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.
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?
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.
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.
Elle Purrier St. Pierre - The Farmer
Day 119/135. Running the 1500m is anything but easy. But in the Olympic trials, Elle Purrier St. Pierre made it look like light work, leading gun to tape. The work ethic came from growing up on a dairy farm.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Allyson Felix - The Caregiver
Day 42/135. With 9 Olympic medals and 18 World Championship medals, Allyson Felix is the most decorated athlete in American track & field. But her legacy off the track is even more courageous and impressive.
Dalilah Muhammad - The Ruler
Day 19/135. Dalilah Muhammad owns the world record for the 400m hurdles. But her competition is getting closer, which means Muhammad just has to work harder to keep that crown.
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.
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.
Jackie Joyner-Kersee - The Creator
Day 8/135. Greatness wasn’t Jackie Joyner-Kersee’s divine destiny. It was her way out. This phenomenal athlete won Olympic gold in the heptathlon, a world record performance that still stands, over 30 years later.
Destinee Hooker - The Ruler
Day 2/135. Destinee Hooker is the most dominant player on any volleyball court. As outside attacker, beware of this 6’4” dynamo who will block, kill, and reign supreme.