After making it her goal to inspire more diversity in professional cycling, Ayesha McGowan, aka A Quick Brown Fox, is on the brink of achieving her mission to become the first African-American professional female cyclist. Here, the talented American rider talks representation, conquering fears and being a badass on a bike.

Photo Credit: Magnus Egger
One of the biggest names in obstacle course racing, Karin Karlsson is a multiple Toughest Race winner, third in the world at last year’s OCR World Championship 15km course and second in the 3km event. The Swedish osteopath is one of the first athletes I saw compete in OCR and is known for her skill and strength on technical obstacles (I remember watching a Toughest Mini Tour final on my laptop and seeing her breeze through every obstacle. It was amazing.)

Here, Karin talks training, grip strength and goals for 2017.

Photo Credit: Quino Al

Want to improve your endurance sport performance and put an end to delicate race day stomachs into the bargain? It could be as simple as avoiding some basic nutritional mistakes, says sports nutritionist, Kasra Ghaharian. Here’s what you need to know…

Photo Credit: James Mitchell

48-year-old sports marketing director Jane Hansom went from smoking and drinking party girl to Ironman triathlon Age Group World Champion in under seven years, and recently took AG wins at this year’s Challenge Roth, Challenge Finland and Ironman Dublin (such a badass!) Here, Jane talks training, racing and post-marathon margaritas. Just don’t ask her about swimming drills…

The Fireflies Tour is a beast of a charity cycling event, taking its riders up and down momentous Cols and legendary Tour de France climbs during the nine-day journey from the Swiss Alps to Cannes in France. It covers a crazy 1,000km distance and a leg-busting 26,000 metres of vertical climbing. All in all, it’s pretty epic and takes a serious level of badassery, grit and fitness to complete.

Photo Credit: Sarah Gmeiner

Walking mid-air on a highline requires not just incredible balance, but serious focus and a cool head – attributes that have seen 24-year-old highliner Sarah Rixham achieve a world first. Not long ago, she held the world record for the furthest distance ever walked by a woman on a highline – at the time an impressive 122m highline walk. Here, the Sheffield-born highliner gives us an insight into her training, 2017 goals and what it feels like to be balanced on an inch-wide piece of fabric hundreds of feet in the air.

This April, despite barely training, Latvian runner Natalia Andreyeva took on her first ultra, the 32^nd edition of the mighty Moroccan footrace, the Marathon des Sables. Five days and 229.3 kilometres later, she finished – coming 27^th woman.

I fired 20 questions over to Natalia to find out more about her Marathon des Sables experience.

19-year-old Georgie Timson has been surfing competitively since her teens, displaying an early talent that saw her take the win at the 2015 Night Surf competition while still at school. After finishing her A-levels last year, the talented British surfer was finally able to turn her energy to surfing fulltime.

Mixing her time between her home in Cornwall and her surfing home-from-home in France, the Animal ambassador chats about wipeout scares, must-have kit and her surfing tips for beginners.

After the incredible success of becoming a double Commonwealth Games triathlon champion and two-time gold medallist in 2014, and later ITU World Cup Champion in 2016, it’s been a frustrating 12 months for elite GB triathlete, Jodie Stimpson, whose racing has been stop-start due to injury.

The end of last year saw big changes in Jodie’s training and life, seeing her part ways with her long-term coach and move back to the UK from Australia. Last month, Jodie took time out from training and injury rehab to talk triathlon training, power on the bike and her hopes for the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Australia.

Skiing for up to 10-hours a day, in silence and unsupported, for 75 days, while hauling an 85kg sledge behind you would be considered a major feat in ‘easy’ conditions. But in the Antarctic with temperatures as low as minus-40 and winds of up to 50 mph? Er, yup, that’s a Herculean challenge.