The biggest New York Marathon ever 🏃‍♀️

Don't forget to vote! 🇺🇸

- It's a big Election Day in the U.S. — and if you haven't already mailed in your ballot or participated in early voting, be sure to check your polling place and head to the voting booth.

Three big stories to know this week in women's sports

1. 55,646 runners 🏃‍♀️ finish the biggest New York Marathon ever

Did you know that in 1972 six women sat on the start line of the New York Marathon protesting limits on female runners. While the AAU allowed "certain women" to run the 26.2 miles, those women had to start 10 minutes after the men so as not to interfere with the real race.

The women thought they deserved to be a part of the real race.

This year, 24,731 women finished the race (44.4% of the massive field). The youngest was 18 and the oldest was 82 🔥 And a record-breaking 203 women broke three hours!

(In fact, this year's race was so big, the visiting NBA team couldn't navigate traffic & had to take the subway to their game 😂)

This year's race

Sheila Chepkirui outkicked defending champ Hellen Obiri with a 5:15 final mile — leading a Kenyan sweep of the podium 🇰🇪

Susannah Scaroni won the wheelchair race from start to finish 🇺🇸

After dropping out of the Chicago Marathon three weeks ago after contracting COVID, Sara Vaughn was the top American in New York in 6th 🇺🇸

Jenny Simpson announced it was the last race of her pro career — and now she heads out on a year-long van tour of the country 🚐

👗 FASHION FUN: The marathon race course is also officially a runway now

👟 RUNNING NEWS: And the Sydney Marathon will become the newest Marathon Major in 2025

(Photo: New York Times archive)

2. Italian mountain biker posts video "promoting" women's Rampage riders by rating them in their bikinis 🤔🤮

Last month, the first-ever women's Red Bull Rampage celebrated groundbreaking female freeriders. So, naturally, this week a male Italian mountain biker posted a video ranking those riders...based on their looks...

When Red Bull TV did not broadcast the women’s Red Bull Rampage in Italy, rider Torquota Testa posted a video to Youtube to *support the women.* He and his influencer partner commented on the women’s runs and then ranked the women by their looks and bikini photos. 🤯

No, female riders haven't started wearing bikinis while biking...

The video had over 35K views when Testa removed it due to outrage from the community. He later posted an "apology" to the women if they *felt offended* and claimed we just *weren't ready* for his kind of content. 🤬

Rider Macayla Gatto took to instagram to explain why, no, it actually wasn't for the women's benefit:

We’ve been fighting to get this type of content eradicated from women’s sports since the beginning of time…..What I look like in a bikini shouldn't have anything to do with why career as a professional free rider.

3. New women's sports leagues, new funding, new expansions 🎉

Because sometimes it's just time for some good news: Women's sports keep booming in every corner and market!

⚾ A new Women's Pro Baseball League announced it'll launch with six teams in 2026
The Women's National Football Conference, a semi-pro women's football league that was founded in 2018, is closing in on a $1m funding round 🏈
The 3 v. 3 women's basketball league 🏀 Unrivaled announced it's been so successful on preliminary financials that it was able to expand its roster ahead of the inaugural season launching in January
🏒 The Pro Women's Hockey League is now looking to add two more teams by 2025/26
And with three more WNBA 🏀 expansion teams on the horizon in the next three years, cities are lining up to get one
It's no surprise, then, that bars and restaurants are seeing more demand for women's sports on their TVs — and are adjusting calendars and menus accordingly!

It's not a moment. It's a movement. 💪

Tip of the week

A few weeks ago, we posted an Instagram reel about some of our Feisty workout recommendations. And we got a lot of questions about why we don't think fasted workouts are great for women.

One of the big reasons is that fasted workouts can often lead women to underfueling instead of optimal energy availability (which is best for muscle building and for getting all the different benefits that come from working out). And it's easy then to slip into low energy availability, which causes all kinds of systemic problems for women.

The other reason is that research suggests fasting can be extra problematic in women and actually increases stress, worsens insulin sensitivity, and may cause hormonal disruption, as our bodies respond to energy restriction differently than men do.

Don't worry, though: We're not talking about a *whole* big meal before every workout. Yes, lots of women head to the gym or out for a run first thing in the morning! We talked to experts who said all you need is something small: a banana and a cup of orange juice, or a bagel, or a smoothie. Whatever works for you, just snack on something to get those energy stores going, fuel during your workout if it's a long one, and be sure to eat a good meal after 🍌🥯

DOWNLOAD: Our FREE guide to understanding the relationship between fueling and performance

The highlight reel

Earlier this year, Amber Glenn, who is bisexual, became the first openly queer woman to win the U.S. National Figure Skating title. This past weekend she won her first Grand Prix title ⛸️
🏊‍♀️ Regan Smith broke another world record in the 100m backstroke (54.27 seconds).
🏃‍♀️ A new triple stroller mile Guinness world record (6:41) was set last month by a mom of three at the one-mile race before the Detroit Marathon.
Ashleigh Gentle won her 11th Noosa Triathlon title and 10th in a row. 🥇🥇🥇🥇🥇🥇🥇🥇🥇🥇🥇
🚲 Alexandera Houchin became the first woman to finish the Arizona Trail race — a 826-mile self-supported bikepacking race that took her ten days.
The NWSL Playoffs ⚽ have been finalized. Quarter-finals start on Friday and they will (mostly) be aired on network TV!
A limited Commonwealth Games for 2026 has cut out non-track cycling, triathlon, wrestling, rugby sevens, and more.
Spanish player Aitana Bonmatí won the prestigious Ballon d'Or award ⚽, but the ceremony continues to undermine and minimize the women's game.

Your Feisty recommendations

What to watch: Girl Winter Film Tour— put a stop on this film tour on your calendar for six short ski movies ❄️

What to read: "The Untapped Revenue 'Powder Keg' of Women's NFL Fandom"

What to listen to: "The Dark Side of Women's Professional Athletics" with Kara Goucher

What we love to see: This 8-year-old dreams of one day following in her idols' footsteps 💜