WHAT WE DO
We exist to level the start line.
Here's how we're doing it
What exactly do we do here at SheRACES?
SheRACES exists to level the start line for women at races, across all sports (with a current focus on road and trail running, cycling and triathlon), working with sponsors, athletes and race directors to identify and dismantle the barriers that prevent women from competing in races and events.
There are already incredible grassroots organisations enabling women to partake in sport at all levels, whereas we work to ensure that when these women want to take part in a race, they can do so in a fair and inclusive environment. Our mission encompasses all abilities, from the elite women’s race to the back of the pack, and everyone in-between.
The scope of our mission is wide and our goals are big, which is why we need to raise funding to continue our work. While were founded in the UK, SheRACES operates internationally and our dream is that, one day, all women, of all ages and backgrounds, are able to access races and have a fair experience when they do so.
Because a women's place is on the start line
Campaigning
As we identify specific large-scale barriers towards fair representation of women at races, we create impactful and engaging campaigns to challenge these obstacles and inform about best practice. Our most recent campaign, Enable Inclusion, asked brands to ensure that the races they choose to sponsor are designed with the female experience in mind; we know that brands have power over race operations and decisions – it’s where the money comes from after all – so we want brands to be active participants in battle for true inclusion.
Advice & Guidelines
A large part of what we do is providing guidance and advice to sponsors, brands, athletes and individual races on what they can do to ensure more women are included on race start lines.
This includes:
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Offering advisory services to races who want to improve the ratio of female participants on their start lines.
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Advising sponsors and brands on what they should be looking for in races to ensure that they only sponsor those events that are truly inclusive to women.
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Creating detailed and specific race guidelines. We currently have general race guidelines that anyone can download and share with race directors to implement, including our 9 key commitments to ensure a race has considered its female participants. We also have elite guidelines that are for those races with an elite women’s field. We are working on guidelines currently for triathlons and women-only events, as well as translating our work for use in other countries.
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Creating resources for brands, races and individuals to help inform, challenge and educate about the barriers women face and how to solve them.
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Working with women who have experienced difficulties with races, advising them and advocating for them. We are building a resource bank for female athletes to empower them to be able to address races directly.
Survey & Data Work
We undertake detailed research and insight work to help us, and those we work with, to understand the barriers and obstacles that women face when it comes to participating in races. From this, we can provide detailed statistics and data to drive forward change.
Our current open research surveys include:
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Women’s only events – insights from women on women’s only races and the need for them.
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Women’s experiences at races – our flagship survey on female participation and barriers to inclusion.
Outreach & Networking
We are proactive in contacting races and events that have been flagged to us by female participants as being less inclusive towards women. Whether this is due to operational and logistical issues, or not offering a pregnancy policy, we reach out to the race directors on behalf of athletes to offer assistance in making the necessary changes.
We firmly believe that most race directors are unaware of the issues that can impact women; they may never have considered the different race experiences of men and women. The vast majority of race directors we speak to are open to learning and understanding how they can improve.
We also interact with race companies, campaign groups, community groups, governing bodies and athletes, so we can all work together towards a common goal.
Press & Media
At our helm is Sophie Power, Team GB 24-hour runner and ultramarathoner. On behalf of SheRACES, Sophie works with the media to help spread our key mission and goals. She has been featured in numerous influential publications and on key podcasts.
Sophie is also available for conferences and speaking engagements, covering key issues around female inclusion in races and the work that needs to be done.
Working With Brands
We are focused on helping brands understand how the events and races they sponsor can support female runners, and asking them to commit to only sponsoring events that meet our minimum guidelines.
Making races female friendly boosts entries, meaning that it makes commercial sense to ensure that women are included in races from the outset. It reflects on the races and sponsors involved in a positive light, and encourages more and more women to enter races.
Advocacy & Champions
We advocate for women from all walks of life. We are actively working with and engaging with diverse groups to find out what barriers are in place that prevent more women from reaching that start line. We know that not all women have the same experience, and we want to understand what needs to be done to ensure that every woman can access races. We are specifically working with groups who represent women of colour and Muslim women, where we know participation rates in races are even lower. We are also working on understanding the specific barriers faced by older athletes, as well as those who are in the back of the pack at events. We will continue to proactively engage with women from all backgrounds with a goal of increasing representation on race start lines.
We have a group of champions who embody the SheRACES spirit and share our work. We are specifically interested in working with passionate athletes and race directors who want to fight for representation for women on start lines. Much of our work is behind the scenes and in the shadows, but we hope that with our work and our Champions, all women will gain benefit from the improvements to races across the country and the world.
