To celebrate International Women’s Day, my colleagues and I take the time to consider who inspires us. This year I have chosen the inspiring Sophie Power.
Who Is Sophie Power?
Sophie Power is a UK based Ultra Runner, which means that she runs incredibly long distances – for fun!
What Is She Known For?
A photo of Sophie went viral in 2018 when she completed the Ultra Trail du Mont-Blanc (‘the UTMB’) which is a 106-mile race in the French Alps with about 10,000 meters of elevation gain. Not only did she complete this race, but she did it just three months after giving birth.
The photo of Sophie was of her breastfeeding her baby at one of the aid stations in the middle of the race, and whilst that may be considered inspirational in itself, it’s the impact that photo has had that provides the biggest inspiration.
Why Is Sophie Inspirational To Me?
The photo has given Sophie a platform both in the running world and in the sporting world more generally to inspire women and girls to take part in sport for both their physical and mental health.
Sophie is now a Trustee for Women in Sport which is an organisation that encourages and supports girls to get involved in sport, at any level, and to stay involved – something which I think is incredibly important.
Not only is sport beneficial to our physical and mental health, but it can also be a great opportunity to socialise or to switch off from our busy lives. I’m sure Sophie would be the first to say that you don’t have to run 106 miles to reap the rewards, and that going for a walk with a friend or attending an exercise class is just as good!
As well as being an inspirational athlete in the ultra-running world, Sophie is a working mum of three and as a mum myself who also loves long distance running (though nowhere near 106 miles!) it’s great to see that it is possible to achieve your goals – even if it is a bit of a juggling act.
