Ann Ashworth + Comrades Marathon: What It Takes
b"South African Ann Ashworth had developed into a very good runner and had a passion for long-distance running, especially her country\\u2019s crown jewel, the 90-kilometer Comrades Marathon. Over time, she recognized that she just might have the talent and drive necessary to be among the top competitors at the race. This episode follows Ann\\u2019s journey of discovering competitive running in her youth all the way through to seizing her moment at Comrades in 2018. \\nAnn\\u2019s story is one of hard work and dedication, overcoming and never, ever letting up. Through heartbreaking disappointment, painful injuries, and financial sacrifice, Ann remained firm in her focus to vie for the top spot at this race that she holds such deep passion for: \\u201cIt\\u2019s not just a running race for me,\\u201d Ann says. \\u201cIt\\u2019s a deeply spiritual experience, and it\\u2019s something that makes me feel insanely patriotic. It\\u2019s just an incredibly special race for me.\\u201dThis episode is part of our first season, and the theme of this season is experiences in and around the Comrades Marathon, which is a 90-kilometer, or roughly 56-mile, road race that takes place each year in South Africa. It is the oldest and largest ultra-distance foot race in the world.\\xa0\\nRecommended Resources\\nEvery episode we highlight one entry from our long list of\\xa0recommended resources, which are focused on women and running.\\xa0And for this episode, the highlighted resource is Lessons In Badassery, a personal blog project written by sports and adventure journalist Katie Spyrka; she features interview-style posts of, well, badass female adventurers and athletes. In addition to sharing inspirational stories of exceptional athletes, this blog features a lot of really nice photography. There are so many incredible athletes here, from a wide range of sports; in the realm of ultra running, I really enjoyed the May 6 post\\xa0featuring Maggie Guterl, and the April 15 post\\xa0featuring Sarah Sawyer.\\xa0\\nYou can find Lessons in Badassery at\\xa0lessonsinbadassery.com.\\nAnn Ashworth is on Instagram @ann.ashworth\\xa0\\nYou can learn more about Ann and Team Massmart on the website https://teamashworth.co.za/\\nWays to Connect and Engage with Women's Running Stories\\nInstagram: @womensrunningstories\\nTwitter: @WomenRunStories\\nWebsite: womensrunningstories.com\\nEmail host Cherie: clouiseturner@gmail.com\\nWomen's Running Stories is a member of the Evergreen network: https://evergreenpodcasts.com/"