Celebrating Women in the Outdoors: Meet Caitlin Fielder
Posted on
05/11/2024
Words by
Kate Zessel
International Women’s Day may have passed, but at BUFF®, we believe in celebrating and amplifying the voices of inspiring women every day. Starting on March 8th, and on the 8th of each month since then, we’ve been sharing the stories of remarkable women within our BUFF® family—women who lead, innovate, and break barriers in the world of adventure, sport, and art.
This month, we’re excited to highlight Caitlin Fielder, BUFF® ambassador, artist, and ultra trail runner. Originally from New Zealand, Caitlin’s path has led her from the art studio to the rugged, technical trails of Europe’s most challenging ultramarathons. Despite the rising popularity of trail running, women are still vastly underrepresented—especially as race distances grow. In many 100-mile races, for instance, women make up as few as 10% of participants.
We recently had the chance to sit down with Caitlin to discuss her journey and her experiences as a woman in the sport.
Caitlin, as a female athlete in trail and ultra running, what was your journey like getting into a sport where women are often underrepresented?
I didn’t start running at this professional level until around 5 years ago, and I think by the time I started into it there had already been a lot of progression in the sport. When I was around 20, I took up boxing, which is a sport where females aren’t as common, so I think I was already used to being more of a minority in sports. Throughout my career I have really noticed the increase of females in the sport, and also the competitiveness in the female fields. Women’s races across different distances in trail running are getting more and more competitive, which is great as it brings out the best in each runner and helps the sport progress.
What specific challenges do you think women face in ultra running that are often overlooked, and how do you think we can create a more inclusive environment for them?
I think the main challenges for women in through all sports is balancing their training with societal expectations around family, career, and personal responsibilities. Ultra running obviously requires an extraordinary commitment, and many women find it challenging to balance those demands with caregiving or career obligations. More flexible race schedules which can accommodate pregnancy deferral and childcare support at races.
There’s also the challenge facing women across all sports in which more education and research specifically tailored for women needs to be undertaken. To create a more inclusive environment, I think we need greater representation and visibility for women in sport. We are seeing the strength of females in the sport, but it can also expand to more mentors and female race directors, as well as more story telling around womens experiences in ultra running.
Do you have any female athletes who inspired you when you were starting out? How important is visibility when it comes to encouraging more women in trail running?
Definitely, one of the first books I read about ultra running before I was even a runner was about the kiwi Lisa Tamati, it was incredibly inspiring reading all about her experiences and journeys through running. Another big inspiration was fellow runner Ruth Croft, she just absolutely smashes her races and it’s so cool to see a kiwi doing this on the big stage. Another women I really appreciate is Courtney Dauwalter, not just because of her incredible results but because of who she is aside from this. She carries herself with such humility and kindness for everyone around her. Visibilty is really important, I think without me seeing these strong wahines before me, it wouldn’t have been so easy to imagine myself in that position. We constantly see men’s sport and male sporting figures in the spotlight, and having some fill those spaces as well impacts all generations.
Can you share any memorable moments during your races where you felt a strong connection with other women in the sport, whether from a sense of camaraderie or breaking barriers together?
It’s hard to just choose one moment. This year I was cheering on people racing UTMB with Courtney, and it looked like Katie was going to break her record (even though the course was still a bit different this year). But seeing how pumped Courtney was for Katie to be charging through the course was so cool. I think records are made to be broken, and having a competitive field raises the bar for everyone. While I was racing Templiers 80k a few weeks ago I moved up from 6th position to 1st place within around 6km, and all of the women I passed were super positive and encouraging. We all know eachother and race often. I know its not always possible for me to have the perfect day out there when I am racing, but it’s great to see the other women have this day even when it’s not yours.
Finally, what are your hopes for the future of women in ultra and trail running? What progress do you hope to see in the next decade?
I’m happy we have progress in the sport already, we are slowly seeing pregnancy deferrals being allowed in larger races, which is great. More races have feminine hygiene products at aid stations, there are places for breast feeding, some even can help to organise baby sitting of children – but there are still a lot of races that don’t have these available. It would be great to see this as a norm for races, at a minimum. I also hope we keep pushing and changing the narrative for women’s health in sports, and that losing your menstrual cycle through training and racing isn’t a good sign.