In May 2023, athletic apparel, footwear and accessories retailer Lululemon had announced the global FURTHER campaign to celebrate human possibility and how far women can go toward achieving equality efforts.
As part of the campaign, Lululemon held the FURTHER ultramarathon, the first-of-its-kind women’s ultramarathon from the brand.
It featured 10 female athletes from its global ambassadors collective, including Yoon Young Kang, an ultrarunner with judo black belt from South Korea and Vriko Kwok, a Brazilian jiu-jitsu athlete and entrepreneur from Hong Kong.
The six-day ultramarathon began on March 6, 2024, ahead of International Women’s Day, and culminated on March 12, 2024 at Lake Cahuilla in La Quinta, California.
Nikki Neuburger, the chief brand officer at lululemon stated, “Women have historically been overlooked and underserved in athletics, and as a brand committed to helping all people feel their best, we have a responsibility to create more equity for our communities by investing to close this gap.”
Neuburger added: “When supported with innovation and resources, we are confident women will continue to redefine the limits of what’s possible. This is the motivation and purpose behind our FURTHER initiative.”
All athletes wore head-to-toe lululemon kits co-created with them to meet their unique needs. The 36 new innovations considered situational and always-on functions and are shaped by athlete insights and backed by research.
Here are the key results at the FURTHER ultramarathon:
- All 10 athletes surpassed their furthest distance and ran a collective 4,636.327km
- Ultrarunner Camille Herron from Tucson, Arizona, USA set a total of 13 records at FURTHER (pending ratification)
- Women’s Six-Day World Record at 901.764km surpassing the previous record by over 352km
- Women’s World Best for 300 miles (59:54:28), 400 miles (88:34:26), 500 miles (118:19:17), 500K (62:50:17), 600K (81:23:38), 700K (98:33:59), 800K (117:44:55), 900K (142:40:58) – surpassing previously held records by 8-19 hours.
- Women’s World Bests for 72-hour (550.542km), 96-hour (691.755km), 120-hour (807.495km).
- Entrepreneur and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Athlete Vriko Kwok from Hong Kong ran a total 303.313km, setting her ultimate personal best when she had not even run 1K continuously a year ago.
Following the FURTHER Ultramarathon, lululemon’s Run collection has also recently expanded with new products and colours.
The new running gear is made to take your run further with weightless construction, seamless fabrics and streamlined designs. The designs and shades will help everyone feel their best to run past their limits.
Some key new products include Packable Run Jacket (RM798) that shields you from the elements during outdoor training sessions; Fast and Free Race Length Tank (RM318) with its super lightweight coverage and an airy silhouette helps unrestricted movement for a comfortable run; and Energy Bra Longline (RM268) crafted with slick, low-friction support Luxtreme fabric, suitable for yoga and training.
Lululemon’s scientific research program, led by the brand’s internal research team and operated in partnership with Canadian Sport Institute Pacific and Lululemon’s academic research network, will continue during and after the race to better understand human performance by advancing women’s-first research and helping close the sex and gender data gap in sports science.
The ongoing research will dive deep into topical questions such as whether female ultrarunners have superior fatigue resistance compared to males, and will study areas that haven’t been explored such as the lived experiences of women ultrarunners and the physiological and biomechanical effects of six days of running. All findings will be published over the next two years, with initial findings to be published in the fall of 2024.
Takeaways will serve as a catalyst for additional research on female and women athletes and inform lululemon’s pipeline of women-first innovations.
Lululemon also announced the upcoming FURTHER Run event to be held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on April 2024.
The unique experience goes beyond mere miles, fostering personal growth and community connections through activities like run, pickleball, training sessions and nutritional talks.
All proceeds will be donated to Buku Jalanan Chow Kit, an NGO providing education and a healthy growing environment for underprivileged children.
Registration will open from March 30, 2024.
The event details as follows:
Date: April 20, 2024
Time: 6:30am -10:00am
Location: Pickle Social Club, Bukit Kiara, Kuala Lumpur
Date: April 21, 2024
Time: 7:30am-10:30am
Location: TRX City Park, Kuala Lumpur
Date: April 27, 2024
Time: 7:00am-9:30am
Location: Taman Bandaran Kelana Jaya, Petaling Jaya
Lululemon currently has four retail stores in Malaysia, located in Suria KLCC, Elite Pavilion, The Exchange TRX and Johor Premium Outlets.
For more information, visit lululemon.com.
