Welcome to the Ultra Ladies Podcast! Whether you’re new to trail running, or a seasoned ultra running athlete, we strive to educate, and support more people in the sport. For years we have helped women (and Ultra Ladies Men!) become more comfortable on the trail. We hope this show will serve as another way to educate and safely encourage people to give ultra running a try.

Our story…

For a long time, ultra running was a mostly male-dominated sport! In 1990, the granddaddy of all ultras, Western States 100 had 209 finishers with only 33 being female. Small 50K races typically had 60-80 runners with only 10 or 15 women among them. The obvious challenge for new female ultra runners was… being female; challenging in that there was a scarcity of other female ultra runners for training and mentoring.

In 1994, a small band of Los Angeles women began following their "Ultra Mama" all over the L.A. trails. This fledging group called "Ultra Ladies" progressed through the ranks of ultra distances to run the Vermont 100 in 1997! Over the years Ultra Ladies has grown and is now comprised of UESCA Certifified Ultra Running Coaches Sarah Ter Har and Nancy Shura-Dervin (founder & “Ultra Mama”).

Every year, Ultra Ladies Mentors welcome new runners who want to enjoy the beauty of trails in the safety of a group of like-minded women. Since the beginning, hundreds of these Ladies have trained together to complete their first ultra marathon and many have gone on to complete 50-mile and 100-mile endurance runs while giving back to the sport through their involvement in Ultra Ladies.

Show Notes:

Thanks for listening! We can be found at ultraladies.com or on the following social channels:

To learn more about the hosts Sarah and Nancy, as well as their coaching programs, click here.

Trail Races hosted by Ultra Ladies can be found at trailrunevents.com or on Facebook and Instagram.

April 16 - Ahmanson Trails 6 & 12K

June 11 - Valley Crest Trai

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Episodes