Two age-group triathletes are on a mission to inspire more women to take up the sport – starting with an ambitious campaign to help one of next year’s IRONMAN 70.3 races achieve a 50:50 gender split on the start line.
Inspired by the ‘unspoken camaraderie’ among their fellow female athletes, Pippa Spencer and Kellie Branagan want to provide a support network for those keen to get involved in multisport events but have so far been put off by its male-dominated aura.
Based in the north of England, their ForTheGirls group has already attracted strong interest from potential recruits, and their push for a male-female balance at 70.3 Bolton in 2027 has received backing from IRONMAN.
More can be done to support female athletes
The number of women taking part in triathlon continues to rise, with IRONMAN announcing earlier this year that its 2025 participation figures showed a 9% overall increase in female entries, including a remarkable 44% jump among women aged 25 to 29.
However, despite continued efforts by race organisers, the Professional Triathlon Organisation and groups such as Women in Tri and SheRaces, Pippa and Kellie believe more needs to be done to make the sport truly accessible for female athletes.
“Our inspiration behind ForTheGirls came from standing on the start line and being shocked at the lack of women… but simultaneously being proud to be one,” said Pippa. “It always feels like there’s an unspoken camaraderie between women in a triathlon, like a silent support network, but we want it to be louder and bigger.
“There are certain factors that make triathlon difficult to get into for everyone, no matter the gender, but it can be especially daunting as a woman when so much of the industry is male-dominated, and the majority of kit, gear and equipment is designed for men.
‘Blown away by the response’
“The other week we walked into a very well-known triathlon retailer’s shop and found one rack of cycling clothes for women, hidden amongst several for men – it’s small things like that that can put women off.
“Combine that with most clubs and community groups being very male-dominated, it can be hard for some women to picture themselves in the sport.”
Last year they started small by offering women an opportunity to recce the Bolton course with them ahead of race day. Blown away by the response, the group has since grown in size and awareness, with support coming in from around the world.
“Right now we are mostly based in the North West of England and are planning most of our in-person activities to be in that area, but we’ve had interest from athletes all over the world,” added Pippa. “It’s been a bit overwhelming so far, but it shows that there is clearly a demand for this kind of community, and we are planning to hold some online webinars targeted towards beginners in the sport – it’s not much, but it’s a start to cater to those from afar.
“We’ve seen organisations like PTO, Supertri and IRONMAN really invest time and budget into making the sport more attractive to women over the last couple of years. It’s not something that can happen overnight, but even with the small changes there’s been a slow but steady increase in female participation.
Need for more female representation
“They just need to keep doing what they are doing – we need more beginner-friendly events, more female-only community events and training opportunities and more female storytelling and representation.
“The list doesn’t end there, but groups like Women in Tri and SheRaces are a great place to start when looking for more ways to make the sport more accessible to women.”
And Bolton is as good a place to start as any, with their goal for next year’s race on Sunday, June 6, to see just as many women lining up at the start as there are men.
“We mostly picked Bolton out of convenience, as it’s our local race; we have both taken part before and have excellent course knowledge to be able to support women and help them feel prepared for the day,” said Pippa. “This year we held two course recces which were extremely popular, so we’ll be offering the same next year. The support in Bolton is brilliant, and the lake swim, closed roads on the bike and an abundance of aid stations provide that extra assurance to first-timers.
Hoping to build something special
“The recce was held on International Women’s Day, and the response was incredible! We had around 30 women take over the streets of Bolton that day and knew that we could build something special.
“We are both just ordinary age-groupers who are trying to improve in the sport and use our platforms to encourage more women to get involved. IRONMAN has been really supportive – they have the same goals of a 50:50 gender split and are working with groups like Women in Tri to help make that happen.”
And Kellie has some simple advice to any women thinking they’d like to give it a go but who are put off believing they don’t have what it takes.
“For any women who are not sure whether or not they can do a triathlon, we would suggest going and watching one,” she said. “It can be hard to picture yourself in the sport when social media is plastered with pros and fast age groupers, but when you watch an event in real life, you’ll see the number of people who are just ‘normal’, and we can guarantee that you’ll look at them and think, ‘If they can do it, so can I!’.
“We want women to be screaming ‘do it for the girls’ at each other whenever they are taking part in events, because it reassures them to know that, even if they turn up to a race alone, they have the support of each other.”
You can follow the ForTheGirls community on their Instagram page HERE and contact them via email by writing to tri.forthegirls@gmail.com.
