The Path She Runs cover art

The Path She Runs

A Personal History of Women’s Ultrarunning

 Preview
Get this deal Try Premium Plus free
Offer ends 29 January 2026 at 11:59PM GMT.
Prime members: New to Audible? Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Just £0.99/mo for your first 3 months of Audible.
1 bestseller or new release per month—yours to keep.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, podcasts, and Originals.
Auto-renews at £8.99/mo after 3 months. Cancel monthly.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
£8.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically.

The Path She Runs

By: Jen Benson
Narrated by: Jen Benson
Get this deal Try Premium Plus free

£8.99/mo after 3 months. Cancel monthly. Offer ends 29 January 2026 at 11:59PM GMT.

£8.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Buy Now for £12.99

Buy Now for £12.99

LIMITED TIME OFFER | £0.99/mo for the first 3 months

Premium Plus auto-renews at £8.99/mo after 3 months. Terms apply.

About this listen

 The longer the distance run, the more women have an edge over their male competitors. Yet, the longer the distance, the less likely women are to start the race.

In this engrossing personal account, writer and sport scientist Jen Benson looks at the science and hidden history of ultramarathon running, and details her own attempts to finish a 100-mile race.

Jen lays bare the intensity, unexpected humour, and profound personal sacrifices that define the world of ultra-running, and delves into the fascinating science of ultra-endurance performance. Interweaved with this are the untold stories of trailblazing women from the last four decades, including Jasmin Paris, the first female finisher of the Barkley Marathons; Eleanor Robinson, the first woman to complete the 153-mile Spartathlon race; and Courtney Dauwalter, widely regarded as the greatest female ultra-runner of all time.

A testament to the feats of women that challenge the very limits of human capability, this is the remarkable sporting history of extreme performance hitherto untold.©2024 Jen Benson (P)2024 Octopus Publishing Group Extreme Sports Running & Jogging Sports

Listeners also enjoyed...

 Running Through the Dark cover art
Trails and Tribulations cover art
Did Not Finish: The Complete DNF Series Box Set (Books 1-7) cover art
Where There's a Hill cover art
Failure Is an Option cover art
Solo cover art
There Is No Wall cover art
Run Britain cover art
In It for the Long Run cover art
Choose Strong cover art
In the Spell of the Barkley cover art
Swimmingly cover art
Becoming Forrest: One man's epic run across America cover art
Unleash Your Inner Ultrarunner cover art
And So I Run: 15,000 Miles of Penitence, One Futile Quest cover art
The Endurance Artist cover art
All stars
Most relevant
I love this book because of its humble authentic nature. It is brilliantly written and told.

It cuts all ego and get to the truth that long running is about self mastery and discipline. That’s it…

… almost except her insights into the running scene, camaraderie and the unique experience of a female runner were super insightful. I say this as a man with all the same doubts but as a father the angles were also really helpful.

Thank you

One of the great running books

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
The narrative style which easily transports one on missions impossible and extraordinary. Absolutely Brilliant read

Overcoming extraordinary obstacles, physical emotional and psychological.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I very muuch enjoyed Jen's account of her running journey towards 100 miles. She's not afraid to put her struggles and mental doubts out there and it makes the story more human. Very well narrated.

Interssting and Relatable

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I really liked the story, being an ultra runner myself. But the delivery is so dry it is really hard to "connect" with the author.

good story but dry delivery

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.