Francesca Willn, University of Exeter
GFGRG Undergraduate Dissertation Prize 2025 – Runner Up
My undergraduate human geography dissertation explored the rise of female running influencers on Instagram and how their self-presentation shapes gendered understandings of running. My interest in this topic emerged from my own fitness journey, which began during the first COVID-19 lockdown in 2020. With everyday routines dismantled, I turned to social media for structure and motivation, following female fitness influencers who shared accessible workouts and documented their progress. For me, these online representations normalised strength training for women and played a significant role in building my confidence to engage with fitness offline. However, when gyms reopened, I was struck by how male-dominated these physical spaces were, prompting questions about how gendered expectations continue to shape participation despite seemingly progressive digital narratives.
In more recent years, I incorporated running into my routine, initially perceiving it as a more gender-neutral activity. Yet as I increased my distances and began training for ultramarathons, I once again found myself outnumbered by men on start lines. This disconnect between online visibility and offline participation coincided with the rapid growth of ‘runfluencers’ on Instagram, motivating me to examine the gendered messages embedded in their content. Using a feminist constructionist approach, I analysed how female running influencers present their bodies, emotions and running environments, focusing on clothing choices, expressions of effort or ease, and the places they choose to run.
The research revealed persistent tensions between femininity and athleticism, suggesting that women in the running space are often placed in a no-win position. When running is presented as effortless through aesthetically ‘fit’ bodies, women risk being framed as inherently delicate and not capable of being pushed to their physical limits. Conversely, portrayals of struggle, often communicated through humour and self-deprecation, can reinforce assumptions of female physical fragility. Even when femininity is combined with clear athletic competence, women’s achievements are frequently diluted due to hegemonic frameworks that deem femininity as incompatible with strength and endurance. As a result, female athleticism is rarely recognised as fully legitimate or normative.
I hope this research prompts greater reflection on how gendered representations of sport circulate between digital and physical spaces, and how more inclusive narratives might support women’s participation, particularly when running longer distances or more competitively.