Women alone co-founder discusses how his group promotes women’s security and independence
Because dark winter nights go on, your running shoes to cry and frost the mind can be afraid, especially for women.
The challenge to stay safe during the run is that many women face, and it can be more pronounced in remote areas, like the isolation, where the isolation can feel more intense.
The feeling of this anxiety, especially since the dawn falls that Ultra-Running Kerry Wallace decided to take the questions in 2018 next to the friend. Scottish Highland – Girls on the hills.
Based on Glencoe, a woman only focuses on the trail, fell and rough. The couple also quickly realized that there is a broader need, not only to run, but also driving the hill, navigate and mountain safety measures.
Keri Wallace (B Chalmers)
Fast forward today and their company flourished an inclusive and powerful community, boasting more than 21,000 followers on Instagram. The group is now expanding its availability beyond the highlands and hosting courses in other national parks in Great Britain, including Snowy and Lake.
The mission of the hills girls is obvious. Women’s upgrade the mountains with confidence and skills needed to navigate themselves on their own and safe. The feeling of security is something that Wallace, the elite ultra-run and the mountain leader personally understands.
His last achievement included the entire length of the West Highlands, the oldest national trail of Scotland, 154 km and involving 4312 m. He finished running without one stop and according to the basic key outfit Petzlincluding head chandeliers for dark days and nights.
What does the girls of the hills include?
We are women out of the guided runs, but we are guided to walk hill. We teach navigation skills and winter skills so that women can continue to go out in the winter environment and do not have to start the snow.
We also run retreats where we Go out and really blur, don’t run, then cook our own dinner. We are talking about creating a social space of open-air activities in the environment and the environment in the environment, where it really supports. The PACE’s push is less, and it is not a competitive environment.
I think that many people do not have to be like the idea of ​​having one, gender group and think that it creates more share than inclusion. But in reality, it can really take a good step for people who do not have to be confident in the mixed group.
Keri Wallace (B Chalmers)
Why did you decide to start the girls in a group of hills?
Nancy Kennedy and I both founded, because we knew each other through a run and both lived in Glenko. I recently had children and leave my day work and we It was talked about the comments of women that we both receive, which usually tells us that they want to do what they do.
SI started thinking about how people think people think we really do. There was a feeling that women could not do it so that we thought it would be good for something we could bring more to that confidence in a very small side hustle and we didn’t have a big plan. To make it a business with its right.
SE of the first year had several guided runs, but it just grew up and raised, and in a few years it became our main task. It was always about that more women in the hills come out and strengthened their skills and trust to become more independent in that environment.
Why is it important to encourage women to participate?
SE Look that there is a gap of participation in the trace run, and it is less than before. T.He almost does not exist in the trace run, it is constantly decreasing, which is fantastic. When you reach more technical traces, mountain race, rough, extreme run, you still see that gap quite significantly.
You can look at the extreme distance race and see that only 12% of the field is a woman. I think it’s so layered, and some come from the cultural throw when it was the norm that women didn’t do those things. If you return to the climbing, mountaineering, race, even marathons, women were not allowed to compete. So, tHere’s a feeling that women should not do these things, and we really had it, it was a man.
It didn’t go completely, its elements are still available. The girls are still educated, thinking that they are not very physically able as boys, or that sport is not for boys, it’s for boys.
I took it as a hobby in my 20s because it was nothing when I was a child at school. But tHe is currently possible, and we are now beginning to see that change in the media. We have fantastic women’s role models, and we begin to see women can really perform these more lengths, and we have features that make us really good. There are very fantastic progress, but we’re not completely there yet.
Petzl
How did you enter the mountain?
I have always been a sporty sport, but at school it were traditional school sports and team sports. I grew up in a western country, in Cornwall and in 2008 I moved to Scotland with my husband now. I just didn’t get for a long time before running and climbing a rock before moving to Scotland. In some sense, I came to the game late, but I went straight to the mountain and brought together my rock climbing in my footsteps, passionate. Moving Glencoe, I had this amazing playground.
I did it for a decade or so before the girls started on the hills. So it’s a lot of passion project.
What is your biggest achievement?
Eght A few years ago I ran to the UK Sky Running Series and I came to the third woman with what was a real achievement for me. I felt it was really cool that he received a full series and to leave the podium. I did the winter transpass and put a new FKT for it a few years ago, which is very similar in the winter, fell into the run.
I also In 2023, he tried a Alpine race, I ran to Ultra tour Monte Rosa, which was my first 100 miles mountain race, and the fifth woman was wonderful. Recently I did the western highlands and I was moving more solo ones in part because it fits the girls on the hills quite well to show that women can feel that women can feel out. come with external support.
Do you have any role models, and who are they?
I work hard with Nicki, and he is a model of mass role, particularly because he is still out of the 55 Plus category, breaking recordings and to hold new times and to win a race. It’s a massive inspiration for me to see that you don’t have to give up soon.
I think it doesn’t say that, but Hasmi Paris plays a phenomenal role for us. In November, we came along with our ultra run trails skills, and he was absolutely phenomenal because he was just so important. He is always really modest, but he plays a brilliant role for women.
Petzl
What is it to work with such a brand? Tuberztl?
The girls work in the hills in terms of the brand’s partnership, and we have always used their head chapters. They give us the opportunity to pool the chapter, which allows us to give us all those who come to a winter course use a truly good chapter, because it is obvious that we have a lot of darkness.
I have used their outfit in the challenges of my personal action. When I recently did the Western Highlands, it was 17 hours of darkness, which was quite a long time, so it had to be more than one chandelier. I really fit well with all the batteries provided with all the chapters and batteries.
The PC I used to be the Swift RL’s headlight, which is perfectly ridiculously bright, so you almost feel that you run from time to time in the daylight.
Why is women so important to use? Petzl Equipment while working.
I’m actually quite afraid of dark and many women. You run thinking about all worst things that can happen and have a really bright head chandelier, knowing that it is reliable that I am more confident.
There is a real personal security problem for women running on the night. In rural areas, The trails are very quiet, but statistics show that it is not the same type of risk than in urban areas, but we still see people irritated people in the winter months. I think to have really good equipment and being able to trust that the equipment helps to build a little confidence to get out and still feel that you can run.
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