Thinking Allowed Extreme Sports
Mar 3, 2026
Sarah Lonsdale, a journalism lecturer who studies women’s outdoor pioneers, and Carl Morris, a social psychologist and endurance runner, discuss mountaineering and ultra running. They explore early women reclaiming wild spaces, the rise of trail and ultra events, the culture and history of endurance communities, and how commercialization and class shape these sports today.
AI Snips
Chapters
Books
Transcript
Episode notes
Victorian Pedestrianism Was Mass Spectator Sport
- Victorian pedestrianism included spectacular six-day races following Foster Powell's feats, drawing tens of thousands of spectators.
- Participants could become celebrities earning sums comparable to modern millions and featured on early tobacco trading cards.
How Women Found Space In Endurance Running
- Women faced cultural misogyny and later formal bans as athletics governing bodies excluded them, so many sought informal ultra-distance spaces.
- Morris explains that some long races escaped governing oversight, letting women participate and build presence.
Emma Sharp's 1,000 Mile Challenge
- Emma Sharp ran the Barclay Match 1,000 miles in 1,000 hours while enduring attacks, burning chloroform thrown at her, and press vilification.
- Despite harassment and bodyguards, she completed the challenge, showing women’s resilience in Victorian sport.
