Female Athlete Diaries
Podcast Description
Real stories and conversations of the challenges females face during exercise, training, and racing through all stages of life. Stories of being steam rolled by PMT, the yo-yo of peri-menopause, losing confidence in your body, the diet that went too far, and many more. Listen to the experiences of other women, connect and breakthrough.
Podcast Insights
Content Themes
The podcast tackles issues such as hormonal health, body image, disordered eating, and the unique struggles of female athletes through episodes like discussions on PMT, the fluctuations of peri-menopause, and overcoming body confidence challenges. Specific focus areas include training strategies for older athletes and the impact of nutrition on performance.
Real stories and conversations of the challenges females face during exercise, training, and racing through all stages of life. Stories of being steam rolled by PMT, the yo-yo of peri-menopause, losing confidence in your body, the diet that went too far, and many more. Listen to the experiences of other women, connect and breakthrough.
Host Kirsty Sheehan introduces a four-part Ultrawoman mini-series, featuring individual stories to show that women of different ages and abilities can conquer major challenges with motivation and dedication. In this episode, Claire Kunc—fourth female overall at UM Australia in just over 27 hours—shares how she began endurance sport three years ago after postnatal mental health struggles, and later discovered a stage 3 multi-organ pelvic floor prolapse causing significant problems while running. After trying physio and pessaries, she had prolapse surgery in September 2023, faced a demanding three-month recovery, then rapidly built fitness through marathons, 70.3s and Ironman before committing to Ultraman. She describes 3 a.m. training, heavy fueling demands, indoor Zwift rides up to nearly 10 hours, race challenges, the Ultra Tribe camaraderie, and her upcoming race plans.
00:00 Ultrawoman Series Intro
02:00 Meet Claire Kunc
03:21 First Marathon and Symptoms
04:18 Prolapse Diagnosis and Options
06:04 Surgery Recovery Reality
09:14 Return to Racing
10:27 Why Ultraman Australia
11:54 Training Load and 3AM Starts
13:32 Indoor Zwift Bike Strategy
18:41 Race Weekend Expectations
21:33 84K Finish Line High
22:49 Family on Course
23:09 Resilience to Finish
24:46 Fueling Struggles
26:46 Ultra Tribe Camaraderie
28:38 Bespoke Coaching Approach
30:31 Recovery With Kids
31:36 Why Mothers Can Do It
33:10 Running Through Postnatal Depression
34:34 Periods and Pelvic Floor Reality
38:41 What’s Next on the Calendar
40:13 Training Negotiations at Home
41:21 Final Thanks and Wrap
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