Five Leadership Lessons From Ultra-Endurance Sportswomen

As we head into a second year of this global health crisis, it's clear that we are participating in a marathon, not a sprint.

We’ve been lucky here in Australia and New Zealand not to be experiencing the devastating infection and fatality rates impacting our friends and family overseas. Even so, we’re a long way from normal, or even a new normal, with the threat of lockdown ever present, ongoing economic uncertainty and international travel a distant dream.

So as the grind continues, how do we not only endure, but create the conditions to thrive, for ourselves, our families and colleagues?

When it comes to crisis leadership, women like Jacinda Ardern, Tsai Ing-wen and Angela Merkel, demonstrated from the start that they had the upper hand. And while no woman is ever likely to clock the fastest speed in a sprint, when it comes to endurance sport, the longer and more brutal the event, the more likely women are to excel.

So what gives these women the edge?

Following are five leadership lessons from record-breaking, ultra-endurance sportswomen:

Lead with humility

"I think I have a talent - apparently - that I didn't really know about until the summer, and if I can use this talent to promote equality then that's perfect."

Fiona Kolbinger - Ultra Cyclist - First woman to win the 4000km Transcontinental race.

Maintain a strong incentive

"A lot of it is through quite remote areas so you're running on your own… it's draining from all sides. But I had the perfect incentive to get back to the finish, which was my baby daughter waiting for me there."

Jasmin Paris - Ultra Runner - First woman to win the 431km Spine Race, setting a new record in the process.

Embrace your feelings

“[After about 48 hours] I just started crying for no reason. I cried for two or three hours — I was having to dump the tears out of my goggles.”

Sarah Thomas - Ultra Swimmer - Current world record holder for longest unassisted open-water swim.

Get out of your comfort zone

“Our lives sometimes are so easy, there is something about raw suffering to achieve a goal that is much more rewarding.”

Maggie Guteri - Ultra Runner - first to woman to win Big’s Backyard Ultra after running 60 hours and 250km.

Enjoy the ride

“I like to run. Sometimes to extremes. Sometimes just so I can take a nice photo in the middle of nowhere.”

Katie Wright - Ultra Runner - First woman in the world to win the mentally-brutal Riverhead Backyard Relaps Ultramarathon elimination race.

Just like a sportsperson, training with a coach is the best way to develop your leadership capability, capacity and stamina. Would you like a recommendation? Schedule a time to talk with us today.