How far could you run in six days?
What if I told you you’d be given a year of scientific testing, 250 pieces of apparel form-fitted to your body, seven crew members, your own RV, a private chef, every recovery tool on the market, a salary, and cameras pointed in your direction the whole time?
Lululemon decided to find out with FURTHER, its bespoke six-day ultramarathon near Palm Springs, California, this past week. Ten women of all abilities, body sizes, and Instagram follower counts were carefully chosen to participate. On one end of the spectrum was American Camille Herron, 42, queen of niche ultra-distance events and the world record holder at everything from the 50 miles on the roads (5:38:41) to 400K on the track (250 miles, 43:44:14). And on the other end was Vriko Kwok, 32, a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu athlete from Hong Kong who started running last year.
Herron was joined by three more elite U.S. ultrarunners: Devon Yanko, 41, a coach, mentor, and “food entrepreneur” from Howard, Colorado; Stefanie Flippin, 34, a doctor and running coach from Evergreen, Colorado; and Leah Yingling, 32, a biomechanical engineer from Salt Lake City, Utah. Kayla Jeter, 34, a former volleyball player and strength and fitness coach in Chicago, and Mirna Valerio, 48, an author, adventurer, and, quietly, mother from Winooski, Vermont, rounded out the American contingent.
Marathoner Xiaomeng Jia, 38, from China, and Judo Black Belt Yoon Young Kang, 44, from South Korea, joined Kwok in representing Asia, or should I say Asian market. And finally there was Montana Farrah-Seaton, 27, a strength and conditioning coach and model from Melbourne, Australia.