‘More than the miles': Philly group aims to make ultra running more accessible for women 

A new running group in Philadelphia is bringing sisterly support to trails throughout the City of Brotherly Love.

With a this push, the Philly-based group, Women in Ultra Running, is aiming to help more women access the sport.

“Ultra running is anything further than a marathon,” said Rachel Bambrick, the group’s founder. “It has a really special place in my heart and I just wanted to help create a way and a space to welcome more women into the area of the sport in a really inclusive way.” 

Women in Ultra Running started out as an event series and has since evolved into an organization and growing community.

Now, Bambrick has her sights set on establishing a nonprofit and even expanding to other cities.

Her goal? To create a community of women passionate about the sport of ultra running.

“It is really important because it is an area of sport that women are able to excel in. It is one of the, maybe only, areas of running where women can win a race overall. There there are ultra marathoners who have won races outright as women. Which we don’t see in shorter distances,” said Bambrick.

But Bambrick said she didn’t always see a lot of women at start lines. According to RunRepeat’s The State of Ultra Running 2020, 23% of participants worldwide were female in 2018. The number was higher, about 35%, in the US.

“Seeing that I realized there was definitely a barrier to entry. There was something that was preventing women from getting to those start lines,” said Bambrick. 

That’s when she had the idea to start Women in Ultra Running.

“As a way to help people ask those questions that maybe they are afraid to ask. To be able to learn about nutrition, mental strategy, how you run with poles, how to pack a running vest or a running pack,” said Bambrick.

Nora Jensen has been running for years, but said she has never experienced a community like this. 

“It is important to be able to see yourself so for me seeing other women doing it and making it happen, giving that space of encouragement,” said Jensen. “It has done wonders for my mental, my emotional health. The ability to push myself a littler farther, to stretch the limits of what I think I can do. And when I conquer those challenges it makes life challenges seem a little less daunting.”

Some of the women involved have been running ultramarathons for years, conquering races upwards of 200 miles long. Others are beginners. 

“This gives them the space to see that other women are doing it, that it is possible and just to even to start to believe in themselves, said Jensen. 

Maggie Grehlinger just ran her first ultramarathon with support from the group of women. 

“Those are the people you need to accomplish these tasks that sound impossible,” said Grehlinger. “They will help me through all of my race goals, but they would also help me through anything in life. It is a lot more than the miles you run it’s what happens in the miles and who you meet and the connections you make.”

Community is at the center of it all for the runners.

“I think that sense of community is so important and you find out there in special moments when people are at their lowest lows everyone around them helps pick them up and keep them going,” said Bambrick.

In addition to in-person events, Women in Ultra Running has an online space for community building, information sharing, and learning. Click here for more information.