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"So many of us have been told not to do the big, bold thing."
β Allyson Felix, 11x Olympic medalist, announcing she'll attempt to make the U.S. team for the L.A. Olympics at the age of 42.
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The women's marathon world record v. the men's marathon world record
Not to be all about marathons all the time, but stay with us: This past weekend Tigst Assefa πͺπΉ sprinted away from Hellen Obiri π°πͺ and Joyciline Jepkosgei π°πͺ in the final stretch to win the London Marathon. All three went under 2:16 β the first time that's happened in a marathon β and Assefa broke her own women's only marathon world record with a time of 2:15:41 ππΏββοΈ
What is a women's only world record?
At the London Marathon, the pro women have a separate start from the men β which allows for a cleaner race without interference and no male pacemakers. (Though it must have been lonely with only 15 pro women in the field!) World Athletics recognizes this as a different record than times set in races with men and women mixed together and male pacemakers.
However (!), in case that wasn't confusing enough: The current overall women's marathon world record was set by Ruth Chepng'etich in 2024. She was then later banned for doping β but because her marathon world record was set before she tested positive a few months later, it still counts on the record books.
Many people, though, consider her record to have an asterisk next to it. Who has the fastest overall marathon time, who isn't currently banned for doping? Also Tigst Assefa! Who ran 2:11:53 in Berlin in 2023.
BTW: The men's race at the London Marathon also set a world record and saw the two-hour barrier shattered. And because of controversies and skepticism about doping (especially after Chepng'etich run and then bust), the men's winner Sabastian Sawe has been undergoing his own expensive (funded by his sponsor, Adidas) independent anti-doping program for the last year.
A few other notable London Marathon fun facts:
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Catherin Debrunner continued her winning year with a victory in the wheelchair race in 1:38:34
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Broadway and Wicked star Cynthia Erivo ran a 3:21
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Des Linden capped off 220 miles of racing in the last month with a 3:04 marathon (for fun!)
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London is also a popular marathon for Guinness World Records β including the fastest marathon with a unilateral hip replacement, the fastest marathon with multiple sclerosis (2:59:32!), and the fastest marathon in a two-person inflatable costume
πββοΈ London also reclaimed the title of the biggest marathon ever, with 59,830 runners. Last year's lottery draw for the race saw 1 million entries, almost half of which were women! |
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(Photo: London Marathon)
A record number of female student-athletes
According to the latest data released from the NCAA, which is for last school year, there were a record 242,341 female athletes across all divisions and sports (both "emerging" sports and officially NCAA championship level sports). That's a 14% increase in female athletes over the last decade and women now make up 43.7% of all the NCAA student-athletes.
Where are these athletes coming from and what sports are they doing?
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The biggest sports for women, by participation numbers (by a lot), are track and soccer
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Next up: Softball and volleyball
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Growing sports include acrobatics, tumbling, and stunt, rugby, and women's wrestling (which is the most recent sport to become a championship level sport)
Emerging Sports for Women: To become an NCAA championship sport, a slightly easier pathway was created for women's sports β of which women's wrestling was the most recent sport to progress to being approved as an official NCAA championship event. Flag football was then added as an "emerging sport" earlier this year and could become the next sport to be officially approved.
Tip of the week
Fiber isnβt the most glamorous nutrient. It doesnβt have the marketing muscle of protein powders or the buzz of adaptogens. But for active women β especially those navigating the hormonal shifts of perimenopause and menopause β fiber is one of the most essential ingredients for health and performance.
Fiber has a number of benefits:
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Sustained energy. Fiber slows glucose absorption, preventing the energy spikes and crashes that derail workouts. A fiber-rich diet keeps blood sugar stable, which means more consistent energy all day long.
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Improved recovery. Fiber feeds gut bacteria that produce short-chain fatty acids (notably butyrate), which help regulate the immune system and reduce systemic inflammation. For active women, this can translate to improved recovery and potentially lower injury risk.
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Better nutrient absorption. A healthy gut means you actually use the protein, iron, and calcium youβre eating. All that careful nutrition tracking works better when your gut is working well.
π§ MORE: Read about the connection between the gut and performance, mood, brain fog, and energy levels and check out Momentous' Fiber+ product |
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The highlight reel
- π΄ββοΈ Demi Vollering won her third LiΓ¨ge-Bastogne-LiΓ¨ge, just days after winning La FlΓ¨che Wallonne.
- πββοΈ π΄ββοΈ πββοΈAfter an injury derailed the end of her season last year, 2023 world champion Beth Potter won the opening World Triathlon Championship Series race.
- πββοΈ Addy Wiley won the U.S. Road Mile Championships.
- A team of four women πββοΈ πββοΈ πββοΈ πββοΈ (Lesley Hinz, Deb Torneden, Julie Hayden, and Nancy Simmons) set a 4x800m world record for the 65-69 age group in 11:28.28.
- Two months ago, Millie Gibbons set a women's record for Double Everesting ποΈ β riding up & down twice the height of Mt. Everest in 38 hours and 39 minutes β but everyone only just found out π
- π² 2027's Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift will host a team time trial (in London!) for the first time.
- U.S. Cycling is creating an endowment to invest in women's cycling. π΄ββοΈ
- πββοΈ Nonbinary runner Riley Brady won the Canyons 100K, which serves as both a golden ticket race for Western States and a UTMB qualifier. Track & road runner Makena Morley won the 50K (with Olympian marathon Molly Siedel behind her in third as the road runners shift to the dirt) and the 100-mile race saw three women in the top five overall!
- Hyrox world record holder Joanna Wietrzyk also ran a 2:52 marathon.
- ποΈββοΈ Nelly Korda retook her #1 spot after her third major win of the year at the Chevron championship.
- A stomach bug is sweeping through the Madrid Open πΎ causing Madison Keys and Iga ΕwiΔ
tek to withdraw, while Coco Gauff vomited her way through her match...
- π As WNBA pre-season gets started, Nigeria π³π¬ is the first African national team to play a WNBA team.
- π The PWHL finals, known as the Walter Cup, are set: Ottawa plays Boston starting Thursday & Minnesota plays Montreal starting Friday.
- π€Ί The brand new World Fencing League unveiled a cool new tip tracking technology for the broadcast.
- Lakey Peterson won the WSL Margaret River Pro πββοΈ
- π€½ββοΈ USC won its 8th NCAA water polo national title.
- 90-year-old Marie Carpenter held a plank for three minutes, 15 seconds β setting a new Guinness World Record.
- β½ The NWSL and the players association is joining Project ACL, a study focused on how to reduce ACL injuries in female soccer players.
- Olympic cycling champ Kristen Faulkner said she has been developing her own AI model to input all of her health data and get female-specific answers.
Your Feisty recommendations
π§ What to listen to: "How to race 100 miles with Alison Tetrick"
π What to read: Mary Cain's book, This Is Not About Running, comes out today
πΊ What to watch: USWNT head coach Emma Hayes explains what made her realize coaching need to be through a female lens
π What we loved: Women's Sports Standard is working to create an actual industry standard for women's sports products β and the first step is for YOU to take this four-minute survey on what you're looking for in women's specific products
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