In the latest UKRunChat podcast episode, Sophie Power, founder of She RACES, shares her insights on how race organisers can create environments that encourage and support female participation. Sophie’s passionate approach to making races more inclusive has led to significant strides in the running world, and she explains how simple changes can make a world of difference for women. From race-day logistics to media representation, Sophie dives into practical tips for making races more welcoming to women, ensuring everyone can feel confident and supported as they cross the start line.

What basic changes can race organisers make to be more inclusive to women?

First, is how to get more women on the start line. Look at your website. Often everyone uses a start line photo, which is generally the fast men, and I get put off by the start line pictures, and I’m fairly quick. So look at the imagery, and the language, you’re using. look at the cut-offs, making sure they’re evenly spaced. Abingdon had a five-hour cut-off, and that’s the average marathon time for a woman. It’s now six hours, and you’ve got over three times as many people finishing above that five hours. Also, consider pregnancy deferrals.

Women love information. We want to know what’s going on. We want to know kind of how we’re going to get there. For triathlons, especially if you’re managing a childcare, what time are you racking your bike? What time are you doing this? When will you be finished. Put all this information on your website.

And then on the race day, we need enough toilets. We like period products, and if it’s a triathlon or a long day, we’d like some changing facilities.

And we don’t want to be harassed. Our triathlon research found some really worrying things about athlete behaviour. We don’t want to see men peeing right in front of us. There can be a rule that you step off the trail.

And make sure our T-shirts are ladies fit. Mine all fit me at 37 weeks pregnant! My husband and kids end up wearing them instead.

Then, there’s how we recognise female competitors. Running is one of the few sports where men and women race together, yet winners are often announced as “the winner” and then “the first woman.” There are two winners; there are two races. There is the men’s winner and the female winner. Equal prizes and categories matter too.

People think that women are winning longer races overall, but it’s just because better women are on average are entering the race, because we’re too nervous unless we’re really good enough to do that.

What kind of resistance do you face when you approach races about making these changes?

Many races are already doing the right thing, often with female race directors, but they might not be communicating it properly. It’s important to let women know about policies like pregnancy deferrals, as many don’t feel comfortable asking. Then, there’s the group that immediately understands and implements changes because they believe it’s the right thing to do. They focus on diversity and outreach programs.

Next, there are businesses. When we demonstrate that these changes lead to increased revenue, they make adjustments. That’s been particularly effective with larger organizations, like Threshold, who opened up their data for our Ultra 50-50 project. They doubled female participation while also increasing male participation through enhanced communication and media coverage.

Finally, there are the dinosaurs – those resistant to change. Some race directors don’t want women or slower runners on the start line. They believe their race should only be for a certain level of athlete. We categorised London Marathon in this group for a while due to the pregnancy deferral fight. But ultimately, races that don’t adapt will become extinct. Men want women on the start line. When Ironman split the Men’s and Women’s World Championship, the men wanted the women back; the women, however, were fine without them. The atmosphere was simply better.

Rather than wasting resources trying to change resistant races, we focus on empowering women with guidelines and encouraging them to call out races that don’t support inclusivity. Over time, those races will realise they need to change.

Do you see progress happening fast enough, or do we still have a long way to go?

I’d love to press a button and change everything overnight, but ultimately, our goal is that She Races becomes unnecessary. Progress is happening: races are introducing period products, female-fit t-shirts, splitting results, and improving their DEI policies. Brands are also assessing which races they sponsor based on inclusivity.

Now, we’re expanding globally. She Races India is launching, and we’ve signed up races in Uzbekistan, Turkey, and Hong Kong. We’re working with the World Trail Majors, ensuring policies are implemented in countries with even lower female participation. The UK is ahead in many ways but still lags behind places like Australia. It’s amazing to see these principles rolling out worldwide.

Sophie’s work with She RACES is sparking crucial change in the race event industry, making it more inclusive for women of all levels. From addressing logistical needs like toilets and period products to challenging outdated race practices, She RACES is pushing for a safer, more supportive environment for women to race.

To learn more about Sophie’s efforts and how you can help foster inclusivity in racing, listen to the full podcast episode.