On Tuesday morning, Lululemon’s first-of-its-kind 6-day race for women, FURTHER, wrapped up—and American ultrarunning legend Camille Herron joined the nine other competitors for hugs, cheers and some tears. Herron put on an unprecedented performance—she began to check off records at the 48-hour mark and continued to rack them up until the last hours of the race, with her final tally including a jaw-dropping 12 world records. Herron ran 901.76 kilometres, breaking the 6-day women’s world record of 883.631 kilometres (set by Sandra Barwick in 1990). One thing is clear—Herron is one of the most remarkable athletes on the planet.
The race, held on a 4.1-km certified looped course in La Quinta, Calif., was part of Lululemon’s FURTHER initiative, which the brand says is dedicated to “showcasing just how far women can go with support and access to resources and product innovations typically reserved for men.” A group of 10 diverse athletes with differing goals toed the line on Wednesday, March 6, and ran until March 12—144 hours in total.
They were made for this.#lululemonFURTHER pic.twitter.com/VNZgpOIrQ4
— lululemon (@lululemon) March 12, 2024
During a 6-day event, runners can take breaks to eat, sleep or accept aid from their crew (off of the track) at any point, and aren’t required to run a set time or distance per day—time spent resting is unique to each athlete and was dependent on their individual needs and goals and how the race played out for them.
Herron, 42, who has a background in sports science, has a remarkable racing resume that includes victories in iconic races like the Comrades Marathon and the Spartathalon, a 153-mile ultramarathon in Greece. Heading into the FURTHER event, she held multiple world records from 50 to 250 miles. Her final total included 220 laps of the 4.1 kilometre course, with an average of 150.3 kilometres of running per day–she also managed to nap, eat tacos, and have spontaneous dance parties with her fans.
Pre-race, Herron praised Lululemon’s research goals and support. “I’m truly grateful that someone cares, appreciates, and wants to celebrate us [women],” she posted on Instagram. “I hope the world appreciates the initiative too, how it will help open up more interest in studying women athletes across the lifespan, and learn more about what makes us hard-wired for ultra-endurance.”
The FURTHER group of athletes all approached the race with differing goals–and all surpassed their greatest distance previously run, logging a total of 4,636.19 km. Gratitude for crews and support resounded on the runners’ social media in the final hours of the event.
“What could women do if they were fully supported? Anything. Truly anything,” pro ultrarunner Devon Yanko shared on Instagram (Yanko ran 504.15 km). “This experience has provided me with the beautiful gift and opportunity of allowing people I care about to fully show up for me.”
Lululemon will be continuing its women-first research, aiming to help close the sex and gender gap in sports science, with findings published in fall 2024.
