Welcome to Athlete Voices Unlocked, a new interview series that shines a light on the experiences, insights, and impact of our Unlocked athletes and alumni. Through candid conversations, we explore the many stories, challenges, and perspectives shaping the world of women’s sport — told in their own words.
Many people become advocates without ever intentionally deciding to take on that role. Advocacy doesn’t follow a single pathway; it often begins in unexpected moments when personal experience, empathy, or a sense of fairness make speaking up feel necessary. For some, it grows from witnessing inequality; for others, it emerges from navigating their own challenges and realising others face the same barriers.
When Sophie Power set off to compete in the Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc in 2018, her aim was simply to complete the race. An enormous undertaking just three months postpartum and still breastfeeding. A request for a quick photograph while she fed her three‑month‑old son became a life‑changing moment, sparking global attention and unexpectedly launching her own journey into advocacy.
Sophie did not initially see herself as an activist. “I didn’t think I was doing anything unusual,” she says in reference to the now-famous image. “I’d spent my whole career used to being one of the few women in the room, first in investment banking, and later as the CEO of a tech company.” But it was the global outpouring from women around the world about the motherhood aspect of her story that made Sophie realise something deeper was happening. “It was not just the struggle to return to sport postpartum, but the realisation that the conversation kept circling back to the fact that I shouldn’t have had to be there in the first place, and should have been allowed to defer my entry.”
The moment that sparked SheRACES
A dispute over deferral rules at the 2021 London Marathon for another runner crystallised that realisation. What initially seemed like a straightforward request exposed structural gaps in how events considered women’s experiences, not just around pregnancy, but physiology, safety, confidence and culture. The response prompted Sophie to write publicly about the issue and became the turning point that made her think beyond individual cases.
“That was the lightbulb moment,” she says. “Equal rules aren’t always equitable rules.”
SheRACES was born eight months later. Its approach is collaborative. “We are a critical friend,” she explains. “There is no point going out and just criticising event organisers.” Instead, the organisation distilled women’s experiences into eight practical guidelines any race can implement.
Alongside influencing existing events, SheRACES now runs its own Womens’ Trail Event (this year on Sunday, July 5th, in Surrey) to demonstrate what inclusive design looks like in practice, from imagery and language to safeguarding and atmosphere.
“I believe so strongly that finish lines change lives,” she says. “The confidence you get from achieving something you thought would be very difficult is so powerful.”
The Power Within
Fast forward to 2026, and Sophie has amplified her mission through the launch of her autobiography, The Power Within. At the National Running Show in January, readers arrived having finished the book within days of receiving it. “It’s been incredible,” she says. “There are so many different themes.”
Some readers connect with the rawness of motherhood and the struggle to return to elite performance. Sophie only became an elite athlete after having children. Others relate to finding sport later in life. Many men, drawn in by the endurance feats, leave thinking differently about the barriers facing women.
For Sophie, the book is not a vanity project about her ultrarunning records. “It’s another way that I get to talk about SheRACES and raise awareness,” she says. Writing it was difficult in places, revisiting painful periods, but it brought clarity and renewed urgency.
But progress has not made the work easier. That’s where Women’s Sport Trust Unlocked programme comes in. A programme that empowers athletes to use their own platforms, voices, and unique perspectives to create change, while coming together as a collective to shape the future of women’s sport.
Joining Unlocked 4.0
Whilst Sophie already knows what she is looking to change, she honestly admits that, “Advocacy is lonely.” Much of her work with SheRACES has been built by learning as she goes, navigating funding challenges, partnerships and growth while volunteering her time alongside family life and professional commitments. Unlocked offered something she had not previously experienced: structured support and a community of athletes facing similar challenges.
The cohort itself has been a major draw. Being surrounded by women who are also trying to drive change has provided both emotional support and strategic insight. While Sophie recognises she brings experience to the group, she also sees value in learning from others at different stages of their advocacy journeys.
Working with an Unlocked Activator
A key element of Unlocked for Sophie is mentorship. As SheRACES grows, questions around scaling internationally, securing sustainable funding and entering more strategic conversations have become more pressing. Having space to discuss those decisions, she says, is invaluable. “I’ve been making it up as I go along,” she admits. “I’m really excited about having a mentor to just talk about things with, to help me get to the next level.”
Unlocked has also reinforced something she values deeply: collaboration. Rather than competing within the women’s sport landscape, Sophie sees progress as collective. Supporting others to make change, she argues, can often have a greater impact than pursuing every issue herself.
Through the programme’s webinars and workshop sessions, she is gaining structured insight, but the real value is the allies it brings. “It just makes me feel so much less alone, that I’ve got allies,” she says. “I’ve never felt that before.” For someone used to pushing through barriers, that sense of shared purpose matters. “I’m such a collaborator,” she adds. “If I can support someone else making a difference, that’s even better than me making a difference myself.”
In a space that can feel competitive and fragmented, Unlocked offers something different: a sporting environment built on collective progress. And for an advocate who has spent years driving change from the outside, that support may prove as powerful as any finish line.
Thanks to a grant from the Jacobs Futura Foundation, the Women’s Sport Trust launched a new Unlocked programme in November 2025. This funding supports not only the latest cohort, but also strengthens our growing community of 111 athlete alumni. Find out more about the Unlocked programme here.