Am I too old to run my first ultramarathon?

I saw a question asked in a women’s trail and ultrarunning Facebook group earlier this week. 

In it she said:

“Who ran their first ultra at an older age? 

I'd really like to run a 50k before I turn 40 in September... Is this realistic? (Not saying 40 is old, but would like to hear from women who started at any age over 40)”

It caught my eye because only the same day I’d received a runner enquiring about 1:1 run coaching together with a very similar theme.

Here’s what she said:

“Hello, I’m interested in online 1:1 coaching for my first ultramarathon. Planning new one in Wye Valley. I’m 47 feeling slower with less spring in my step. Are you used to tired older female runners doing their first ultra?”

Underneath this Facebook post there were 250+ comments and counting of incredible women who had found ultrarunning in later life. Women in their 40s, 50s and 60s giving you the rock-solid proof that it’s absolutely possible. I even saw one comment to say her friend ran her last 100 miler aged 82!

According to a study ran back in 2013, researchers looked at the habits of 1,345 ultrarunners and guess what they found. 

The average age to run an ultramarathon for the first time was 36, which has held fast for decades. The second most common age to do an ultra for the first time was 40 and the average participant was 43.

Did you see this coming? It won’t come as a surprise then when I tell you that the average age of the women on my running coaching roster is older yet – 46.

Thank goodness for that I can hear you say, panic stations over. If you are considering stepping up to the ultra distance in the future, there is absolutely no rush. Afterall, age practically has no limit when it comes to ultrarunning.

Most runners are well into adult life with several years of running under their belt before entering their first ultramarathon but there is also the 25% who have only been running regularly for 3 years or less at the time of their first ultramarathon. And according to some more recent evidence that gap is closing.

Of course, there are exceptions to this. Sam Heward, Co-Founder at Ultra X, Global Ultramarathon Race Series recently shared with me the average age of those finishing Ultra X events is 34, even younger yet!

I am sharing this with you because aside from the time it takes to train your first ultramarathon, one of the other barriers I see women face is age.

My reminder for you today is don’t count yourself our because you think you’re too old and your time is running out.

 I want to share with you 4 reasons why you should be considering your first ultramarathon at an older age.

1)    I can’t think of a better way to honour the big 40 or any other birthday for that matter

I see this a lot! Especially when it comes considering your first multistage ultramarathon. Don’t get me wrong a multistage ultramarathon is a huge commitment for many but it is also the ultimate way to honour yourself. For many of the women on my Project: Breaking 250 program, the adventure is completely and utterly life changing and the motivation to sign up for something on this scale is usually an upcoming big birthday. As a matter of fact, one of the ladies in the group this year will be celebrating her 40th by taking on a 250km footrace through the breath-taking last wilderness of Europe in RacingThePlanet: Lapland.

2)    You are more resilient and have greater self-confidence through your experiences

Given the amount of stuff that can go wrong when you’re running an ultramarathon, it’s no surprise that the older you are the more resilient you are to adapting and making the best out of a bad situation. If you’ve been through childbirth, tough breakups, family deaths, gruelling work schedules that’s some hardy stuff and it shouldn’t be dismissed. Mindset and self admin are all pieces that make up the ultrarunning puzzle.

3)    You have more time to commit to training now that your children are a bit older

Now that you’re no longer on the school runs and the children are a bit older you’ve got more available time to dedicate to training. I know that feeling all too well of rushing around like a headless chicken and feeling like you’ve not got a spare moment in the day for yourself. The reality is you don’t need to smash out 100 mile weeks if you are training for your first ultra but there is a minimum amount of training required.

4)    There are some incredible ‘older’ famous female ultra runners at the top 

This deserves another post which I will get around to but for now. It January 2019, Jasmine Paris (aged 35) became the first woman to win the UK’s gruelling 268-mile Montane Spine Race. Not only was she the first ever female to win the race but she smashed all previous course records by 12 hours. British long distance runner Nicky Spinks (aged 48) holds the overall record for the Double Bob Graham Round. And to top it all off human rights activist, Stephanie Case crossed the finish line of Tor des Glaciers last year (aged 39) an epic 450km race with 32,000m D+ climbing.

5)    You can get away with less and more polarised training during menopause

During perimenopause and menopause, your hormone levels begin to drop off and you need to focus on new and different training stimulus to counter this new lack of hormones. This means shifting the focus to high-intensity work, lifting heaving and plyometrics. It’s no longer about spending endless hours doing the long slow distance stuff. Save this for the weekend if this is what you enjoy doing and your focus during the week should shift to more high-intensity training and strength work to keep your bones and the rest of your body strong and healthy.

Have I convinced you? You can check out my recent blog post here on the best beginner ultramarathons nears London in 2022.

How old were you when you finished your first ultramarathon? Let me know in the comments below or drop me a message on social media.