Katie
“There are so many rad ladies adventuring out there. Ladies who kayak, who climb, who camp on mountains, who swim in oceans, the list is endless. I think the more we advertise that and provide visibility to it, the more women we are going to encourage to give it a go!”
Katie’s adventurous spirit and love for the outdoors have made her a versatile athlete, from mountain biking, to running and hiking. She is constantly looking to challenge herself in those areas, taking on new terrains and braving extreme weather conditions. She is an encouraging role model, showing other young girls and women that they have a place in the outdoor space. Meet Katie. This is her story.
K: Please introduce yourself!
KM: I’m Katie; a mountain biker, runner, climber, geologist and all round lover of the outdoors. You can find me holding on for dear life down scary (to me!) mountain bike trails, out of breath attempting to run up Munro’s in Scotland, or planning adventures any time I’m not in the incredible outdoors. I want to share the unbelievable experiences that a life in the mountains can offer you and have recently qualified as a mountain bike leader to help encourage people, particularly women, to step out of their comfort zone and fall in love with mountain biking like I did.
K: Describe yourself in your own words
KM: Adventure seeking, nature loving, outdoor marvelling, definitely stubborn, self deprecating and constantly wanting to be better at everything! I aim to live by the work hard and play harder philosophy!
K: What is your favourite thing about yourself?
KM: This is a bit of a love/hate one but I love that I’m constantly trying to better myself, to improve and don’t want to back down or give up. I enjoy a challenge and thrive on it. Sometimes that can be hard work though as it means I put a lot of pressure on myself!
K: Tell us a story. Have you had an experience that’s defined you or made you stronger?
KM: Hmm it’s hard to pick one single event or experience that’s made me stronger. When I step out of my comfort zone I believe that helps me get stronger and grow as a person. That happens surprisingly often! It can be the experience of trying to ride a technical feature on a trail, running along a ridge which is giving me the heebie jeebies or surviving a bike or running race. I’ve spent so many days running in adverse conditions with howling wind and relentless rain building grit and determination. So many bike races being terrified but surviving and learning so much in the process. Building strength, both inner and outer, is a journey.
K: What is one piece of advice you’d give to your younger self?
KM: I’m quite a self deprecating person; struggling to believe I’m good enough and constantly comparing myself to other people at the cost of my own happiness. I’m trying to improve this and although I don’t have the answers to feeling complete self worth, I would tell my younger self not to worry, not to care what people think, not to put unnecessary pressure on. What does good enough even mean? Good enough for what? Just enjoy life, that’s all that matters.
And that brings me on to a second thing, how on earth am I already 27 years old! Take advantage of every single opportunity; go travel, stop being lazy, make the most of school and university holidays. Go live your life.
K: What does being a woman mean to you?
KM: Hmm, that’s a difficult question to answer. I don’t see myself as different to men. Perhaps that’s because I’m in a very privileged position and am lucky enough that women fought for equality before me. I can run up mountains, I can ride my bike, I can go adventuring, I can be valued as geologist.
I do feel that a lot of what I do is a male dominated world, both in work and play. Enduro mountain bike races for example have a huge gender gap with hundreds of men and tens of women. Perhaps that isn’t an issue but perhaps that is. What if theres a young girl wanting to try a race but looks at those races and doesn’t see any women? I feel a responsibility to represent as a woman. To be a role model. Even if I’m not doing well and getting podiums, at least I’m showing up and having fun and pushing myself. It doesn’t have to be racing; there are so many rad ladies adventuring out there. Ladies who kayak, who climb, who camp on mountains, who swim in oceans, the list is endless. I think the more we advertise that and provide visibility to it, the more women we are going to encourage to give it a go!
K: Who is one woman that inspires you? What would you say to her if she were here now?
KM: There’s so many that inspire me, picking one is super duper hard!
Mikayla Parton is a badass female mountain biker who started biking comparatively late and in a few years has made her way to World Cup racing. She is incredibly humble, rips on a bike and an inspiration of what you can achieve with hard work.
Emilie Forsberg is also an inspiration to me. The impression I get is she lives her life to be happy, the mountains fulfil her and she cares about them. She is an incredible athlete who always has a smile on her face and a fantastic ambassador for the sport.
In general though I am inspired by so many women who are feisty adventurers, who don’t back down to challenge and whom are making the most of life.