World record women!

Sisters are doing it for themselves...and the rest! When it comes to athletics there is way more interest in the sporting prowess of women than there perhaps used to be. You don't need to look far to find inspirational women who have focused on practicing their athletic skills and really achieved their goals. While every woman's journey into creating a fit future is deserving of praise there is no doubt that world record women who break down barriers and create new targets are particularly amazing role models, demonstrating what women can achieve in areas which are often viewed as the realm of male athletes. Not only are some of these women breaking records but in some cases they are beating their male counterparts too.

Think of a sport or a sporting challenge and there will undoubtedly be a woman who has excelled; showing other women around the world that they too can reach and exceed their goals. While you might not be set for the dizzy heights of international sporting stardom, the tales of triumph about these female athletes is a compelling and ultimately motivating narrative.

Florence Griffith-Joyner

In her short life, Flo-Jo became a household name for setting the record in the 100 meters and 200 meters. From a poor Los Angeles background she seemed to come from nowhere in the sporting field to smash two world records at the 1988 Seoul Olympics to become the fastest women on Earth. With her flamboyant style and her dramatic stars and stripe nails she certainly stood out from the crowd but after her performance she became a sporting legend. Her time of 10.49 seconds for the 100 meters has yet to be beaten. The same goes for her time of 21.34 seconds for the 200 meter sprint. She also won another gold in the 4x100 Relay that year.

Lynn Hill

Not only is Lynn Hill one of the best female climbers, she is one of the best all-time competitive sports climbers in the world...living life in the vertical world. Some 20 years ago she redefined what was possible in rock climbing with the first ever free ascent of the renowned sheer face of The Nose on El Capitan in Yosemite Valley in California. A year later she did it again in less than 24 hours. Two decades on only herself and a male climber, Tommy Caldwell, have achieved a free ascent in one day. Her motivation was partly to break down stereotypes about female climbers.

Pamela Reed

As if running 135 miles wasn't difficult enough, the Badwater Ultramarathon is a particularly grueling course and considered the most difficult on-foot race there is. Getting to the end is one achievement but Pamela Reed, a champion ultrarunner extraordinaire has won the Mojave Desert race twice, in 2002 and 2003. She also achieved a record first by running 300 miles straight without any sleep; the only person to do so, male or female.

Pavaneh Moayedi

Ever considered running a marathon? Pavaneh Moayedi from Iran went one step further, quite literally, by running the most marathons by a female in one year. Starting and finishing in Texas, she totalled a staggering 168 marathons. She also has a second Guinness World Record accolade for achieving the most marathons run on consecutive days by a female. She is the only female in North America, to have run over 600 marathons and ultramarathons and she has run marathons in every state and on all seven continents.

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