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Abingdon Marathon: A SheRACES case study

The Abingdon Marathon is one of the oldest marathons in the UK, established in 1982. It’s a popular event, attracting runners from around the country to take part. However, it was an event with a diversity problem. The majority of entrants were male; specifically, those from running clubs. It has a reputation of being a fast, competitive race, targeted at a small sub-section of the running community.

 

Yet the event has a lot going for it. It’s a great route, one that has plenty of potential for setting personal bests. It has incredible, friendly volunteers who want to make the race a real success. And it’s run in a not-for-profit capacity, raising thousands of pounds for numerous charities and sporting organisations in the local area.

 

The race was originally set up in the 1980s as “a local marathon for runners irrespective of age, gender, or ability”. That ethos is something that was important to incoming Race Directors Kate and Nichola when planning the 2024 event.


Runners walking towards the start line of the Abingdon Marathon away from the camera
Image © Abingdon Marathon

 Working with SheRACES

 

They approached us at SheRACES to find out how they could boost female participation in the marathon and make it appealing to a more diverse field. Sophie Power, founder of SheRACES and GB ultrarunner, worked directly with Kate and Nichola to help implement the SheRACES guidelines and identify the key areas where changes could be made to attract more women.

 

For a start, the 5-hour cut-off time that was in place would impact more on women than men. According to data from RunRepeat, the average marathon finish time for men in the UK is 4:23, whereas for women, it’s 5:00. The marketing imagery used around the event highlighted mostly white male runners in club vests, which can be intimidating to those looking to enter, who might not feel welcome to take part.

 

The Abingdon Marathon race committee, which is 46% female, was very open and driven to making real changes that would help to boost the number of female participants in the event. The biggest change was that the cut-off was changed to 6 hours, something that would benefit both men and women, giving more runners the confidence to enter the marathon.

 

They also increased the number of toilets available, provided period and incontinence products, ensured female marshals at all aid stations, published information on asking for space to breastfeed and had a clear pregnancy policy in place. All of this was published on their website for everyone to access.

 

As well as this, they ensured that all race logistics were on the website and made it easy to find information on timings, road closures, spectating positions, hotels and travel. They also allowed the use of bone-conducting headphones, which were previously not allowed, as more women than men use music to help them in the race environment.

 

These are all changes that any race can implement; they don’t impact on the existing field who return year after year and can still race in a competitive way. But they do make a meaningful difference towards including more runners and ensuring that they also have a great experience.

 

What difference did it make

 

Change takes time, so we wouldn’t expect huge increases in female participation in the first year. The race needs to become established as being inclusive and friendly; it needs time to hold events and capture marketing images of more diverse participants, which can then help to roll the event forward into future years, hopefully seeing an ongoing shift in the race field.

 

However, there was significant improvement. In 2023, 741 athletes finished the race. Of these, 148 were women – less than 20% of the field. 14 runners came in just over the cut-off time of 5 hours, including 4 women, with a final finish time of 5:14:53.

 

In the 2024 race, the overall field increased with 991 finishers. Of these, 246 were women, accounting for almost a quarter of field. This time, 49 runners came in from 5 hours onwards, including 28 women, with a final finish time of 6:09:13.

 

This is a great step in the right direction after only a short time implementing and publishing the changes. Hopefully this increase will continue in future events, and the diversity of the event will grow.

 

The runner’s perspective

 

Jemma Lewis is a runner who took part in the 2024 race, having also run it in 2018, 2019 and 2022. She describes how the event felt in previous years: “It had quite a ‘club male’ vibe, and women were either really competitive and right at the front with the men, or just not really there mid-pack at all. The music ban felt very much a male rule, as not many men race with music. Also, the aggressive cut off of 5 hours never felt fair; I run 3.23, so I am the quicker end, but I coach women who run 5-6 hours and I could never recommend the race.”


Jemma Lewis, a runner at the Abingdon Marathon 2024
Jemma Lewis at the Abingdon Marathon 2024

When asked about her experience at the 2024 event, she found the changes immediately obvious: “It just felt different! The atmosphere was relaxed and the female-only toilets meant that all of us women could chat in the queue – a small thing, but it felt different. The tents to shelter under were very welcome!  The showers were great; a safe private area after the race as I had a 3-hour drive home – they were cold showers though! The lift on the music ban was so welcomed, I wore my bone conductors as per the rules, but being on the country lanes and having music was so welcomed. It's put me off entering before, but because I like the race I just suffered.”

 

Of course, there are always ways to make improvements, so going forwards, Jemma suggests: “I think the use of female athletes for promo and to make the showers warm; they were honestly freezing!” However, she also says that Abingdon should, “stay true to the race; it's a flat and fast and friendly race with no bells or whistles. I love it. I also spoke to the female race directors who really added an extra warm welcome.”

 

This is a key point. Races don’t have to change what they are – there will always be races that are faster and more competitive than others. They all have unique selling points. Making races inclusive to women doesn’t have to change the nature of an event; it’s about understanding that women have different needs and face different barriers to participation.

 

By removing these and reviewing a race through a female lens, changes can be made to increase female participation, while also benefitting all runners as well. For example, the change in cut-off meant that more men who would previously not have been able to compete, could take part and finish.

 

Find out more about the 2025 Abingdon Marathon here: https://www.abingdonmarathon.org.uk/

 

Key SheRACES links:

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