When you look out at the trails of an ultramarathon, where are all the women?
This question has sparked a dialogue amongst the sport’s loyalists and pioneers. It’s the driving factor behind the Women’s Running Camp, a collaborative training event designed specifically for women to get out on the trails in Colorado’s San Juan Mountains and fall in love—or at least enjoy—the sport of ultrarunning.
Women first gathered in the San Juans for this epic weekend of training in 2023, thanks to two recognized entities in the outdoor space: The North Face and the Hardrock Hundred Endurance Run.
The Hardrock Hundred is a familiar event for most people living in Durango. The race was first held in 1992 as a niche trail running event few would care to participate in (or follow). Over the past 33 years, Hardrock has become a foundational event in the trail and ultrarunning community.
It’s one of the toughest ultramarathons in the world. The course features 102.5 miles of arduous mountain terrain with a total elevation change of 66,394 feet at an average running elevation of 11,000 feet above sea level.
Now known and sought after by ultrarunners worldwide, the run has become the crown jewel of many runners’ careers, pushing the endurance limits of even the most proficient runners.
But historically (and not surprisingly), most of these runners have been male. Of the 2.4 million athlete profiles registered with the International Trail Running Association in 2023, 27.8% were female, and 72.2% were male.
RunRepeat’s State of Ultra Running 2020 report notes that only 23% of ultra participants were female. Although the numbers may be increasing, women still comprise only a small portion of participants in ultraraces.
Fortunately, pioneer races like Hardrock feel responsible for being a productive part of this conversation.
“We started really thinking about women’s participation in the sport when hosting women’s panels at Camp Hardrock,” said Hardrock Director Dale Garland.
Camp Hardrock is a week of events leading up to the Hardrock 100 run. Hosted in and around Silverton, the camp engages run participants, volunteers, and spectators through trail work, informative panels, and events celebrating Hardock’s—and Silverton’s—rich history and community.
“Female participants in these panels spoke transparently about the lack of women in the sport and some of the barriers that they believed kept women out,” Garland said.
Enter Hardrock Hundred sponsor, The North Face.
“The Women’s Running Camp evolved out of the women’s initiative around Hardrock,” said Esther Kendall, North Face’s Global Sports Marketing Manager and the brainchild of the Women’s Running Weekend. “We asked, ‘Why are women only competing at a fraction of the percent as men? What barriers can we remove to bring more women into the sport?’”
The answer is to create a super-inclusive weekend available to all skill levels, so anyone can get a taste of the Hardrock experience. Now in its third year, the Women’s Running Weekend operates with two goals:
- Get more women involved in ultrarunning.
- Create a safe community of women runners that support one another.
Nearly 70 women have benefited from this offering in the last two years, and Kendall’s goal is to have even more women participate in 2025.
Fittingly, The North Face is committed to reducing as many barriers as possible so that more women can attend.
“Silverton isn’t the most accessible place,” Kendall said. “In thinking through creating this camp, we wanted to do our best to make sure we removed any other barriers beyond the challenging logistics of getting there, which is why the camp is free.”
This generous spirit of community is part of the ethos of Hardrock, so it’s not a surprise that it shows up in the Women’s Running Camp. Both Kendall and Garland embrace the sentiments of community, arguably the most foundational parts of the offering.
“One of the wonderful things about the Hardrock race/community is the spirit that it doesn’t matter if you’re racing, volunteering, crewing… no matter what, you are a part of Hardrock,” Kendall said. “We take that ethos into our camp to make sure women feel welcome.”
“Hardrock is really proud of our ability to create community, and this Women’s Running Weekend is just another way to do that,” Garland said. “The coolest thing is seeing women who didn’t think they could run on the Hardrock course at the end of the weekend saying, ‘I can do this now.’”
Gender diversity in the sport of ultrarunning may still have a long way to go. Still, perhaps efforts like this one will someday have the ultrarunning community look out at the trails of an ultramarathon and say, “Wow, look at all the women.”
This year’s Women’s Running Weekend is happening September 5 through 7. Registration opens mid-summer.
By Kayla Furgeson
