The 135 Challenge Blog

Today’s coverage of women’s sports lacks depth and development. We’re missing the narrative. We’re missing the characters. We’re missing the whole story.

 
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Sports coverage needs dynamic characters.

People who love sports love more than just the game. We follow athletes and teams because we can follow the storylines. We know and identify with the characters.

  • Tom Brady, an underrated underdog turned top dog.

  • LeBron James, the redeemed king.

  • Cristiano Ronaldo — hero or heel?

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But most people don’t know the characters in women’s sports.

Media coverage of women’s sports is so slim and surface-level that unless you are already a superfan, you probably don’t know much about even the top women athletes in the world.

Without developing the characters and narrative, it’s almost impossible for the average sports fan to become invested in the stories, the characters, and the narrative of the athletes and their teams.

 
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With the 135 Challenge, I’m trying to change that.

For the next 135 days, I’m spotlighting one important woman in sports every damn day while training for the Badwater 135 mile race.

Many of these women inspire me, and I believe that if you knew more of their stories, they’d inspire you too.

My goal is to tell you who these athletes are—their athletic accomplishments & character archetypes—so you follow their stories, long after my race is run.

March 7th - July 19th, 2021

135 Badass women & 135 days of training for the Badwater 135.

While training for this year’s Badwater 135 footrace, I’m spotlighting 135 women in sports.

You better recognize.

Caster Semenya - The Exception
the exception Kelaine Conochan the exception Kelaine Conochan

Caster Semenya - The Exception

Day 106/135. Though Caster Semenya is one of the best 800m runners of all time, she will not be running the 800 in the Olympics this year. The IAAF rules on intersex athletes don’t clarify much. They just seem specifically designed to keep Semenya out.

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Marion Jones - The Villain
the villain Kelaine Conochan the villain Kelaine Conochan

Marion Jones - The Villain

Day 101/135. As a sprinter, Marion Jones won Olympic and World Championship gold medals. But when the world found out she’d been taking performance enhancing drugs, she lost it all. That’s the price you pay.

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Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce - The Ruler
the ruler Kelaine Conochan the ruler Kelaine Conochan

Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce - The Ruler

Day 89/135. With 9 World Championship gold medals and 2 Olympic golds, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, AKA “The Pocket Rocket” is the woman to beat in the 100m at this summer’s Olympic Games. Anyone who wants her crown better run for it.

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Sha’Carri Richardson - The Omen
the omen Kelaine Conochan the omen Kelaine Conochan

Sha’Carri Richardson - The Omen

Day 81/135. It’s been 25 years since an American woman has won the 100m. But with the season Sha’Carri Richardson is having so far, we may not have to wait much longer. That’s a good omen.

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Babe Didrikson Zaharias - The OG
the og Kelaine Conochan the og Kelaine Conochan

Babe Didrikson Zaharias - The OG

Day 77/135. Babe Didrikson Zaharias is one of the Top 10 athletes of the 20th Century. BET. From her Olympic track & field medals to LPGA championships, she was not even good…but GREAT… at everything.

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Sydney McLaughlin - The Future
the future Kelaine Conochan the future Kelaine Conochan

Sydney McLaughlin - The Future

Day 72/135. Ready or not, Sydney McLaughlin is the future of the 400m hurdles. She was the youngest on the U.S. track & field team in the 2016 Olympic Games, but this summer just might be her time to shine.

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Emma Coburn - The Rebel
the rebel Kelaine Conochan the rebel Kelaine Conochan

Emma Coburn - The Rebel

Day 12/135. Emma Coburn has won a world title in the 3000m steeplechase because she can run and leap like a gazelle. But she’s not just going to play nice and do things your way.

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Shalane Flanagan - The Lover
the lover Kelaine Conochan the lover Kelaine Conochan

Shalane Flanagan - The Lover

Day 11/135. In 2017, Shalane Flanagan became the first woman to win the NYC Marathon in 40 years. A marathoner who also won Olympic bronze in the 10,000m, Flanagan is known for sacrificing everything in pursuit of her goals.

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