What was also remarkable about the performance was that not only was she the first woman but she also finished ahead of all of the men in the race. In fact, the first man finished 3 kms behind. It is often said that while men are obviously faster and stronger over short distances than women, the difference between the genders begins to diminish over the very long distance events.
The 35-year-old Hawker, who had won the Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc race only 4 weeks earlier in August, also broke the long standing British and Commonwealth 100 mile record on her way to victory. Helped along with a diet of banana bread, a combination of jam and cheese sandwiches and melon, she never faltered after taking the lead and held a two lap lead by the end (Course was 1 km loop).
“I really didn’t know what to expect because it was my first race over the distance on the road,” said Hawker, who used to work as a scientist at the south pole with the British Antarctic Expedition.
“I didn’t have any huge expectations going into the race. It was just a case of staying fully focussed and blocking out the pain. “It did hurt – a lot – but I’m really pleased to have won and taken the world record. It was also great to demonstrate just what women athlete’s can achieve by beating all the men.”
The full results of the race can be seen at http://www.cmudc2011.org/news/11/09/lizzy-hawker-smashes-the-world-24-hour-record
Lizzy Hawker has her own blog at http://www.lizzyhawker.blogspot.com
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