Vhi Women’s Mini Marathon launches with four well-known ambassadors

A group of inspiring women came together today in Dublin to officially launch the 2024 Vhi Women’s Mini Marathon. The 10km event, now in its 42nd year, will take place on Sunday June 2nd at 12:30pm. Over 20,000 women are expected to participate this year and the event is open to all those who wish to walk, jog or run the 10km route through Dublin City Centre.

Businesswoman Aimee Connolly, disability advocate and public speaker Nikki Bradley, TV presenter and model Katja Mia and health and fitness coach Nathalie Lennon are Vhi ambassadors for this year’s event. They are calling on women all around the country to join them on the 2nd June for the largest all-female event of its kind in the world.

To mark the launch of this year’s Vhi Women’s Mini Marathon, Vhi commissioned research with 500 female runners to get a better understanding of the link between women’s health issues and how they impact women’s running habits. The key findings of this research are:

Running and Menstruation

• 34% of women do not change their running behaviours when menstruating
• 43% continue to run but run less when menstruating
• 77% of women believe that running makes them feel better while menstruating, with 62% believing that running helps them manage PMS and menstrual symptoms such as cramps and fatigue
• 18% stop running altogether while menstruating, with the main reasons cited being:
• Fatigue (62%)
• Lack of motivation (49%)
• Fear of bleeding onto clothing (44%)
• Feeling bloated (40%)

Running Post-Birth

• 68% of women who have given birth believe running helped with their post-birth recovery

Running and Pelvic Floor Issues

• 61% of women are conscious of issues related to their pelvic floor while running, however 3 in 5 say these issues are not enough to deter them from running.

Running and Menopause/Peri-Menopause

• 60% of women who have gone through or are going through peri-menopause or menopause still run or walk as they believe it helps overcome their symptoms
• 14% stopped running or walking as the symptoms made it harder for them to exercise

You can follow all the Vhi Women’s Mini Marathon ambassadors on their 12-week journey to Race Day on June 2nd via their social media channels below:

• Aimee Connolly – @aimeeconnolly_com
• Nikki Bradley – @nikki_bradley_speaks
• Katja Mia – @katja_miaa
• Nathalie Lennon – @nathalielennon_

Between now and June 2nd, follow @VhiWMM on social media or visit vhiwomensminimarathon.ie for training plans for walkers, runners and jogger as well as nutritious recipes developed by Vhi ambassador Nathalie Lennon, and much more to support your training journey.

Registration for the event is now open on www.vhiwomensminimarathon.ie. Every participant will receive a Vhi Women’s Mini Marathon finisher medal, and can opt in at registration to receive a Vhi Women’s Mini Marathon t-shirt.

Additionally, Vhi members can claim back their entry fee via the Vhi app!