Female Athlete Diaries
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.
Female Athlete Diaries
2. What it takes to become an Ultrawoman with Brit Litton
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Host Kirsty Sheehan introduces a series of four mini-episodes highlighting women’s journeys to Ultraman Australia and the mindset needed to take on big challenges. This episode features Brittney Litton, a lifelong multi-sport athlete who began endurance racing after having her son Max via C-section, completing a 70.3 with a 6–7 month old and an Ironman on his first birthday, then racing again after her daughter Tilly was born. Brittny quit drinking in 2021, raced Kona in 2023, ran Tarawera 100K, and signed up for Ulteraman Australia (and Ultraman NZ). She discusses women backing themselves less than men, recovering from C-sections and hernia surgery, realistic prep timelines, the importance of a supportive crew and believing coach, challenges like ocean swimming fear, knee/foot pain on day three, fueling with Monster, and female-specific barriers like safety, menstrual logistics, and caregiving constraints, while describing Ultraman as a uniquely supportive “ultra tribe” experience.
00:00 Ultrawoman Series Intro
02:02 Meet Brittney Litton
03:37 Early Sports Roots
05:08 Postpartum to Triathlon
06:42 Backing Yourself Mindset
09:11 Ironman After C-Section
11:06 Why Ultraman Australia
13:43 Training Timeframes
15:35 Race Pain and Lessons
17:21 Support Crew and Belief
19:11 Coach Confidence Boost
22:44 Gear You Can't Go Without
23:56 Meet the Crew
24:40 Brutal Training Weeks
26:16 Sleep Deprivation
27:11 Run Day Pain Cave
29:17 Ultra Mindset Lessons
30:52 Women in Ultra Challenges
34:52 Coaching and Training Tweaks
37:07 Ultra Tribe and Results
39:23 Training Time Reality Check
41:33 Final Encouragement to Race