What a weekend for women’s running! On Saturday, the incredible fell running legend, Nicky Spinks, took on the Joss Naylor challenge, running 48 miles and summiting 17,000 feet of Lake District ascent to smash the previous best women’s time by an hour. Not a bad way to celebrate your 50^th birthday! Congrats Nicky on setting a new all-time record of 11 hours 2 minutes. Woohoo!

Then on Sunday, Kenya’s Mary Keitany broke the women-only marathon record with a time of 2hrs.17.

Amazing.

Photo Credit: Inov8

When she’s not working on her PHD, Lilly Hunt has possibly one of the coolest jobs on the planet: professional obstacle tester for the Ninja Warrior TV franchise. There isn’t an obstacle on the show that she hasn’t hung from, balanced on or gripped to within an inch of its life. Lilly’s also an elite obstacle course racer with the Mudstacle Machines team and one to watch during this year’s race season. So she’s basically a professional ninja.

Naturally, I tracked her down to see what kind things such a badass job entails.

Three races, three adventures, three seasons. Welcome to the Arctic Triple. Set in Lofoten, an archipelago of islands in Norway’s Arctic Circle, this multidiscipline threesome of events includes skimo (ski mountaineering), ultra-running and triathlon. Do an event individually or nail all three within a year to earn yourself bragging rights of completing the Arctic Triple. (Oh and a bronze, silver and gold award, depending on which distance you choose.)

Tell you more? Oh, go on then.

You know those days when you feel a bit ‘meh’ and everything feels like a struggle? Bookmark this interview with Beth French for a kick up the bum on those days. Wheelchair-bound with ME at 17, Beth rewrote the rest of her life with incredible feats of endurance in the water. Having previously swum the English Channel, she’s currently half-way through an epic, EPIC challenge of swimming 7 oceans within a year, which will see her swim (sometimes 24 hours at a time, wahhh) in some of the most challenging oceans on the planet.

The perfect tonic to ‘meh’ days.

Bon Voyage!

Road bike, running trainers and Chrissie Wellington’s autobiography packed as I head to Provence for Easter with the family. (Chocolate and exercise, the perfect partners in crime!)

Happy Easter!

Check back next week for my interview with incredible open water ocean swimmer, Beth French…

Katie

I first came across personal trainer, Lydia, on Instagram where I admired her lifting skills enviously. She was hashtagging her #stronggirltakeover movement about inspiring women to support each other in getting strong together, which I liked the sound of. Next thing I knew, she was on TV in the second series of the BBC’s Special Forces: Ultimate Hell Week, where recruits are put through their paces (aka battered, mentally and physically) via a series of brutal Special Forces-style exercises on barely any sleep.

Being a nosy parker, I wanted to know more. Thankfully Lydia let me ask all my questions. See below.

Looking for inspiration this month? The Women’s Adventure Expo is coming to Bristol with a new spin-off event, WAExpo Takes to the Water. The water-themed event includes amazing female adventure speakers, Ted-style talks from Clipper Round the World Yacht Race and Shore Seeker Challenges, updates from the Marine Conservation Society and taster activities in and out of the water.

Key speakers: The line-up features epic water-based female adventurers, including open water marathon swimmer, Beth French (interview coming soon!), world land and sea adventurer, Sarah Outen MBE, Atlantic rower Natalia Cohen from the Coxless Crew, and international adventure kayaker, Erin Bastian.

When: Saturday 22 April, 10am – 5.30pm, with pre-event drinks and Shore Seeker talks on the Friday evening, and activities, such as SUP taster sessions, on Sunday.

Where: The MShed, Bristol harbour.

Tickets: £35. Buy yours here.

Now that we’re live – yey! – I’d like to ask a favour. I’ve got a lovely list of cool women I’d like to interview for Lessons in Badassery, but I’m always on the hunt for more inspiring ladies from the world of sport, fitness and adventure.

Know one? Send her my way. Got a story to tell yourself? Don’t be shy, drop me an email and say hello.

Thank you.

Email me at katie@lessonsinbadassery.com

What is it? Red Bull 400 is series of 14 leg-burning, lung-busting events located in off-season ski resorts in Europe, Asia and North America, where contestants race each other up a 400m ski jump. With a gradient of around 37 percent, the course is short, but it’s not pretty (besides the stunning view from the top). As Red Bull put it, it’s 400m of total uphill struggle.

Find out more about the Red Bull 400 event here

Holly Budge: What it feels like to train for Everest

When I first read adventurer Holly Budge’s bio I remember thinking: I need to hear more about this amazing woman. Find her email, now! So I’m beyond happy that she’s my first interview.

Holly is a total badass; her lust for adventure is fearless and accounts for her incredible accomplishments – from being the first woman ever to skydive off Everest (gulp) to summiting inhospitable mountain ranges, snowboarding from the summit of Mera Peak at 6500m, and racing semi-wild horses, self-supported, 1000km across Mongolia in 9 days. Oh yes, and she’s also holder of two world records. Phew.

Holly’s latest challenge, to summit Everest for the first time, began on April 5. Before leaving, she kindly let me quiz her about how she trained for such an epic expedition.