This week on the Tough Girl Podcast, we welcome Emma Wilkinson—a freelance health journalist, ultra runner, mother of three, and co-author of the empowering book Ultra Women: The Trailblazers Defying Sexism in Sport.
Emma’s journey into ultra running didn’t begin until her 40s, but once she discovered the joy of going long and slow, there was no turning back.
In this honest and motivating conversation, Emma shares how she went from half marathons and road running to self-created 100K adventures in the mountains of Snowdonia. Alongside fellow runner and friend Lily Canter, she set out to research and write Ultra Women, a book that celebrates female endurance athletes and dives into the science, stories, and social constructs around women in ultra sport.
Emma talks openly about what inspired the book, how she balanced full-time work, parenting, and running while writing it, and what she learned about the unique strengths women bring to endurance challenges—especially around fatigue resistance, pain management, and mental toughness.
If you’ve ever doubted your capabilities, struggled with self-identifying as a “runner,” or wondered if your body was made for ultras—this episode is for you. Emma’s message is simple and powerful: don’t put limits on yourself—just give it a go.
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Show notes
- Who is Emma
- Journalist and runner
- Co-Author of a new book - Ultra Women
- Book: Ultra Women: The Trailblazers Defying Sexism in Sport
- What Emma was like as little girl
- Growing up in Bradford and not being massively sporty when she was younger
- Getting into running in her later teens
- Being far more active now than she was as a child
- In her early 20s watching the London Marathon and wanting to give it ago
- Getting into half marathons
- Running the Sheffield Half Marathon and being sick at the end
- Starting to run faster and joining a running club to make new friends
- Doing her first marathon just before she had children, just before turning 30
- Why she enjoyed running
- 2019 - meeting Lilly (co-author on the Ultra women book)
- Singing up for a 100k - 2 day event
- Falling in love with ultra running - the slower, longer, adventure
- Her friendship with Lilly, doing their journalism MA together, 20 years ago
- Teaching Journalism at Sheffield University
- How the book came about
- Walking the hills
- What do you need to do, to get to the end.
- Needing to be able to tune into your body
- Creating their own 100K 2 days event - on the Snowdonia Slate Trail
- Surprising herself with what she was capable of
- Writing the book at the same time of doing full time work as a journalist while also looking after children and running
- Why are women so good at ultra endurance distances
- Coming from a science background and why the research was so interesting
- How women have more fatigue resistant muscles
- Not feeling in competition with other women
- Book: Invisible Women: Exposing Data Bias in a World Designed for Men
- The lack of research into sports science for women
- Hopefully the research is starting to turn a corner
- Why ultra running training plans are based on men
- Women have been deemed as to complicated to include in studies
- Fatigue resistant muscles research
- Wanting to learn more about recovery and how that applies to women specifically
- Training for ultras
- Women having to use a process of trial and error to figure out what works best for them
- Periods and cycle tracking and feeling different at different times of the month and why the data can be confusing
- Learning more about oestrogen and how it affects endurance
- How the book came about
- Getting the book published
- Are women faster the longer they go?
- Freelancing for Journalists
- Lael Wilcox going after the mens’s around the world bike record in 2026
- The motherhood perspective on running
- Sophie Power
- She Races
- Not running in pregnancy and chaining to walking
- Dealing with separated stomach muscles
- Needing to get back to running and needing time for herself
- Having a chapter on pregnancy in the book and why it’s not the same for everyone
- Pain and women, and pain management
- Sexism
- Creating a manifesto and calling for action
- Do you call yourself a runner?
- Confidence - women - running
- Say yes for signing up for that ultra
- How to connect with Emma
- Final words of advice
- Don’t put limits on yourself, if you want to do something, have ago.
- Women who just wanted to see if they could and they did
- Why not give it ago!
Social Media
Website: emmawilkinson.net
Instagram: @emmawjourno/
BlueSky: @emmajourno.bsky.social
Book: Ultra Women: The Trailblazers Defying Sexism in Sport