International Women’s Day: Celebrating Women’s Running with Femmi x PaceAthletic

From a relaxed lap around Centennial Park to honest conversations about women’s health and confidence in sport; the Femmi x Pace International Women’s Day run became a celebration of community, movement and progress.

 

International Women’s Day (IWD) is an opportunity to celebrate progress, reflect on the work still ahead, and create spaces where women can connect, learn and feel empowered.

This year, Pace Athletic teamed up with Femmi to bring our community together for a relaxed jog around Centennial Park, followed by an inspiring and refreshingly honest conversation with two incredible leaders in the running world: Lydia O’Donnell and Grace Wearne.

The morning brought together runners of all abilities: some there for the run, others for the conversation. But everyone could agree that the post-run croissants and chats were a definite highlight. At the end of the day, whether you are running 4:00/km or 7:30/km, we are all out there doing the same thing: putting one foot in front of the other and convincing ourselves that the last hill wasn’t quite as tough as it felt.

Women’s participation in running continues to grow rapidly, and the numbers from the Sydney Marathon tell an incredible story. In 2015, just 1,005 women crossed the finish line. Fast forward to 2025, and that number has surged to 11,400. That’s not just growth, it’s a movement. More women are discovering the power of running: building confidence, forming meaningful connections, developing resilience and, occasionally, finding the perfect excuse to own far too many pairs of running shoes.

How It All Began…

When asked what first sparked their running journeys, Lydia and Grace shared stories many runners could relate to.

For Lydia, sport was always part of life. She began as a dancer before a PE teacher (who happened to be a Commonwealth Games representative) encouraged her into athletics. That moment sparked what would become a lifelong passion for running. Later, as a teenager, navigating body image pressures while being coached by a male prompted deeper reflection about the realities women can face within the running world. These experiences ultimately helped inspire the creation of Femmi.

Grace’s journey began a little more spontaneously. Growing up as the “girl who did everything,” she played a variety of sports before a colleague casually convinced her to sign up for a half marathon with absolutely no training, assuring her that “it will be fun.” We’re still not entirely sure whether that colleague was a genius or slightly unhinged - but it clearly worked, and Grace hasn’t looked back since.

And that is the beauty of running: there is no single pathway into it. Everyone’s story is different, but we all end up sharing the same footpaths.

What International Women’s Day Means in Running…

For both ladies, IWD is a time to reflect on how far women’s sport has come and the work that still lies ahead.

The conversation ranged from understanding the female body and menstrual cycle in training, to a topic that unfortunately still affects many women: safety while running.

Research shows:

• 92% of women feel concerned about their safety when running
• 55% have experienced sexist comments while exercising
Running should be freeing, empowering and safe. Creating supportive communities and encouraging open conversations are important steps in shifting that reality.

Running Your Own Race…

For newer runners, comparison can feel overwhelming in the age of Strava segments and social media highlight reels.

Grace and Lydia’s advice was simple:

• Stay true to yourself
• Avoid comparison
• Find your “why”
Lydia shared how her motivation for running has evolved over time. While she once focused on road racing and chasing fast times, this year she is rediscovering the joy of trail running and exploring new challenges.

Running journeys change and that’s perfectly okay. Your “why” might be chasing a marathon time, running with friends, clearing your head after a long day, or simply justifying a great brunch afterwards. All of them are valid.

Understanding the Female Athlete…

A key part of the discussion centred on Femmi, the platform Lydia co-founded to help women better understand their bodies in relation to training.

For many years, training models were largely based on male physiology. Femmi is helping shift that narrative by educating women about how hormones and menstrual cycles influence training, performance and recovery.

Understanding these factors can help female runners:

• Train more effectively – aligning training intensity with hormonal phases can support better performance, strength gains and reduced injury risk.
• Fuel their bodies properly – recognising how energy needs change across the menstrual cycle can help runners better support endurance, strength and overall health.
• Recover smarter – understanding when the body may need more rest or active recovery can improve adaptation and reduce overtraining.
• Build a more sustainable relationship with running – listening to the body and adjusting training accordingly can help women stay consistent, healthy and enjoy the sport long term.
Femmi also provides accessible resources on topics such as female hormones and running and understanding the runner’s body, bringing expert knowledge and lived experience together to better support women in sport.

To close the session, Lydia and Grace were asked what belief they hoped every woman leaving the event would carry forward. Their answer was simple but powerful:

“Learn to listen to your body”

Whether it is understanding your menstrual cycle, fuelling properly, prioritising recovery or recognising when your body needs rest, tuning in to your body is one of the most powerful tools a runner can develop.

Events like this remind us that running is about far more than kilometres or finish lines. It’s about community, connection and the conversations that help move the sport forward. The Femmi x Pace Athletic collaboration showed the impact of creating spaces where women feel supported, empowered and inspired - women supporting women in running. Here’s to continuing to create spaces where women can run, learn and thrive together.

By Megan Tumminello, Pace Athletic Run Club Coach

 

For more information on Femmi please visit: https://www.femmi.co/

Lydia O’Donnell is the Head Nike Running Coach and Co-Founder of Femmi, where she leads a global community of women runners and champions training designed specifically around female physiology. Lydia is passionate about making running more inclusive, supportive and empowering for female athletes.

Grace Wearne is Nike’s Run Community Specialist and Femmi’s Sydney CBD Run Lead and has been a key figure in Sydney’s running community for more than seven years. Through leading communities such as Kings Cross Track Club and guiding with Achilles, she is dedicated to creating welcoming spaces where every runner.