Ultrarunner Sophie Power made headlines in 2018 when a photo of her breastfeeding her then 3-month-old son during the 106-mile Ultra-Trail Du Mont-Blanc (UTMB) went viral. Undoubtedly, you’ll have seen the iconic image (below), but you may not know that Sophie had previously lost a place at the 2014 UTMB when pregnant with her first child due to UTMB’s policy on race referral. 

Not wanting to lose another opportunity to run UTMB, Sophie (whose race finishes include the Marathon des Sables and the 153-mile Spartathlon) toed the line at the 2018 race – three months after giving birth to baby Cormac and whilst breastfeeding. Since then, she has campaigned for races to allow women to defer their places until they have recovered from pregnancy and childbirth.

Now a mum of three, Sophie continues to share honest accounts of her own experiences of postnatal life, including the challenges that women often face when returning to running after childbirth. Many of these are included in the short film Pregnancy to Performance, made with HOKA, which documents her postpartum return to running following the birth of her daughter, Saoirse, last November.

In this Q&A, we chat about the story behind that UTMB photo, how Sophie fits training into a busy life alongside work, campaigning and three kids, and her mental strategies for approaching tough times in races. 

© IRONMAN

When Shirin Gerami lined up at the start line of the 2013 ITU World Championships to represent her home country of Iran, it was the culmination of six months of intense work behind the scenes to persuade the Iran Triathlon Federation to grant her permission to represent them. Six months of meetings, red tape, custom kit designs (as the strict Islamic dress code was the major factor in their decision), factory visits and trips to Iran, to enable Shirin to become the first female triathlete to represent Iran.

Although she made history that day once she had received the go-ahead to represent Iran, the work didn’t end there. Shirin, whose journey in triathlon began whilst at university in Durham, has continued to blaze a trail and demonstrate that a modest dress code is not a barrier to sports participation. In 2016, Shirin toed the line at the IRONMAN World Championships in Kona, completing the 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike and 26.2-mile run wearing a hijab and head-to-toe kit. 

In this Q&A we chat about her experiences in triathlon and the behind-the-scenes work that led to her becoming the first woman to represent Iran in triathlon.

After being diagnosed with Complex Regional Pain Syndrome as a child, Danielle Brown MBE discovered archery and went on to enjoy a hugely successful professional career in elite sport. Not only is she a double Paralympic gold medallist, but a five-time world champion. She also became the first disabled athlete to represent England at an able-bodied event when she won gold in the team Archery event at the 2010 Commonwealth Games.

However, Danielle’s sporting career was devastatingly cut short in 2013 when World Archery declassified her disability, abruptly ending her eligibility to compete in disability sport. 

Eight years on, Danielle has a different career path with a very successful motivational speaking business and two books to her name. Still passionate about women’s sport, her latest book, Run Like A Girl: 50 Extraordinary and Inspiring Sportswomen includes mini biographies of 50 incredible women in sport and adventure, shining a light on their achievements whilst reclaiming the ‘Like a girl’ phrase as a positive one.

Where to start with the incredible Leah Goldstein? The 52-year-old Canadian has lived a remarkable life. A world champion kickboxer at 17, she was the first female elite commando instructor in the Israeli Defence Force, a Krav Maga specialist, and an undercover Special Forces terrorism and violent crime officer… and that’s before all of her endurance sports accolades!

After leaving the army, Leah enjoyed an impressive professional cycling career for more than a decade until a near-death crash in 2005 saw her hospitalised for several months. Doctors told her she would never race again, but, incredibly, she proved them wrong. 

Earlier this year, Leah became the first woman in history to take the outright solo win at Race Across America (RAAM), a 3000-mile, single-stage cycle race from America’s west to east coast, dubbed the toughest bike race in the world. She completed it in 11 days, 3 hours and 3 minutes, enduring searing temperatures of up to 50°C and accumulating 175,000ft of elevation. The second-place rider crossed the line almost 16 hours later.

I had the pleasure of chatting with Leah, who is also a motivational speaker and the author of No Limits (which documents her incredible life and career) at the start of August. Our phone conversation focused on her historic RAAM win, her preparation, her sleep schedule, and everything it took to cross the line as 2021’s outright winner. Enjoy!

© Chris Samsom

She may be a youthful 24-year-old, but GB triathlete Sian Rainsley already has an impressive 17 years of solid race experience to her name, having competed in triathlon since the age of seven. A successful junior triathlete, Sian earned silver at the 2014 Youth Olympic Games, before recently stepping up to compete for the senior GB team. However, it’s not all been plain sailing for the GB triathlete; after falling ill at her first GB training camp at the age of 18, Sian was diagnosed with the autoimmune condition, Crohn’s Disease.

