk Road Mountain Race and Atlas Mountain Race.  

Jenny’s profile was raised when she started filming herself completing expeditions and adventures and posting on social media to spread awareness that this sport isn’t just for one demographic (white and male) but for women too.

In this interview Jenny talks about: how if you can’t see it, you can’t be it, the lack of diversity in the adventure athlete space and why she wanted to do something about it, female safety concerns, how she trains, plans and prepares for her expeditions and competitions, the mental toughness needed to survive in the wilderness and mountains for weeks at a time, how she recovers physically and mentally, why she was prompted to learn more about her menstrual cycle after she came on unexpectedly during the Atlas Mountain Race in Morocco, and why above all else we are all tougher than we think. 

In Question Time this week, we speak about the non-hormonal copper coil (IUD), how it prevents pregnancy and why it may take time for your menstrual cycle to settle after insertion.

Jenny Tough links:
 Atlas Mountain Race; Interview With Jenny Tough and Sofiane Sehili:
https://www.apidura.com/journal/atlas-mountain-race-interview-with-jenny-tough-and-sofiane-sehili/ 

Strong Women: ‘I got my period on an endurance race in the middle of the Atlas Mountains – and I still won’ 
https://metro.co.uk/2020/05/13/strong-women-jenny-tough-period-atlas-mountains-endurance-race-12691106/

Atlas Mountain Race 2020 Documentary: 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e5k5ayE9iqU

Tough Women Adventure Stories: Stories of Grit, Courage and Determination Book:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Tough-Women-Adventure-Stories-Determination/dp/1787833003

Topical research: Changes in Self-Reported Physical Fitness, Performance, and Side Effects Across the Phases of the Menstrual Cycle Among Competitive Endurance Athletes: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32957079/

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We would like to thank our title sponsor for series 2 -Pretty Athletic. Pretty Athletic is a unique skincare brand for active women who sweat. 

Visit wwww.prettyathletic.com to view the amazing range of products available and use discount code FEMALEATHLETEPOD for 20% off.

*Disclaimer: Materials and content in the Female Athlete Podcast are intended as general information only and should not be substituted for medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.