Recently, lululemon officially unveiled a series of innovative products for athletes participating in the brand's first women's ultramarathon further. The FURTHER project aims to show how women can explore their potential with abundant resources and innovative products. On the eve of International Women's Day, the six-day ultra-marathon will start on March 6. lululemon worked with the 10 female ambassadors involved in the program to create a full set of athletes' gear to ensure they met their unique needs on the track.
The full set of 36 innovative products is designed with multi-day competition use in mind, and is designed with athlete insights and research in mind. There are a number of products to help runners stay cool and store their belongings during the race. lululemon's best-beyondfeel running shoe, the "combat boot" in the FURTHER athlete's gear, was also available in an exclusive colorway and was officially released on the day of the race.
For too long, women have not received enough attention and resources in the sports industry. Therefore, we feel that we have a responsibility to work to close this gap and promote gender equality. Nikki Neuburger, Chief Brand Officer at lululemon, said, "We believe that women will redefine and explore human potential with the support of innovative products and abundant resources. That's the impetus for the FURTHER project. ”
Co-creating designs with female athletes exemplifies lululemon's commitment to supporting women through research, innovation, and resources and helping them achieve more possibilities. These 10 athletes are extraordinary representatives of their communities, each with a unique running story and an expression of a desire to pursue bold goals. The ambassadors will travel to La Quinta, California, to try their hand at the longest distance of their careers on a certified Lake Cahuilla circuit, and have the opportunity to break world records for distance and time, including the men's six-day long distance world record. This will probably be the first time in history that a woman has set the world benchmark for supercars.
lululemon's research projects are led by the brand's in-house research team and in partnership with the Canadian Sport Institute Pacific and the brand's own research network, throughout the competition and after the competition. The project will advance she-first research to help close the gender data gap in sports science to better understand human athletic performance.
This ongoing study will delve into the spotlight of whether female ultramarathon runners are more resistant to fatigue and run more durably than men, and will look at uncharted areas such as the life experiences of runners and the physiological and biomechanical effects of 6-day running. All study results will be published over the next 2 years, with preliminary findings published in autumn 2024. The findings will drive more research on women and female athletes and support lululemon's "she" first product innovation.