Despite doctors advising her against pursuing a career in elite sport, Sian has been able to manage her Crohn’s whilst competing as a professional athlete, even earning a gold medal in the mixed relay for Team GB’s senior team at this year’s 2021 Kitzbühel European Sprint & Relay Championships. Although, if that suggests it’s been an easy ride for Sian, far from it. In this week’s Q&A, Sian kindly shares the challenges she faces in managing and living with her Crohn’s Disease whilst chasing her dream of a successful triathlon career.

American ultrarunner and skyrunner Hillary Allen was ranked number one in the 2017 Skyrunning World Series when she fell 150ft from an exposed ridge-line during the Tromsø Skyrace in Norway. During the fall, her body took the full force of several impacts and by the time fellow racer Manu Par had scrambled down to her, she had broken 14 bones, including both wrists, five ribs, both feet and vertebrae L4 and L5 in her back. 

Incredibly, Hillary survived. But being ‘alive’ and enduring multiple surgeries was just the beginning of her battle for survival, as she recounts in her new book, Out And Back: A Runner’s Story of Survival Against All Odds.

Doctors told Hillary she would never run again, but after two years of rehab and recovery, she returned to ultrarunning, even setting several new course records. The 32-year-old also discovered cycling as part of her recovery and her gravel riding resume now includes none other than the notorious Unbound Gravel – considered the gravel race to end all gravel races. 

I chatted to Hillary over the phone back in July about the long road to recovery, the setbacks and further surgeries she endured, and the freedom she now feels when she lines up on the start line.

© Paul Calver

Last week I brought you the first part of my Q&A with Christal Clashing, covering Christal’s historic Atlantic row and her freediving. In part two, we rewind a bit and chat about how Christal came to represent Antigua in swimming at the Athens Olympics when she was just 14.

As I said in last week’s feature, Christal suffers from a debilitating pre-menstrual condition, Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD), which started in her teens and went undiagnosed until her twenties. The condition affects 2-10% of women and is something Christal continues to manage. In this Q&A, she kindly shares her experience and the deep impact it has had on her life.

© Paul Calver

Christal Clashing fell in love with the ocean whilst growing up in Antigua and quickly found she had a talent for swimming. At the age of 14, she represented Antigua at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens. Fourteen years later, she swapped swimming for rowing and made history as part of the first all-black rowing team to cross the Atlantic. Since then, Christal, who is a water coach, adventurer and writer, has switched her focus to freediving and hopes to set a national record.

In her twenties, Christal was diagnosed with Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD), a severely debilitating form of premenstrual syndrome which affects 2-10% of women. In this interview, we cover Christal’s rowing and freediving but check back next week to read about her journey to Olympic swimmer and learn more about her experience living with PMDD.

© Philipp Reiter

If you follow the international trail running scene you’ll no doubt recognise Italian athlete Martina Valmassoi’s smiley face. A true all-seasons mountain athlete, Martina is a ski mountaineer foremost but has enjoyed many high profile ultra-trail running podiums alongside her skimo accolades, which have seen her represent the Italian national team and win team races such as the legendary Sellaronda Ski Marathon.

In March this year, with a bounty of snow on her doorstep in the Dolomites, Martina set a new women’s world record for the most vertical elevation accumulated on skis in 24 hours. After organising the entire attempt herself, she clocked an incredible 17,645m (57,890 feet!) on a slope in Auronzo di Cadore, Italy, eclipsing Rea Kolbl’s world record set a week prior.

At the time of our phone chat, Martina was preparing for the 80km Lavaredo Ultra Trail race, which she went on to win – congratulations, Martina!

© Paul Cooper

British-Malawian rifle shooter Ruth Mwandumba discovered she had a talent for shooting whilst in the Army Cadets at the age of 13, but it wasn’t until she joined a shooting club during university in London that she began to take it seriously. At the age of 22 she started competing and within the year was crowned 2018 English Champion. Now, Ruth is part of the GB rifle Talent Academy, competing in Air Rifle and 0.22.

Ruth’s is completely self-funded (hop to it, sponsors!), and when she’s not training, the 25-year-old from Liverpool is studying for a PhD in epidemiology. Below she talks through the basics of shooting, how she trained at home during lockdown, and the mental side of her performance.