There needs to be a word that describes the moment when a group of people who were previously strangers to one another become a community. There’s a magic in it. A warmth. It shines and sparkles and grows stronger by the people who are a part of it.
At our event on April 7th, the Women In Ultrarunning group continued to transform into a community. A community of strong, powerful, curious women showing the world they belong in the sport of ultrarunning. The growth and response from the community is truly showing there is a need for this space. I cannot wait to see how it continues to grow and transform.
The morning of the 7th quickly warmed up as we took to the trails and explored what I would call a “graduate” route in the Wissahickon. It was a great route to build upon lessons learned from previous events. We got to practice descending technical downhills the way we learned at our Hills & Technical Trails event, and we employed strategies to pick ourselves back up after a fall like we learned in our Mental Strategy event. It felt like all the building blocks from previous events were coming together.
Prior to and following the run, participants were treated to nutrition products from Tailwind, Untapped Maple, Naak, Huma, Salt Stick, and Bonk Breaker. Some adventurous folks sampled the products during the run and others took home a goodie bag of samples to try on future runs. After the run we held another discussion, this time focusing on the topic of nutrition. We discussed types of foods, ways to tier your food choices, hydration strategies, and how to train the GI system, among other things! We were also treated to a giveaway from HOKA and raffle from Philadelphia Runner!
Our next in–person event is Saturday July 13th at 8AM at Rittenhouse Town in the Wissahickon. The event will include a 60–minute trail run, topic discussion on training techniques for ultras, and we’ll be treated to raffles and giveaway shoes from HOKA! We hope to see you there! Please register using the following link: https://link.heylo.co/mdYM