From Clubs to Marathon Sign-Ups, I’m Witnessing More and More Women Engaging in Sport—Here’s Why It’s Happening

Two women running on a track.

At 5.30 am on most Sunday mornings you’ll find me tucked up in bed, Drowsy eye mask on and Aromatherapy Associates oil on my pillow. I’m something of a stickler for eight hours of sleep, minimum, and certifiably militant about my sleep hygiene (no screens anywhere near the bedroom, ever).

But not this Sunday. This Sunday, the first weekend of December 2025, I’m at the start line of the Valencia Marathon, bib pinned to my top, headphones in, and carbon plate trainers on. Nerves are bubbling in my stomach. My 4 am coffee has done its best. It’s race time.